Sharing knowledge is at the heart of our mission. Explore Ascendium’s growing library of publications that examine the complex challenges facing postsecondary learners, and how we’re helping our partners address them.
Project Profile: Mapping Effective Mentorship for Rural Community College Students
July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives addresses the gap in knowledge regarding rural-serving community colleges and mentorship strategies to support rural learners across the nation. A database of mentoring strategies at rural community colleges will be created to advance the understanding of the way to implement evidence-based solutions for mentoring.
Project Profile: Surfacing the Needs of Paraeducators Enrolled in Rural Teacher Preparation Programs
July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, Western Illinois University examines Paraeducator Teacher Education Option (PTEO) programs. PTEO programs are an alternate pathway to a teaching credential and to the teaching workforce serving rural learners from low-income backgrounds. Stakeholders in rural school districts that employ paraeducators will benefit from the action-oriented research generated.
Project Profile: The Effect of Institutional Programs and Practices on Low-Income Rural College Students’ Academic, Psychosocial, and Workforce-Related Outcomes
July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the University of Idaho examines the programs and practices that improve rural college students’ educational outcomes and their transition into the workforce. Data, descriptive reports, and insights will be collected, analyzed, and stored within a new dashboard available to stakeholders who make decisions related to rural postsecondary education.
Project Profile: Exploring the Effectiveness of Skills Training and Wage-Based Incentive Programs on the Social Mobility of Rural Early Childhood Education Providers in Tennessee
July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, Digital Promise explores the effectiveness of a skills training program and a wage-based incentive program on the upward mobility of rural early childhood education providers in Tennessee. Findings from the evaluation of these programs will inform policy makers and institutions implementing similar programs in support of their early childhood education workforce.
Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research
Project Profile: Rural College Leaders Program: Catalyzing Institutions to Improve Student Outcomes
July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the Belk Center evaluates its Rural College Leaders Program (RCLP) to ensure it has the best impact on its partner colleges and the learners they serve. Through evaluation, RCLP will be strengthened and broader lessons from the community of practice shared with other rural-serving community colleges across the country.
Programs that are specialized by sector and train people for high-quality, high-demand jobs in their communities are vital for improving the educational and economic outcomes of learners from low-income backgrounds. These programs offer targeted skills training and assistance with the job search as well as credentials for long-term career advancement. This paper recommends several strategies for ensuring that such specialized workforce training programs are robust, equitable, and in line with researched best practices.
Second Chance Pell: Six Years of Expanding Higher Education Programs in Prisons
June 2023
Since 2016, the Vera Institute of Justice has provided technical assistance to colleges and corrections departments participating in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, which provides need-based Pell Grants to people in state and federal prisons. This report describes the first six years of the initiative, with special focus on the 2021–22 financial aid year.
Six community colleges participated in the first cohort of the Rural Educator Academy (REA). This community of practice is focused on ways to improve student success metrics for rural learners from low-income backgrounds across the Appalachia region. Through these briefs, each college shared their journey, including goals, challenges, and what they learned through participation in REA.
Report of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison
June 2023
The New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison was formed with the goal of working to ensure that every incarcerated person in New England has access to high-quality, workforce-aligned equitable postsecondary opportunities with a wide range of educational pathways. With the restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners occurring July 1, this report speaks to how such aims can be achieved.
Implementing Caring Campus: Strategies College Presidents Use to Improve Culture and Support Reform
May 2023
Developed by the Institute for Evidence-Based Change, Caring Campus is a reform effort based on research that shows students who feel connected to their college are more likely to persist from semester to semester and complete their academic goals. This report highlights the role of college presidents in supporting campus culture and offers guidance for leaders at other institutions as they consider how best to institute Caring Campus and other culture-focused reforms.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, it’s estimated that transfer students lose 43% of their credits when they move to a new institution. In this podcast episode, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo speak to Greg Washington, president of George Mason University, about university programs that support learner mobility, especially for transfer students. These programs show promise as they make it easier for learners to keep prior-earned credits and integrate into their new institution.
The 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence
April 2023
The Aspen Prize recognizes the transformative power of community colleges by honoring institutions with outstanding student outcomes. The winners and finalists for 2023 offer lessons on what’s possible when a college commits to delivering on its promises, both to students and the broader community.