News

Their Stories Helped Lift a 26-Year Ban on Pell Grants for Prisoners

In December 2020, Congress lifted a 26-year ban on federal Pell Grants for incarcerated learners. The benefits of postsecondary education in prison extend far beyond recidivism, with positive ripple effects on families and communities, as well as individual learners. These are some of the stories that helped lift the ban.

New Postsecondary Education in Prison Resources, Welcome Bethany Miller and Our 2020 Support of Our Community

• Best Practices for Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs Released by Vera Institute of Justice
• COVID-19 Crisis and Transfer: What Institutions, Systems and States Can Do Today
• Bethany Miller Joins the Education Grantmaking Team

Best Practices for Postsecondary Education in Prison Programs Released by Vera Institute of Justice

Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) has released a new Ascendium-funded report outlining common issues and best practices in setting up postsecondary education in prison programs across 10 key areas. Learn how Vera is providing resources to college and corrections agency administrators on how to improve these programs.

Training for Online Math Teaching, a New Rural Podcast Series and New Resources

• College Math Instructors Praise Timely Training for Online Teaching
• Vera Institute of Justice Works to Develop Guidelines and Supports for Postsecondary Education in Prison
• Podcasts Raise Up Leaders in Rural Places

Vera Institute of Justice Works to Develop Guidelines and Supports for Postsecondary Education in Prison

Learn more about how one Vera Institute of Justice grant is laying the groundwork for system-wide change with FAFSA and Second Chance Pell support.

Maintain Momentum Grants Top $4.5 million, Plus New Fellowships, Resources, Grants and Events

• Maintain Momentum Initiative Supports AAC&U, NCAN, Yes We Must
• Education Writers Association, Ed Trust Launch Fellowship Programs
• How-to Guide will Benefit Community College Leaders and Stakeholders

New Grants, New Report on Postsecondary Education in Prison Metrics, Strong Start to Finish

• New Grants Support a Spectrum of Student Success Initiatives
• IHEP Releases Groundbreaking KPI Framework Report
• Strong Start To Finish Shows Early Promising Results: Case Studies

Report Details Framework for Gathering Data on Higher Ed in Prison

There is a national need to identify key performance indicators (KPIs) of student success for higher education in prison programs, and a report from the Institute for Higher Education Policy explores how to use those KPIs to identify and benchmark those programs. This important work was supported by a grant from Ascendium.

Supporting Success: The Higher Education in Prison Key Performance Indicator Framework

The much-anticipated release of IHEP’s report on key performance indicators establishes a set of metrics to collect data to help the field better understand and improve incarcerated student outcomes. Read more about Ascendium’s interest in funding this report.

Transfer Research Funding, Text Steps, New Resources and Recent Grants

• COVID-19’s Effect on Transfer: Toward a Clearer Picture
• Districts Take Next Steps After Text Steps
• New Resources