WHY MEDIA PARTNERSHIPS?
High-quality reporting and storytelling are vital for investigating, proposing, and disseminating systemic solutions to challenges faced by learners from low-income backgrounds. When media highlight problems alongside evidence-based solutions, successful practices have the potential to scale up. Media amplification can also encourage individual policymakers, communities, and government agencies to address critical issues in improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes. By framing and amplifying the issues critical to improving postsecondary education and workforce training outcomes, media partners get important information in front of those who can advocate for and make real, systemic change.
Learn more about how our media partnerships support learners from low-income backgrounds.
Bringing Forward Underserved Learners’ Experiences
The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Different Voices of Student Success lifts underserved learners’ experiences and shares best practices for supporting them.
Connecting Postsecondary Education, Training, and Work
The Job, a weekly newsletter from Work Shift News, provides in-depth coverage on education, training, and work, equipping policymakers and others with the information they need to act on it.
Listening to What’s Next in Postsecondary Education
Academic Intelligence’s Future U. podcast series examines the postsecondary education landscape through interviews with national thought leaders and innovators.
Highlighting Solutions in Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
The Hechinger Report produces high-quality reporting on research, reforms, and promising solutions with the goal of improving the American education system.
Supporting National Reporting on Postsecondary Education in Prison
Open Campus’ biweekly newsletter College Inside investigates the future of postsecondary education in prison by focusing on incarcerated learners’ stories.
Supporting National Reporting on Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
Open Campus’ bimonthly newsletter Mile Markers explores the voices and issues shaping postsecondary education and workforce training in rural communities.
Examining the Impact of Rural Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training
The Rural Impact podcast features in-depth, data-driven discussions with experts that explore rural issues from several angles.
Expanding Coverage of Postsecondary Education and Workforce Training in Rural America
The Rural News Network builds capacity for rural news outlets to explore postsecondary education and workforce training issues receiving little to no coverage.
Elevating Student Parents’ Experiences in Postsecondary Education
Three Frame Media’s short film on student parents celebrates and elevates their belonging in postsecondary education.A Profile of Low-Income Undergraduates in the United States
Validation
This grant supports Research Triangle Institute in providing current and historical statistics defining low-income individuals and describing their demographic characteristics, postsecondary progress and success and labor force outcomes.
Curricular Analytics Transfer Exchange
Exploration
This grant supports the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities at Colorado State University in exploring the viability of data definitions and standards for making transparent how credits apply to degree program requirements. Outcomes could include the development of a pilot for institutional reporting on degree program requirements to inform a future national transfer student exchange system that helps students understand and plan degree pathways across two-year and four-year institutions.
Maintain Momentum: Supporting Postsecondary Education Membership Organizations and Networks
Scaling
This grant supports Community Colleges of the Appalachian Region and its members in continuing to advance student success reforms despite COVID-19-related impacts.
Supporting the Future U. Podcast 7th Season
Other
This grant supports Academic Intelligence in producing the Future U. podcast series, which features interviews with national thought leaders and innovators working to improve student success in postsecondary education. Future U. will produce four episodes that specifically explore issues related to and insights generated from Ascendium’s grantmaking.
Maintain Momentum: Supporting Postsecondary Education Membership Organizations and Networks
Scaling
This grant supports Achieving the Dream and its members in continuing to advance student success reforms despite COVID‐19‐related impacts.
Building Postsecondary Rural and Prison Education Funder Collaboratives
Scaling
This grant supports Social Strategy Associates, through the Amalgamated Charitable Foundation, in providing backbone structure and planning support to launch funder collaboratives in two Ascendium strategic focus areas: Rural Postsecondary Education & Workforce Training and Postsecondary Education in Prison. The grantee will provide logistical and strategic support to Ascendium and peer funders in developing agendas for collaboration and identifying shared priorities and opportunities for aligned funding.
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