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EDUCATION PHILANTHROPY DIVISION OF ASCENDIUM EDUCATION GROUP

Resource Library

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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ResourceThumbnail TheWorkforcePlaybook TheAspenInstitute

The Workforce Playbook

June 2019
A practical guide to setting a vision and key practices for talent development and economic mobility, balancing the needs of students and employers to advance the overall prosperity of their regions, from the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.
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ResourceThumbnail AMatterofDegree MDRC

The Finish Line: Graduation by Design

April 2019
Ascendium committed $1 million to support MDRC's The Finish Line: Graduation by Design project, which explores student behaviors, college policies and institutional practices that prevent students from completing the programs they start.
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ResourceThumbnail DesigningSucess MDRC

College Promise Success Initiative

April 2019
College Promise programs make higher education more accessible by covering tuition, without typically addressing nonfinancial barriers. The MDRC College Promise Success Initiative enables more colleges to supplement their CP programs with student supports.
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2019 Ascendium Annual Report Thumbnail

2018 Education Philanthropy Report: Clearing the Path

January 2019
Our 2018 report, Clearing the Path, highlights our belief in catalyzing lasting change that reduces barriers that arise throughout a student’s progression from enrollment through program completion to gainful employment.
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ResourceThumbnail TribalColleges CCSSE

An Exploration of Student Experiences at Tribal Colleges

January 2019
This Center for Community College Student Engagement report provides a snapshot of how students experience TCUs, showing gaps in successful completion as well as how continued investments can narrow this gap.
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ResourceThumbnail DoublingGraduationRatesinaNewState MDRC v2

Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) in Ohio

December 2018
A new report funded by Ascendium details the findings of the successful ASAP Ohio demonstration, helping thousands of students graduate at more than twice the rate of their peers.
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WCTS Student Success Center

WCTS Student Success Center

October 2018
Helping the greatest number of students toward successful degree completion requires broad-scale change. Wisconsin Technical College System's Student Success Center is a statewide hub that enables the 16 system colleges to learn from their peer institutions.
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ResourceThumbnail FreeCollege BrookingsEdu

The Degree Project

September 2018
Does the promise of a college scholarship early in a student's high school career increase the likelihood that the student will go on to and complete higher education? This Brookings report summarizes The 2011 Degree Project.
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ResourceThumbnail SeekingSTEM Hope4College

Seeking STEM: The Causal Impact of Need-Based Grant Aid on Undergraduates' Field of Study

July 2018
Prior research often points to students' lack of preparation for the shortage of STEM majors. This Hope Center paper investigates an alternative explanation: resource constraints.
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ResourceThumbnail MakingSummerPayOff CABS MDRC

Making Summer Pay Off

July 2018
How can postsecondary institutions encourage more students to enroll in summer courses? Will that improve their academic outcomes? MDRC’s Encouraging Additional Summer Enrollment project explores these questions to encourage more students to enroll in summer courses.
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ResourceThumbnail MultipleMeasuresGuide MDRC

Defining Misplacement: Multiple Measures Assessment

July 2018
Can community colleges boost graduation rates by switching to multiple measures assessments of incoming students' readiness? Ascendium committed $1 million to help 10 Midwest colleges select and implement MMA, guided by MDRC and partners.
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Podcast How to Improve College Placement Using Multiple Measures

Podcast: How to Improve College Placement Using Multiple Measures

July 2018
Can community colleges boost graduation rates by switching to multiple measures assessments of incoming students' readiness? Ascendium committed $1 million to help 10 Midwest colleges select and implement MMA, guided by MDRC and partners.
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