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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2017 Education Philanthropy Report: Building on What Works
January 2018
We believe in leveraging existing knowledge to evaluate and support strategies that are most likely to have an impact. By building on what works, we can help more students complete their credential.
Promising results show colleges that encourage summer enrollment can help students earn more credits toward their degree. This second MDRC brief recaps both study phases and highlights the impact of proven strategies for increasing summer enrollment.
2015 Education Philanthropy Report: Overcoming Barriers to Graduation
January 2016
Our 2015 Philanthropy Report highlights the three distinct and purposeful funding approaches we use, and details several grants we made over the past year.