Jump to navigation



Innovators Insights




  • Housing
  • Poverty Alleviation
  • Collaboration
  • Emergency Management
  • Climate Change
  • Banking
  • Teacher Recruitment and Training
  • Corrections, Probation, and Parole
  • School Administration
  • Courts and Legal Services
  • School Social Service
 
November 16, 2007
What's New
Management Insights: A Resource for Public Managers
With weekly columns by management experts

In this week’s column, William Eggers examines the recent immigration reform bill to demonstrate that the success of professional government managers depends on their ability to customize services—quickly and at scale—to the diverse needs of the population.

Housing
Related Stories Back To Top

Governor Rendell launches statewide foreclosure prevention initiatives

10/29/2007 | U.S. Newswire

Pennsylvania is responding to the foreclosure crisis with two new measures aimed at helping homeowners. The Refinance to an Affordable Loan (REAL) program helps homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages transition into 30-year, fixed-rate loans. Additionally, the Homeowner Equity Recovery Opportunity (HERO) program is designed to help people who owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. Under HERO, the state housing agency would buy the mortgage from the lender and set up an affordable repayment agreement with the homeowner.

Poverty Alleviation
Related Stories Back To Top

Good behavior gets more than pat on back: Low-income tenants given incentives

11/08/2007 | Chicago Tribune (Illinois)

Programs that reward poor people for good behavior are increasingly popular. New York City is dispensing cash to families in high-poverty neighborhoods who exhibit good parenting skills. In Chicago, a nonprofit organization is experimenting with a program for families who live in public housing, distributing points (which can be converted into goods or services) to residents who are financially and professionally responsible and who take proper care of their children. Children can also win points by, for instance, earning good grades at school. Critics argue that these programs are demeaning to poor citizens and focus too much on behaviors as opposed to circumstances.

Collaboration
Related Stories Back To Top

Minneapolis police and religious group provide mentors for ex-cons struggling to adjust to life after jail

11/07/2007 | St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota)

Community Justice Project, a much-acclaimed initiative launched several years ago by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Greater Minneapolis Council of Churches, shows the potential of partnering with faith-based organizations. The program matches trained volunteer mentors with recently released offenders, offering them logistical assistance and individualized psychological support.

Emergency Management
Related Stories Back To Top

Washington Police gets new police siren to help with traffic problems

10/29/2007 | Hindustan Times

The Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC has equipped 49 of their cars with "Rumblers," a new type of siren that emits low frequency sound waves which shake everything within a 200-foot radius. Supporters argue that it allows the police to move swiftly through traffic. Opponents claim that it might excessively worry motorists.

Climate Change
Related Stories Back To Top

Governor Spitzer unveils cutting-edge global warming regulations

10/24/2007 | States News Service

To meet the criteria set by the regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative—the pledge made by 10 Northeastern states to combat global warming—the Governor of New York has issued new rules that supporters describe as cutting-edge. Under the new plan, a power plant must compensate for its emissions by buying carbon credits that will be sold at auctions. The proceeds from those auctions will help finance energy-efficient programs.

Banking
Related Stories Back To Top

FDIC launches study to identify alternatives to payday loans

10/30/2007 | States News Service

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) plans to conduct a two-year study to find alternatives to payday loans—short-term loans sold mostly to low-income customers at high interest rates. Under the Affordable and Responsible Consumer Credit pilot program, the FDIC will encourage its member banks to create replicable business models that offer affordable small-dollar loans of up to $1,000 with longer payment periods, and annual percentage rates below 36 percent. The pilot program also seeks to find institutions that offer low or no origination fees and no early repayment penalties. 

Teacher Recruitment and Training
Related Stories Back To Top

N.Y.C. unveils merit-pay plan for teachers in high-need schools

10/24/2007 | Education Week

New York City has moved forward with a controversial plan to give cash bonuses to underperforming schools where student test scores are rising. Similar plans have alredy been deployed in Denver, Minneapolis, and other cities. With the blessing of New York's local teachers' union, the plan provides awards to entire schools, not just individual teachers, who raise test scores. A school committee then determines how the award will be distributed to the teachers. The plan is voluntary and would require that at least 55 percent of the teachers at a participating school vote to opt in.

Corrections, Probation, and Parole
Related Stories Back To Top

State to issue convicts ID cards upon release; Identification can help offenders get license, housing

10/27/2007 | The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Offenders leaving prisons and jails in Washington state will be eligible for state-issued identification cards to help them reestablish their place in society. Those persons released from jail often lack proper identification as they have lost or failed to keep drivers' licenses up-to-date and have lost other key documents. Without identification, prior offenders often struggle to obtain employment and housing, which increases the risk of recidivism.

School Administration
Related Stories Back To Top

State's teacher data put online; Database includes details officials once kept hidden

11/02/2007 | The Columbus Dispatch (Ohio)

In an effort to make classrooms safer, Ohio has launched a new Web site with a database that lists the names of over 1,700 teachers, coaches, administrators and other licensed educators investigated and reprimanded for misconduct. The creation of the Educator Conduct Search tool was a response to news reports of widespread disciplinary problems and the Ohio Education Department's frequent failure to notify school districts about reprimanded teachers. Officials are quick to point out that the database represents less than one percent of educators in the state. The database is modeled partially on similar projects in Florida, South Carolina, and Vermont.

Courts and Legal Services
Related Stories Back To Top

Education program helps assure child support

10/24/2007 | Patriot News (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)

Since 2005, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, has used the Success Academy program to keep parents who owe child support out of jail, thereby allowing them to continue to earn an income. Qualified individuals participate in the program for six months, and receive help with career planning and training in subjects ranging from financial management to parenting. Additionally, Success Academy has saved taxpayers nearly $370,000 so far through reduced incarceration costs.

School Social Service
Related Stories Back To Top

In face of statewide school counselor shortage, new Web site lets students get information to plan for college: With professionals in short supply, Web new source for information

11/05/2007 | Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minnesota)

A new program in Minnesota gives students the option of interacting with a licensed school counselor via the Web. The online program is a collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education; the University of Minnesota; and other private, public, and nonprofit entities. While it is not a substitute for face-to-face guidance and counseling, a critical shortage of school counselors in the state makes this a welcome tool.

Newsletter produced by: Vanessa Ruget and Brendan St. Amant (researchers and writers); Jessica Engelman (editor).

Back To Top
NOTE: The articles in this issue will remain active for approximately 90 days.

You were emailed this "Innovators Insights" of the latest government innovations news because you are a registered user of Government Innovators Network® who previously asked to receive it. Please feel free to forward this message to colleagues.

To unsubscribe, first login to http://innovations.harvard.edu using your email address and password. If you have forgotten your password, click here to recover it or set a new password. Once you are logged in, choose "User profile" from the top right corner, then uncheck the box at the bottom labeled "Innovators Insights", and click the "Update Your Profile" button at the bottom of the page.




(HTML template: $Id: innovators_html,v 1.3.4.1 2005/07/20 04:22:23 mike Exp $)