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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

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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.

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learning from students
University of Washington

Learning from Students: How Teams Rethink Their STEM Transfer Process Through Student Input

August 2023
This brief documents the work of postsecondary education partners to collect student input and translate that data into improvements for learners using STEM transfer pathways. It includes the strategies they used to collect input, as well as insights on what constitutes input, what forms of input are most needed, and how partners can best learn from students.
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workforce alignment study
Urban Institute

Workforce Alignment Study: Maximizing Workforce Success for College Students

August 2023
This suite of resources provides information for policymakers, institutional and system leaders, and practitioners on effective workforce aligned strategies and policies that help learners from low-income backgrounds complete short-term career and technical education credentials that lead to good jobs.
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TennCoach
Tennessee Board of Regents – The College System of Tennessee

The Tennessee Coaching Project: Next Steps Advisors (Pilot Semester Overview)

August 2023
The Tennessee Coaching Project extends support for adult learners with some postsecondary education but no degree through course-focused success coaches known as Next Steps Advisors. These coaches help them navigate the unique challenges and barriers they face returning to postsecondary education to complete their degree.
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futureUPod
Academic Intelligence

Learner Mobility and Transfer in Higher Ed

May 2023
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, it’s estimated that transfer students lose 43% of their credits when they move to a new institution. In this podcast episode, Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo speak to Greg Washington, president of George Mason University, about university programs that support learner mobility, especially for transfer students. These programs show promise as they make it easier for learners to keep prior-earned credits and integrate into their new institution.
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states take steps
RAND Corporation

States Can Take Steps to Address Potential Barriers to Equity in Stackable Credential Pipelines

April 2023
To ensure that stackable credentials are advancing equity, states and institutions can take actions to scale initiatives in ways that ensure learners from low-income backgrounds have access to and succeed in these pathways. A new research brief offers insights and recommendations for stakeholders based on a study of potential barriers within stackable credential pipelines.
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stacking cred
RAND Corporation

Do Low-Income Students Benefit from Stacking Credentials? Descriptive Evidence from Colorado and Ohio

April 2023
Stackable credential programs may be especially helpful for learners from historically underserved communities as they provide greater flexibility to pursue postsecondary education and workforce training. Using data from Colorado and Ohio, this research brief details the differences in credential-stacking and labor market returns from stacking for learners from low-income backgrounds versus middle- and high-income learners.
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stackable
RAND Corporation

Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio

April 2023
The ability for learners to “stack” short-term credentials in order to gain specific skills needed for in-demand jobs is a strategy gaining momentum around the country. This report features findings from two states pursuing stackable credential initiatives. It details what they’ve learned from analyzing administrative data to describe patterns in credential-stacking and earnings for learners from low-income backgrounds relative to middle- and high-income learners.
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AR 2022 NewsRelease Featured

2022 Education Philanthropy Report: Meeting the Moment

April 2023
This year’s report is all about overcoming the challenges presented by our changing world. Inside, you’ll read about the tremendous efforts of our grant partners to improve postsecondary education and workforce training systems so that learners from low-income backgrounds can succeed beyond high school.
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ColeridgeConvening
Coleridge Initiative

3rd Annual National Convening: Cross-Agency Collaboration for Evidence-Building

March 2023
The Coleridge Initiative hosted a convening highlighting the potential of collaborations amongst government agencies and researchers to produce actionable insights that could improve government programs. Presenters at the event included members of Ascendium’s Education Philanthropy. The convening report spotlights the potential of federal, state, and private data owners working together to answer policy questions, particularly those with relevance to postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes.
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transferAndProgressFall2022
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center

Transfer and Progress

March 2023
A recent National Student Clearinghouse Research Center analysis reveals concerning trends: that community college enrollments and transfer rates, particularly from two- to four-year institutions, continue to fall. Community colleges and transfer play an important role in serving learners from low-income backgrounds as they pursue their educational goals. The report, the first in a series that uses a new measure of students’ income background, builds on work done tracking transfer trends throughout the COVID-19 health crisis.
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Alternatives to College Social resource
Academic Intelligence

Short, Affordable College Alternatives Lead to Careers with Upward Mobility

February 2023
In this Future U. podcast episode, Merit America and Marcy Lab School founders talk about how their organizations train learners facing financial and other barriers to postsecondary education and connect them with careers in the technology sector. Merit America’s program is designed for and supports working adults while the Marcy Lab is an alternative to college for those who either never enrolled or dropped out. Organizations like these are creating opportunities for low-income learners to pursue careers leading to upward mobility.
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kent state transfer v2
Kent State University Foundation

Lessons From a Multi-College Transfer Partnership

January 2023
Kent State University worked with three local community colleges to advance a “statewide comprehensive transfer blueprint” modeled on the Aspen Institute’s Transfer Playbook. Kent State and its partners implemented two key strategies recommended in the Playbook, clear programmatic pathways and tailored transfer student advising, with success. The partnership resulted in a transfer process that can help all learners transition to four-year programs and meet their academic goals.
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