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| Education |
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Chief Innovation Officers are making their way into public schools, where they are charged with providing long-term leadership, planning, and support of school leaders. Large urban systems including Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Newark have recently created this position, each tailoring it to meet their district’s needs. These offices of innovation are designed to advance innovative learning, technology interventions, and administrative professional development goals.
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| Fire Prevention & Response |
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The New York Fire Department is implementing new data analytics technology to help it prioritize building inspections to avert fires and make better use of limited resources. The Risk Based Inspection System pulls information from various city agencies to rank the risk of fires through the collection of various criteria such as a building’s age and height, construction material, date of last inspection, and its history of violations.
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| Emergency Management & Response |
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In the wake of last year’s shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut, and in recognition of the healing benefits of animal companions, Connecticut has codified what is believed to be the first law to formalize a state-sponsored system for training social workers and dogs in animal-assisted therapy. Under the legislation, the Department of Children and Families will also work with Connecticut animal therapy teams to coordinate their responses as they reach out to victims. While the new law only operates during times of crisis, future legislation may identify other contexts—such as having animals accompany traumatized witnesses at court proceedings—to employ animal therapy.
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| Traffic Control |
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In New Jersey, the Woodbury Police Department is deploying undercover officers as pedestrian decoys to target drivers who cruise through city crosswalks without stopping. These “crosswalk stings” both deter dangerous driving and increase revenues to the city from issued citations. For example, during one four-hour operation, police stopped 59 vehicles and issued 42 tickets for failure to yield to pedestrians—a $230 fine per ticket—as well as for eight other motor vehicle violations.
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| Water Resources |
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In Illinois, the Evanston Utilities Department is bringing a mobile hydration station to community events this summer, designed to promote drinking tap water, a convenient and cheaper option for residents that the city says is also better for the environment than bottled water. Evanston’s water comes directly out of Lake Michigan into a water treatment plant where it is tested and monitored to meet strict standards. Residents can refill their reusable water bottles with tap water at no charge at the station, which includes six separate sinks fitted with water bottle-filling faucets or drinking fountains.
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| Boston Transit Workers' Pensions: a Win for Transparency |
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Historically, information about the pensions for employees of greater Boston's transit agency has been hidden from the public. Now it's a matter of public record. Transparency is a victory for taxpayers.
Newsletter produced by: Jessica Engelman, editor; Brendan St. Amant, researcher and writer.
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About the Ash Center
The Roy and Lila Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation advances excellence in governance and strengthens democratic institutions worldwide. Through its research, education, international programs, and government innovations awards, the Center fosters creative and effective problem solving and serves as a catalyst for addressing many of the most pressing needs of the world's citizens. The Ford Foundation is a founding donor of the Center. Additional information about the Ash Center is available at http://ash.harvard.edu.
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