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.
Chalkbeat Higher Education Coverage in Colorado and Indiana
Field Development
This grant supports Chalkbeat in expanding its already highly regarded K-12 reporting to cover challenges facing the postsecondary education system and to elevate possible solutions, starting in Colorado and Indiana.
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.
Bringing Value-Based Bachelor's Degrees to Rural Community College Students
Expand
This grant supports New America Foundation in building capacity at community colleges to create high-quality, affordable and workforce-driven baccalaureate programs. Community college baccalaureate programs provide new or expanded access to in-demand sectors, particularly for underserved populations such as adult learners and learners from low-income backgrounds in rural areas.
Modern Math Pathways for All Students
Support
This grant supports the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin in building capacity for large-scale mathematics reform in states that have not yet undertaken significant transformation.
Rural Research Support Partner
Support
This multi-year, Ascendium-led grant supports American Institutes for Research in managing Ascendium’s multi-year research initiative to support action-oriented research aimed at addressing critical gaps in the evidence available to inform scaled and sustained improvements in the postsecondary and workforce outcomes of low-income learners in rural geographies.
Supporting Rural Colleges in Competitive Federal Grant Opportunities
Field Development
This grant supports WestEd in conducting a series of virtual workshops for teams from approximately 30 rural community colleges to assist them in preparing applications for the Strengthening Community College Training Grants funding opportunity announced by the U.S. Department of Labor.