WHY MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS?
High-quality reporting and storytelling are vital for investigating, proposing, and disseminating systemic solutions to challenges faced by learners from low-income backgrounds. When media highlight problems alongside evidence-based solutions, successful practices have the potential to scale up. Media amplification can also encourage individual policymakers, communities, and government agencies to address critical issues in improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes. By framing and amplifying the issues critical to improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes, media partners get important information in front of those who can advocate for and make real, systemic change.
Learn more about how our media partnerships support learners from low-income backgrounds.
Bringing Forward Underserved Learners’ Experiences
The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Different Voices of Student Success lifts underserved learners’ experiences and shares best practices for supporting them.
Strengthening Media Coverage of Postsecondary Education Topics
The Education Writers Association fosters the community of education writers to increase the amount of high-quality, thoughtful media coverage nationwide.
Listening to What’s Next in Postsecondary Education
Academic Intelligence’s Future U. podcast series examines the postsecondary education landscape through interviews with national thought leaders and innovators.
Highlighting Solutions in Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
The Hechinger Report produces high-quality reporting on research, reforms, and promising solutions with the goal of improving the American education system.
Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education in Prison
Open Campus’ biweekly newsletter College Inside investigates the future of postsecondary education in prison by focusing on incarcerated learners’ stories.
Supporting National Reporting on Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
Open Campus’ bimonthly newsletter Mile Markers explores the voices and issues shaping postsecondary education and workforce training in rural communities.
Documenting an Innovative Path to Workforce Training for Incarcerated Learners
UnlockED: The Film features four incarcerated learners as they produce a learning management system that would improve postsecondary education in prison.
Expanding Coverage of Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training in Rural America
The Rural News Network builds capacity for rural news outlets to explore postsecondary education and workforce training issues receiving little to no coverage.
Elevating Student Parents’ Experiences in Postsecondary Education
Three Frame Media’s short film on student parents celebrates and elevates their belonging in postsecondary education.Supporting the Future U. Podcast 7th Season
Other
This grant supports Academic Intelligence in producing the Future U. podcast series, which features interviews with national thought leaders and innovators working to improve student success in postsecondary education. Future U. will produce four episodes that specifically explore issues related to and insights generated from Ascendium’s grantmaking.
Maintain Momentum: Supporting Postsecondary Education Membership Organizations and Networks
Scaling
This grant supports Achieving the Dream and its members in continuing to advance student success reforms despite COVID‐19‐related impacts.
Student Parent Film Series
Other
This grant supports Three Frame Media in producing a short film as part of a series focused on the experiences of student parents in postsecondary education. The series will unpack the challenges faced by student parents, who are also often low-income and students of color, and highlight programs and policies that support their success.
Expanding Coverage of Postsecondary Success and Workforce Training in Rural America
Other
This grant supports the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network in collaborating with five rural newsrooms to develop greater coverage of postsecondary education and workforce training issues in rural communities and highlight the experiences of rural learners.
Assessing the Pandemic's Impact on Postsecondary Education in Prison
Scaling
This grant supports The RAND Corporation in assessing the near- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on postsecondary education in prison. Promising practices and responses to the pandemic that are being employed by corrections departments, colleges and universities, and postsecondary practitioners will be identified and disseminated to the field and key stakeholders.
Women Of Color Leadership Summit
Other
This grant supports EquityWorksNW in convening a leadership summit for women of color in postsecondary education with the goal of supporting those leaders in designing and implementing institutional practices and policies that promote equitable student success.
Subscribe and Stay Connected
Get Ascendium news right to your inbox, from grant announcements and project spotlights to where you can find our program staff in the field.
