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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

Streamline Key Learner Transitions

Our philanthropy supports institutions and systems as they work to facilitate seamless transitions between educational and career opportunities after high school.

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How We See the Problem

Leveraging workforce training, transferring between postsecondary providers and entering or re-entering the workforce are pivotal moments in a learner’s career or academic journey. Institutions and systems can implement policies and practices that inadvertently make these transitions difficult. For example, when curricula don’t align, or information systems are incapable of sharing data effectively, students risk losing credits, momentum and money. The jump from postsecondary education into the workforce also presents challenges, especially when institutions offer programming that does not align with the skills employers need.

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Ascendium's Approach

An investment priority to...

Explore diverse pathways to postsecondary education and workforce training

Means we support...

  • Identifying, validating and scaling high-quality, nontraditional postsecondary education and training models, such as apprenticeships, career pathways, short term credentials and competency-based education
  • Promoting collaboration between postsecondary education and non-degree providers

Which will lead to...

  • Increasing learners’ understanding of the credentialing landscape and equitable pathways to careers
  • Increasing learner completion of nontraditional postsecondary education and training that enhance their readiness and access to employment, sustainable career pathways and additional education
  • Recognition from the traditional academe of high-quality, non-degree credentials and training, resulting in accessible and equitable pathways to additional education and careers

An investment priority to...

Ease transitions between, and returning to, postsecondary providers

Means we support...

  • Identifying and scaling high-quality recognition of prior learning strategies that expand equitable on-ramps to postsecondary education
  • Reforming policy and practice to improve transfer and application of credit at system, state and regional levels
  • Supporting effective strategies to reengage adult learners with some college, but no degree

Which will lead to...

  • Re-enrolling of potential completers that earn a high-quality credential which leads to increased socioeconomic mobility
  • Increasing the number of learners that successfully move between education providers without losing credit, slowing their momentum or delaying credential completion

An investment priority to...

Smooth transitions between postsecondary education and the workforce

Means we support...

  • Promoting postsecondary alignment and collaboration with workforce and economic development
  • Expanding data infrastructure and information sharing between postsecondary education providers and the workforce
  • Scaling effective institutional policies and practices that promote successful job placement leading to socioeconomic mobility

Which will lead to...

  • Postsecondary and workforce systems sharing data to provide learners with relevant education that meets economic and workforce needs and learners’ goals
  • Demonstrating commitment to learners’ career outcomes from institutions

Grants to Streamline Key Learner Transitions

To learn about our approach to grantmaking (Exploration, Validation, Scaling), visit our How We Fund page.

The Future of Associates Degree for Transfer in LA

Exploration
UNITE-LA Inc|$115,400|12/2020 - 12/2021
This grant supports UNITE-LA in convening Los Angeles Community College District and California State University leaders in a focused, facilitated planning process to craft action plans to improve the effectiveness of Associates Degree for Transfer pathways for low-income students in the region.

Implementing Competency-Based Education at Scale

Exploration
Kentucky Community and Technical College System Foundation Inc|$613,915|6/2020 - 11/2021
This grant supports the Kentucky Community and Technical College System in developing and executing an in-depth planning process to understand the system, academic and structural changes necessary for a statewide implementation of competency-based education within its general education, career, and technical and workforce training programs.

Constructing a Predictive Analytic Model to Adult Learner Pathways

Exploration
The Graduate! Network Inc|$260,000|6/2020 - 9/2021
This grant supports The Graduate! Network in developing a platform-agnostic quantitative and qualitative analysis of their data to construct a predictive analytic model to further understand patterns in adult learner pathways to degree completion. The analyses produced from this project will ultimately culminate in a report that will inform institutional policies and practices to further support adult learner re-engagement strategies and increase degree completion.

HBCU Degree Completion Pilot

Exploration
Delaware State University Foundation Inc|$216,200|9/2020 - 8/2021
This grant supports the Delaware State University Foundation in piloting an online college degree completion program for near-completer students in partnership with Southern New Hampshire University and Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Text Steps Summer Melt Texting Initiative

Scaling
National College Attainment Network|$32,000|1/2021 - 8/2021
This grant supports National College Attainment Network in amplifying the impact and reach of Text Steps, a Wisconsin-based initiative funded by Ascendium since 2018.

Tackling Transfer Phase II

Scaling
The Aspen Institute Inc|$1,200,000|7/2018 - 8/2021
This grant supports the Aspen Institute in helping three states—Minnesota, Texas and Virginia—adopt transfer reforms to promote bachelor’s degree attainment among students who begin at community colleges. This project will also produce learnings about the conditions and strategies for replicating or adapting comprehensive transfer reforms in other states.

Expansion of the Promise Ecosystem Initiative and Employer Symposiums

Scaling
College Promise Campaign|$250,000|1/2020 - 6/2021
This grant supports the College Promise Campaign in expanding their efforts to build awareness and generate momentum for the College Promise movement across the country, with a particular focus on tying Promise programs to career and workforce development.

Text Steps Summer Melt Texting-NCAN memberships for Wisconsin school districts

Scaling
National College Attainment Network|$30,883|9/2018 - 6/2021
This grant supports National College Access Network membership fees for the 13 school districts participating in the Text Steps project.

Scaling Education to Employment Solutions

Exploration
America Achieves Inc|$180,000|4/2020 - 4/2021
This grant supports America Achieves in developing actionable recommendations for how philanthropy and the public sector can work together to scale high potential postsecondary education to employment initiatives.

Text Steps Summer Melt Texting

Scaling
School District of Wisconsin Rapids|$44,870|9/2018 - 12/2020
This grant supports 13 Wisconsin public school districts in launching summer melt text nudging to help increase on-time college enrollment rates.
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Latest News

July 22, 2021

Rural community colleges respond to health crisis, a look at non-traditional models for students transitioning from training to the workforce and more

  • Resources Help Rural Community Colleges in Aftermath of COVID-19 Health Crisis
  • An Interest in Innovation: New Grants Explore Non-Traditional Models
  • Keith Witham Named Ascendium’s New Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking
Read More
July 21, 2021

Keith Witham Named Ascendium’s New Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking

Ascendium welcomes Keith Witham as our new Deputy Director - Education Grantmaking. He will provide day-to-day supervision and support to program officers across Ascendium’s four focus areas to maximize the impact of investments that support learners from low-income backgrounds.

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Resources

How Flexible Courses Promote Access and Success for Returning Adult Students at Community Colleges

The Tennessee Board of Regents - The College System of Tennessee, supported by Ascendium, launched Pathways to Success for Students with Some College, No Degree, a TBR project focused on paving the path to success for returning adult students at the state’s community and technical colleges. This working paper presents evidence that flexibility in course scheduling, locations and modality results in increased course success rates for returning adult students.

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COVID-19 Transfer, Mobility, and Progress: Final Look Spring 2021 Report

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released the fourth of a nine-part report series to provide institutions and researchers with near real-time data on how the COVID-19 health crisis is impacting transfer students. This report, co-funded by Ascendium and ECMC Foundation, shows transfer overall was down 10% and community college transfer enrollment declined 16.3%, a worrisome trend for learners from low-income backgrounds.

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Carolynn
Lee

Senior Program Officer,
Streamline Key Learner Transitions

Maryann
Rainey

Program Officer,
Streamline Key Learner Transitions

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