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Newsletter Article January 30, 2024

State-Level Initiatives Paving the Way for Postsecondary Education in Prison

In order to address barriers facing incarcerated learners, it’s imperative that we put our support behind state-level actors such as departments of corrections, which wield control over both access to and the allocation of resources for education in prison. Collaboration between these state-level actors and public universities and university systems is vital to creating high-quality postsecondary education in prison programs that set learners up for success upon release.

Newsletter January 18, 2024

Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Trends, Ascendium Welcomes Three Members, and More

  • Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Trends We’re Watching in 2024
  • Ascendium Welcomes Three Members to Education Philanthropy Team
  • Grants to Community-Based Organizations Aim to Strengthen Workforce-Aligned Training Pathways for Rural Learners
News Release January 16, 2024

At 50, Literacy Network Empowers Dane County More Than Ever Thanks to Funding from Ascendium

As Literacy Network celebrates 50 years of transforming lives through literacy, the organization faces an unprecedented demand for its services. More than 55,000 adults in Dane County struggle with low literacy — enough to fill more than three Kohl Centers (source: Literacy Network). Literacy Network supports them by offering literacy services to improve their skills in English language communications, reading comprehension, and information technology. As a result, these adults advance their careers, help their kids succeed in school, become U.S. citizens, understand health information, and obtain their high school diploma or other degrees.

Ascendium in the News January 11, 2024

Stackable Credentials: Making College Work for More Students

Stackable credentials are a way for learners to build their education and careers in steps, but evidence for these programs is scarce. RAND researchers pulled data from two states to learn if the programs deliver, under what circumstances, and for whom.

Newsletter Article January 10, 2024

Grants to Community-Based Organizations Aim to Strengthen Workforce-Aligned Training Pathways for Rural Learners

Over the past two years, the federal government has invested billions of dollars to create good-paying jobs as part of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” framework. Additional legislation, like the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act, aim to create millions of new jobs through investments in clean energy and advanced manufacturing. Collectively, this legislation generates opportunities for rural learners seeking good jobs. It also accelerates the need for rural training pathways that prepare these learners.

Newsletter Article January 08, 2024

Ascendium Welcomes Three Members to Education Philanthropy Team

Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy is pleased to announce the arrival of three accomplished professionals to our team. Join us in welcoming Dr. Brittany Corde, Vinya Cherian Hershberger, and Rachel Rogahn. Each contributes unique skills and experiences to strengthen our commitment to driving impactful, systemic change that improves the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds.

Newsletter Article December 22, 2023

Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training Trends We’re Watching in 2024

Part of being a reflective funder is listening to our grant partners and tracking the evolving needs of learners from year to year. With 2024 underway, we’re seeing notable trends across postsecondary education, including statewide efforts to align postsecondary education and the workforce and continued concerns about the return on investment of college necessitating more flexible models of delivery. Remaining aware of these trends allows us to tailor our grantmaking for meaningful impact.

Ascendium in the News December 21, 2023

In this shrinking Mississippi Delta county, getting a college degree means leaving home behind

As part of the Rural News Networks’ “Rural Realities: Education, Workforce, and Progress” series, this article traces the economic and generational effects of one Mississippi county’s lack of access to primary and postsecondary education. By focusing on the feedback loop between education access and good jobs, it provides a powerful example of how important educational opportunities are for the long-term economic health of a geographical area and its residents.

Newsletter Article December 11, 2023

Partners Reflect on Progress from Ascendium’s Rural Learner Success Initiative

Since March, seven grant partners have been engaged in work through Ascendium’s Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative. They’ve been busy generating an array of research that advances the understanding of rural learners and the postsecondary education and workforce training pathways that best serve them. These partners recently convened to discuss their work and reflect on the progress they are making in their research.

Newsletter Article December 08, 2023

Answering Questions About Learners and Employment Starts with Good Data

Despite investments in postsecondary education and workforce training by state and federal government, and from the learners themselves, we don’t today have adequate data to answer simple questions about the return on those investments in terms of employment outcomes. The Coleridge Initiative’s efforts to link postsecondary education and workforce training data, boost state data analysis capacity, and ultimately address knowledge gaps, can inform evidence-based policies and practices that lead to upward mobility and successful outcomes for learners.

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