Sharing knowledge is at the heart of our mission. Explore Ascendium’s growing library of publications that examine the complex challenges facing postsecondary learners, and how we’re helping our partners address them.
Community College Bachelor’s Degrees in Texas: A First Look at Enrollment and Outcomes
March 2024
Community college baccalaureate programs are growing in Texas as they have the potential to offer more streamlined paths for learners to credentials that lead to good jobs. This brief offers policymakers and practitioners more information on who enrolls in these programs and what happens to graduates in the labor market so they can understand how these degrees can serve learners from low-income backgrounds.
Accelerated Courses at Tennessee Community Colleges
February 2024
To better understand the impact of accelerated (shorter-than-15-week) courses on learners from low-income and other nontraditional backgrounds, the College System of Tennessee studied whether seven-week courses affect learner outcomes and how faculty, staff, and learners experience accelerated courses. The resulting interactive policy brief showcases the changing landscape of accelerated course offerings at Tennessee community colleges while setting the stage for further study.
Beyond Access: Advancing Racial Equity and Inclusion in Prison Education Programs
February 2024
To bridge the gap between promising practices for advancing equity in postsecondary education and current postsecondary education in prison practices, the Vera Institute of Justice launched a multiyear, cross-state, collaborative project to explore racial inequities in both systems. This report presents their findings along with strategies aimed at tackling these inequities in postsecondary education in prison programs.
Participation & Outcomes in SUNY College-in-Prison Programs
November 2023
To understand how its programs support incarcerated individuals in New York both during and after their time in prison, SUNY’s Office of Higher Education in Prison created a longitudinal data system. It merges student data from SUNY's system and the National Student Clearinghouse with New York State Department of Corrections data. This report utilizes these combined datasets to examine various aspects of incarcerated learner participation, including enrollment, diversity, course subjects, retention rates, and completion rates.
Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 2
November 2023
In the second episode of their two-part conversation with Reach University Chancellor Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Future U podcast hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn consider the teacher apprenticeship model’s potential for scaling to other public sector jobs. As part of their analysis, they discuss how this model addresses staffing shortages through job-embedded learning.
Leveraging Apprenticeships to Bolster the Rural Talent Pipeline: Part 1
November 2023
In the first episode of their two-part conversation with Reach University Chancellor Mallory Dwinal-Palisch, Future U. podcast hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn learn about Reach’s apprenticeship approach to teacher education. Focusing on Reach’s foundation, theory, and practice, they discuss how it addresses rural workers’ lack of access to affordable training pathways leading to high-quality jobs.
The reinstatement of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated learners is a positive step toward normalizing opportunity to pursue education and career goals. This digital field guide was created to ensure postsecondary education leaders and corrections professionals have open access to free resources necessary to create high-quality postsecondary education in prison programs that lead to quality jobs and successful reentry.
Community Colleges and Apprenticeship: The Promise, the Challenge
November 2023
Community colleges are well-positioned to expand apprenticeship opportunities and create affordable, equitable pathways into careers in healthcare, information technology, business services, and more. Resources from New America detail how colleges can fill the role of apprenticeship intermediary while serving the needs of learners and their communities.
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Assessing the Use of Administrative Holds
October 2023
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has created an online resource center to increase understanding around the impact of administrative hold policies and practices on equitable learner success. The online resource center includes learner profile videos, testimonials, case studies, and tools which provide context and actionable guidance for those planning an institutional assessment of holds.
Competency-Based Education (CBE) Program Model Mapping Project
October 2023
While many colleges are adopting competency-based education (CBE) programs, few look the same. American Institutes for Research developed a framework and research brief that not only identifies design features and options currently in use by colleges and universities in the U.S., but also helps those in the field understand which features are working and which may be less effective.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has released preliminary enrollment data covering 9.6 million undergraduate and graduate students in fall 2023. They found undergraduate enrollment grew for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 health crisis, with community colleges, short term certificates, and second year students and beyond accounting for a large percentage of the undergraduate increase.
National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators
Prison Education Program Web Center
October 2023
Applying for and administering financial aid can be a minefield, especially for those in carceral settings. This web center provides both financial aid and prison education program administrators with up-to-date tools, training, and news related to the implementation of financial aid for incarcerated learners.