Innovations Awards

Winner - Hawaii - 2003 - Hawaii 3Rs: Repair, Remodel and Restore Program

This program matches public funds with volunteers from private industry, reducing the $450 million of needed maintenance and repairs in the state’s schools and promoting community involvement in the school system.

Winner - Iowa - 2003 - Pollution Prevention (P2) Intern Program

This program places college graduate and upper level undergraduate students in Iowa's businesses, industries and governmental agencies for a 12-week period to help identify, evaluate and implement ecological and economical solutions for specific environmental issues or problems.

Winner - Pennsylvania - 2003 - Basic Education/Higher Education Science and Technology Partnership

Through this program, mobile educators are able to work directly with classroom teachers and deliver fully prepared experimental materials and equipment to ensure that state-of-the-art, hands-on laboratory experiences in biology and chemistry are a regular part of the science curriculum for secondary students throughout Pennsylvania regardless of school district wealth.

Winner - Washington - 2003 - Tri-Phase Initiative

State architects, engineers, project managers and facility planners provide condition assessment, project cost estimates, capital planning, project management and public works training to the state’s 297 school districts, bringing professional state facilities expertise and resources to K-12 school facility projects.

Alternate - Minnesota - 2005 - eFolio Minnesota

This program provides Minnesota students and residents the ability to construct and deploy a free, multimedia, Web-based showcase of their educational and work force accomplishments.

Alternate - Washington - 2004 - Spokane Youth Social Responsibility Project

In a cooperative effort between the state Department of Corrections and high schools in the Spokane area, this program offers social responsibility training classes to at-risk high school students. The idea behind the program is to correct the negative behavior of at-risk students before they become involved in the criminal justice system.

Alternate - Wisconsin - 2004 - School Aids Financial Reporting (SAFR)

Enabling school districts to submit data via the Internet to the state Department of Education, this program helps the state calculate and distribute $4.2 billion in general aid to 426 school districts.

Finalist - Tennessee - 2005 - Exemplary Educator (EE)

This targeted technical assistance program, which assists high priority state-identified schools in reading, language, math and writing, utilizes the expertise of recently retired exemplary educators. Over the past four years, approximately one-third of Tennessee's initially identified schools have moved off the list with the help of this program.

Finalist - Nevada - 2004 - Academic Preparation for Limited English Speakers

This program helps increase the English language skills and computer literacy of academically under-prepared, limited English proficient adults who reside in Clark County, Nev. The program also offers academic and career guidance to participants.

Finalist - South Dakota - 2004 - Health Occupations for Today and Tomorrow

This program provides K-12 students with information about academic, technical and professional requirements for careers in health care.

Finalist - Connecticut - 2003 - Higher Education Asset Protection Program

This program evaluates the condition of Connecticut’s public higher education facilities through a comprehensive facility condition assessment. The program includes physical inspections of buildings and uses a Web-based database application to assist each institution with capital planning and management.

Finalist - Delaware - 2003 - Models of Excellence in Education

This initiative identifies schools that improve student achievement and seeks to learn from their success, and to recognize and share their “best practices” with other schools, fostering the development of a statewide education network designed to improve the performance of all schools.

Finalist - Illinois - 2003 - After-school Initiative Task Force

Co-chaired by the Department of Human Services and the State Board of Education, this task force brought together leaders in youth development, human services and education to evaluate and coordinate the state’s after-school services.

Finalist - Louisiana - 2003 - Computers for Louisiana’s Kids

This multipurpose initiative takes donated computers – thereby reducing the amount of electronic waste in public landfills – refurbishes them, and distributes them to needy schools. Prison inmates and high school students learn how to refurbish the machines, which gives them marketable skills.

Finalist - Michigan - 2003 - Wireless Learning (aka Learning Without Limits)

This program is designed to improve student achievement by providing K-12 students access to 21st century learning tools, and eventually to achieve one-to-one access to wireless computing in all Michigan schools. The program provides funds for computers, software and related expenses.