Support Learner Success

With the reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners, access to prison education programs is likely to increase. However, these programs often don’t provide the comprehensive supports learners need to be academically prepared for or successful in them.

Research has shown that education dramatically improves the odds that incarcerated learners will successfully reenter the community and workforce upon release. The Petey Greene Program provides college readiness programming and tutoring services to help incarcerated learners improve their literacy and math skills, with the goal of helping them continue their education.

With Ascendium’s $700,000 grant, The Petey Greene Program will expand its college readiness and academic support programming. As a result, more incarcerated learners will have the opportunity to access college-level learning and prepare for ongoing education during incarceration and after release.

Developmental education provides learners with additional academic preparation so they can succeed in college-level courses. Traditionally, developmental education was offered as stand-alone, full semester classes whose credits didn’t count toward a credential. Too many students never completed those classes, causing them to lose both time and money. Research has shown that most students who would be placed in traditional developmental education can succeed in college-level courses with the right supports.

Strong Start to Finish works with state postsecondary education systems to implement developmental education reforms. These reforms are designed to help learners choose the best course for them and also offer learners additional academic supports while they’re enrolled in college-level courses. The reforms have been shown to help learners succeed in critical courses while making progress toward their credential.

Ascendium’s $2.5 million grant will help Strong Start to Finish implement developmental education reforms in up to eight state postsecondary education systems. Through these efforts, more learners will complete their first year of college and, ultimately, earn a degree. The field will also gain an understanding of how states can more quickly and widely adopt these reforms.