News

Investments in Dev Ed Reform, Rural Workforce Training Among $17 Million+ in Recently Approved Grants

Ascendium recently approved nine new grants totaling over $17 million. These grants support a range of initiatives designed to help learners from low-income backgrounds, including developmental education reform, expanding pathways to upwardly mobile careers in information technology and the scaling of proven strategies to improve transfer outcomes.

New COVID-19 Transfer Data Findings, the Impact of Media Grant Partners on Inequity and More

• COVID-19 Transfer Data Reveals Trends that Can Inform Equity and Student Success Policies
• Engaging with Media Showcases Grant Partners’ Positive Impact on Inequity
• Are You Interested in a Student-Centered Partnership?

Free Workforce Trainings Expanded to More Hawai’i Residents

Building on a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, an Ascendium grant supports the University of Hawaii System in coordinating with local industry partners to identify and map career ladders, credentials and degree pathways that lead to a range of high-demand, entry-level occupations.

A Pivotal Time for Postsecondary Education in Prison, the Impact of Administrative Holds on Student Success and More

• Q&A: Molly Lasagna on the State of Postsecondary Education in Prison Ahead of Pell Restoration
• Hold Up: What We Do and Don’t Know about the Impact of Holds on Postsecondary Student Success
• Congratulations to 10 Exemplary Community Colleges in the Running for 2023 Aspen Prize

Ascendium Grows its Team to Further Our Grantmaking, Bringing Together Rural College Leaders and More

• Education Philanthropy Positions Will Enhance Evidence Based Grantmaking, Translate Evidence to Insights and Enrich Strategic Connections
• Learning Communities Bring Together Rural College Leaders
• Proposals Still Being Accepted for Fund for Workforce Equity

Education Philanthropy Positions Will Enhance Evidence Based Grantmaking, Translate Evidence to Insights and Enrich Strategic Connections

Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is hiring for three mission-critical positions. These roles underscore our commitment to evidence-based grantmaking and will deepen our capacity to tell essential stories that amplify partners’ important work. This growth will also advance Ascendium’s thought leadership in the fields in which we operate and bolster our ability to share insights with those best positioned to improve outcomes for learners from low-income backgrounds.

Read About Our New Team Supporting Incarcerated Learners, Help Us Shape Our Future Communications and More

• Introducing Our New Expand Postsecondary Education in Prison Team
• Help Us Evolve Our Communications
• Informed Self-Placement Engages Students in the College Placement Process, With Encouraging Results

New Guide Supports Efforts to Better Recognize and Map Military Training to Civilian Credentials

Servicemembers entering postsecondary education or the workforce bring with them considerable knowledge and skills gained from their military experiences. Improving their postsecondary education and training outcomes requires the consistent awarding of prior learning to servicemembers. Read more about our recent support of a project that aims to increase credit mobility for learners from low-income backgrounds, particularly servicemembers and veterans.

Latest Numbers Show College Student Transfers Continuing Steep Decline

New data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that transfer enrollments continued to decline in spring 2022, two years after the start of the COVID-19 health crisis.

Diverse Group Works to Strengthen Pathways at Michigan Community Colleges

With a grant from Ascendium, leaders from Michigan’s community colleges have been discussing how to build stronger and more equitable pathways to and through workforce programs for learners from low-income backgrounds. Convened by the Michigan Community College Association through its Michigan Center for Student Success, leaders have engaged with others across the state and heard from national experts on strategies guided by evidence-based practices.