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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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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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RANDReport resource
The RAND Corporation

Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 on Prison Education

March 2023
This report from RAND Corporation looks at trends in the COVID-19 infection rate for the U.S. state prison population and uses the results of a 2022 survey to examine how the health crisis and response efforts affected postsecondary education in prison programs.
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college in prison cover 32x
Academic Intelligence

How Pell Restoration Can Foster Postsecondary Education Opportunities for Learners in Prison

December 2022
On July 1, 2023, 1.5 million people in U.S. prisons become eligible for federal Pell Grants. In this episode of the Future U. podcast, hosts Jeff Selingo and Michael Horn talk to a scholar in prison education and a formerly incarcerated student who went on to earn his degree about how colleges benefit from offering and what it takes to provide meaningful opportunities for these learners to achieve their postsecondary education goals.
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Beyond Pell Restoration

March 2022
This report from the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison outlines the potential impacts of Pell Grant restoration on the field of postsecondary education in prison. The analysis uses original qualitative data from interviews with 12 postsecondary education in prison programs and quantitative data from the 2020 Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education in Prison national survey to illuminate persistent funding challenges that the Pell Grant alone cannot address.
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2021 annual report

2021 Education Philanthropy Report: Stronger Together

March 2022
In 2021, we saw the impact partnership and collaboration can make in helping transform the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds. Our report tells the story of our philanthropy during 2021 and what can be achieved when organizations work together.
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rcp

Reentry Campus Program Guide for Replication

March 2022
The Reentry Campus Program (RCP) works to expand educational opportunities and expedite completion rates for individuals who are currently and formerly incarcerated. This guide is designed to provide insight about the development of RCP and assist organizations interested in building a similar program.
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Evaluation of the Minnesota Department

Evaluation of the Minnesota Department of Corrections’ Career Navigators Program Final Report

March 2022
This research report presents the final findings from the RAND Corporation’s independent evaluation of the Minnesota Department of Corrections' Career Navigators program. It should be of interest to educators who develop and provide education programs for incarcerated adults, researchers who explore postsecondary education in prison and pathways to careers, corrections officials and policymakers.
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Landscape of Higher Ed

The Landscape of Higher Education in Prison 2019-2020

December 2021
This report from the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, partially funded by Ascendium, is the second annual data report on the Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs. It is the basis for the National Directory of Higher Education in Prison Programs. The Directory serves as a comprehensive resource for people seeking information about college in prison programs. It helps the field answer key questions about these programs and is a point of reference for advocates working to expand access to postsecondary education in prison.
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National Directory of Higher Ed

National Directory of Higher Education in Prison Programs

December 2021
Ascendium co-funded this interactive directory from the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison that collects descriptive data to help the field answer key questions about postsecondary education in prison (PEP) programs. The Directory includes statistics about PEP programs (by region or state); facility location and participating academic institutions; and a list view of all programs. With data collected from annual surveys on postsecondary education prison programs, the Directory now includes data from the 2019-2020 academic year.
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SSTF Resource Library

Strong Start to Finish Knowledge Center

October 2021
The Strong Start to Finish (SSTF) Knowledge Center is a clearinghouse of research and resources from those in the SSTF network, intended for all institutions and systems interested in implementing developmental education reforms. Resources can be searched by keyword, sorted by format and filtered by topic. SSTF is supported by Ascendium, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Kresge Foundation.
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Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education in Prison Survey

September 2021
The Understanding the Landscape of Higher Education Prison Survey was designed as a follow-up to the 2020 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs. The Landscape Survey updates program statistics, including demographics, funding, technology and evaluation. With support from Ascendium, this survey was designed and distributed by the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, partnered with the Research Collaborative for Higher Education in Prison at the University of Utah and the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy.
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Convening Mapping the Future of Technology in Prison Higher Education

Convening: Mapping the Future of Technology in Prison Higher Education (Videos)

June 2021
These videos are presentations from a virtual convening in February 2021 of more than 100 attendees who explored the future of technology in postsecondary education in prison. The convening was produced by Open Campus Media with support from Ascendium. Participants included representatives of universities, advocacy groups, funders and state corrections systems.
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