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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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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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EP UrbanInstitute
Urban Institute; The American Indian College Fund

Project Profile: Family-Friendly Tribal and Rural Campuses

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the Urban Institute, in partnership with The American Indian College Fund, generates insights from tribal colleges and universities about how to best serve learners with child caregiving responsibilities. With these insights, an update will be made to a widely used toolkit that supports parenting and caregiving learners on rural campuses.
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EP GAStateUniversity
Georgia State University Research Foundation

Project Profile: Expanding College Access for Rural and Underserved People in Georgia

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, Georgia State University examines the impact and importance of e-Campus, a distance learning initiative, on rural learners, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. Evidence will be generated on how the initiative enhances equity and how other institutions can make their student success initiatives more equitable.
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EP UniversityofWash
Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI)

Project Profile: Mapping Effective Mentorship for Rural Community College Students

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives addresses the gap in knowledge regarding rural-serving community colleges and mentorship strategies to support rural learners across the nation. A database of mentoring strategies at rural community colleges will be created to advance the understanding of the way to implement evidence-based solutions for mentoring.
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EP WesternIllUniversity
Western Illinois University

Project Profile: Surfacing the Needs of Paraeducators Enrolled in Rural Teacher Preparation Programs

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, Western Illinois University examines Paraeducator Teacher Education Option (PTEO) programs. PTEO programs are an alternate pathway to a teaching credential and to the teaching workforce serving rural learners from low-income backgrounds. Stakeholders in rural school districts that employ paraeducators will benefit from the action-oriented research generated.
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EP UniversityofIdaho
University of Idaho

Project Profile: The Effect of Institutional Programs and Practices on Low-Income Rural College Students’ Academic, Psychosocial, and Workforce-Related Outcomes

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the University of Idaho examines the programs and practices that improve rural college students’ educational outcomes and their transition into the workforce. Data, descriptive reports, and insights will be collected, analyzed, and stored within a new dashboard available to stakeholders who make decisions related to rural postsecondary education.
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EP DigitalPromise
Digital Promise Global

Project Profile: Exploring the Effectiveness of Skills Training and Wage-Based Incentive Programs on the Social Mobility of Rural Early Childhood Education Providers in Tennessee

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, Digital Promise explores the effectiveness of a skills training program and a wage-based incentive program on the upward mobility of rural early childhood education providers in Tennessee. Findings from the evaluation of these programs will inform policy makers and institutions implementing similar programs in support of their early childhood education workforce.
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EP NCStateUniversity v2
Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research

Project Profile: Rural College Leaders Program: Catalyzing Institutions to Improve Student Outcomes

July 2023
A project of the Building Evidence to Increase Rural Learner Success initiative, the Belk Center evaluates its Rural College Leaders Program (RCLP) to ensure it has the best impact on its partner colleges and the learners they serve. Through evaluation, RCLP will be strengthened and broader lessons from the community of practice shared with other rural-serving community colleges across the country.
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MDRC SectorStrategies
MDRC

Sector Strategies for Workforce Development

July 2023
Programs that are specialized by sector and train people for high-quality, high-demand jobs in their communities are vital for improving the educational and economic outcomes of learners from low-income backgrounds. These programs offer targeted skills training and assistance with the job search as well as credentials for long-term career advancement. This paper recommends several strategies for ensuring that such specialized workforce training programs are robust, equitable, and in line with researched best practices.
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veraSecondChancePell
Vera Institute of Justice

Second Chance Pell: Six Years of Expanding Higher Education Programs in Prisons

June 2023
Since 2016, the Vera Institute of Justice has provided technical assistance to colleges and corrections departments participating in the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, which provides need-based Pell Grants to people in state and federal prisons. This report describes the first six years of the initiative, with special focus on the 2021–22 financial aid year.
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RuralEducatorBriefs
Community Colleges of the Appalachia Region

Rural Educator Academy Cohort 1 Report Briefs

June 2023
Six community colleges participated in the first cohort of the Rural Educator Academy (REA). This community of practice is focused on ways to improve student success metrics for rural learners from low-income backgrounds across the Appalachia region. Through these briefs, each college shared their journey, including goals, challenges, and what they learned through participation in REA.
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PforPNewEngland
New England Board of Higher Education

Report of the New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison

June 2023
The New England Commission on the Future of Higher Education in Prison was formed with the goal of working to ensure that every incarcerated person in New England has access to high-quality, workforce-aligned equitable postsecondary opportunities with a wide range of educational pathways. With the restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners occurring July 1, this report speaks to how such aims can be achieved.
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