News

Q&A: UIA’s Bridget Burns on Helping Struggling Students Get Back on Track (Part 1)

Students who receive a D or F or withdraw (DFW) from a course often stall out and can risk losing future financial aid. At many institutions, learners from low-income backgrounds make up a disproportionate percentage of this group. University Innovation Alliance’s founding CEO spoke with us about an innovative solution to identify DFW patterns and help these learners recover credits and regain momentum towards completion.

Why We Need to Pay Attention to Black Adult Learners

Using evidence from a three-year pilot program, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Delaware State University, a historically Black college and university (HBCU), are developing and scaling a new program. The TMCF-DSU Joint Center for HBCU Non-Traditional Completion will help near college completers and adult learners finish their degrees.

Updated Tool Saves Time and Money to Improve Learner Outcomes

The City University of New York (CUNY) and Ithaka S+R have updated their CUNY Transfer Explorer tool. The tool, which allows learners to see how prior learning experiences will apply in the CUNY system, now provides more upfront information to learners, faculty, and staff so they can better plan educational paths. When learners, especially those from low-income backgrounds, have accurate information about how their previous learning and experience will count, they are more likely to complete their program and reach their education goals.

DSU Center to Target Adults with Unfinished Degrees

The TMCF-DSU Joint Center for HBCU Non-Traditional Completion will support adult learners who have some college credits but no degree. In addition, the Joint Center will share best practices with other Historically Black Colleges and Universities on new college completion pathways for non-traditional students.

Evolving Our Team to Better Meet the Needs of Learners, We’re Hiring, and More

• Changes in Education Philanthropy Support Evolving Needs of Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds
• New Initiatives Aim to Cut Early Student Dropouts by Increasing Connection
• Why Supporting Financial Aid Administrators Is Key to Unlocking Opportunities for Incarcerated Learners

Changes in Education Philanthropy Support Evolving Needs of Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds

Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is adapting our organizational structure to meet the current and future needs of learners from low-income backgrounds. The promotion of two internal leaders to key positions will enhance our grantmaking strategy, tools, and partnerships. We are also hiring a deputy director of education grantmaking to oversee strategic grantmaking pipelines in one or more philanthropic focus areas.

New Initiatives Aim to Cut Early Student Dropouts by Increasing Connection

Studies have shown the benefits of connectedness and early momentum are especially strong for learners from low-income backgrounds. For the long-term academic wellbeing of these learners, it's essential for postsecondary education institutions to implement strategies to retain students from pre-enrollment through early course successes. Two new grants aim to help them do just that.

Why Supporting Financial Aid Administrators Is Key to Unlocking Opportunities for Incarcerated Learners

The return of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners has the potential to dramatically expand who has access to postsecondary education. It also poses fresh challenges for financial aid administrators. That’s why Ascendium is supporting the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators in providing technical assistance to financial aid officers and directors of prison education programs.

Support for Evidence-Based Workforce Training Models, New Projects to Help English-Language Learners, and More

• Targeted Investments Support Expansion of Evidence-Based Workforce Training Models
• New Projects Examine Barriers for English-Language Learners
• Recent Resources Show the Value of Good Workforce Training Programs

New Projects Examine Barriers for English-Language Learners

English-language learners are a diverse, rapidly growing subpopulation of learners who disproportionately come from low-income backgrounds. Community college programs dedicated to serving these learners provide a critical onramp to acquiring not only critical language skills but also credentials, which can lead to good-paying jobs. However, these pathways are often hampered by curricular misalignment, operational inefficiency, and ineffective classroom practices. A pair of groundbreaking research initiatives from WestEd and Community College Research Center are studying structural barriers for English-language learners with an eye toward broader reforms.