The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School has recently anounced the winners of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards. The practices and approaches of the Missouri, Arizona and North Carolina awardees are worth noting for the workforce development and education communities.

As a successful initiative of Arizona's Department of Corrections, the Getting Ready: Keeping Communities Safe program facilitates inmate reentry into society by structuring the prison environment like the outside world with real-world job training and educational opportunities. The Department implemented this program in 2004, as an alternative to conventional correctional systems in which staff exercises complete control over prisoners, affording most inmates few opportunities to acquire and apply basic skills critical to their success. By contrast, Arizona?s initiative empowers inmates to take control of their own lives, shifting pre-release preparation from staff to inmates with graduated incentives and privileges to reward good behavior. This opt-in re-entry initiative is available to Arizona state inmates at all custody levels and was developed with no new funds or enabling legislation.

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Recognized as "the guiding light for reform in juvenile justice" by the American Youth Policy Forum, the Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) forwards a promising new philosophy in treatment of youth offenders at its 42 locations across the state. Instead of the predominant punitive practices, DYS takes a therapeutic approach, viewing youth as a direct product of their experiences and capable of turning their lives around through a step by step change process. DYS youth participate in daily group meetings with 10 to 12 of their peers to talk through challenges and serve as positive role models for each other. Each young person receives individualized educational assistance and participates in a host of volunteer and community engagement activities.

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The Learn and Earn program is designed to increase North Carolina's high school graduation rates and better prepare high school seniors for higher education and careers in today's increasingly competitive job market. Spearheaded by Governor Easley and through the support of North Carolina's General Assembly, Community College system, State Board of Education, and local school districts, Learn and Earn was launched in 2004 to not only increase the number of high school graduates, but to also better prepare them for the demands of the 21st century global economy. Learn and Earn is based on the idea that students with more advanced levels of education will benefit economically in the future - the more a student learns, the more he or she will earn.

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