Launching Civic Sector Apprenticeships in Rural Communities
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This grant supports the Council of State Governments and the Urban Institute in working with state and local governments and public sector employers in Maine and Idaho to implement apprenticeship programs targeted to learners from low-income backgrounds. New apprenticeships will provide paid training and onramps to good civic sector jobs that are currently experiencing a shortage of qualified workers in rural communities.
Enhancing and Expanding the Transfer Explorer Tool
Connect
This grant supports Ithaka Harbors in enhancing and expanding the Transfer Explorer tool so that more transfer students have prior credits applied to a four-year degree, leading to reduced cost, reduced time-to-degree and a greater chance of completion.
Scaling IT Support and Data Analytics Certificate Programming for Learners from Low-Income Backgrounds
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This grant supports Merit America in its goal to help 20,000 learners move from low-wage jobs to in-demand technology careers over the next three years. This investment will enable Merit America to scale their operations and leverage up to $45 million in funding from the $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund.
2022 Rural Matters Podcast
Field Development
This grant supports Michael Levin-Epstein in producing a four-part podcast series focused on postsecondary education and workforce training in rural communities on the Rural Matters podcast.
Future U. Podcast
Field Development
As part of Ascendium’s 2022 Strategic Media Partnerships, this grant supports Academic Intelligence’s production of the Future U. podcast series featuring interviews and stories about topics related to removing barriers to success in postsecondary education. The series will include four themed episodes under Ascendium’s direction dedicated to Ascendium’s focus areas and highlighting its grantees.
UnlockED Feature Documentary
Field Development
This grant supports Unlocked The Film LLC in creating a documentary film featuring four incarcerated learners’ journeys to create an open-source learning management system they named UnlockED.
Informing the Department of Education’s Research and Evaluation Set-Aside
Field Development
This grant supports the Institute for Higher Education Policy in crafting recommendations for the U.S. Department of Education to ensure the optimal use of a newly established evaluation set aside for federal higher education programs.
The Future of the Texas Transfer Alliance
Field Development
This grant supports Educate Texas in facilitating a visioning and strategic planning process for the Texas Transfer Alliance, an innovative coalition of higher education leaders serving low-income and marginalized learners across the state of Texas.
Pathways to Success for Adults with Some College but No Degree
Support
This grant supports the Tennessee Board of Regents in using insights from prior Ascendium-funded research to redesign the experience of adults with some college but no degree who reconnect with college. Designed as a randomized control trial, the project will evaluate how the redesign of the reconnecting semester for adults returning to community college impacts persistence, completion and time to degree.
Advancing Community College Students’ Post-Graduation Success
Support
This grant supports The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program in supporting a cohort of 10 community colleges to implement policy and practice reforms that will increase the postgraduation success of their students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.