Resource Community Higher Education in Prison

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the financial aid process. You use the FAFSA form to apply for federal student aid,
such as grants, work-study, and loans. In addition, most states and colleges use
information from the FAFSA form to award nonfederal aid.

This is a Spanish translation of an existing application. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the financial aid process. You use the FAFSA form to apply for federal student aid,
such as grants, work-study, and loans. In addition, most states and colleges use
information from the FAFSA form to award nonfederal aid.

The full text of the FAFSA Simplification Act, as passed by the 116th Congress.

This webinar presents research and professional perspectives on the use of technology in prison education programs. The discussion covers how programs can be intentional and thoughtful in their use of technology, how corrections departments can navigate technology vetting and protocols, and how programs can adjust to unexpected circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

This webinar offers an introduction to postsecondary education in prison programs. Experts in the field discuss guiding principles for designing and implementing effective programming.

A report summarizing findings from an evaluation of the Vera Institute of Justice's Renewing Communities initiative between 2016 and 2019. The findings of Vera’s study, summarized here, draw on program data from, and student surveys administered at, all 14 sites. In-depth qualitative research was conducted at five of the community-based programs, housed at different colleges and universities across California.

Drawing on the experiences of the first group of Second Chance Pell colleges, this toolkit, drafted in collaboration with the Chemeketa Community College, is designed to aid new and existing participants as they guide students through the complexities of filing for federal financial aid in prison, including completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, known as the FAFSA.

By surveying state financial aid laws, regulations, and practices, this report highlights the barriers to financial aid for incarcerated students, reviews available funding sources, suggests ways to incorporate state financial aid into a suite of funding, and provides a state-by-state listing of need- and merit-based aid programs.

This report, which is the result of a collaborative effort with the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, describes how lifting the current ban on awarding Pell Grants to incarcerated people would benefit workers, employers, and states. Specifically, it analyzes the potential employment and earnings impact of postsecondary education programs in prison; identifies the millions of job openings annually that require the skills a person in prison could acquire through postsecondary education; and estimates the money states would save through lower recidivism rates these postsecondary education programs would yield.

This report describes the design and implementation of the Vera Institute of Justice's Unlocking Potential: Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education project. It also outlines the experiences of Pathways partners and students and provides recommendations on policy and practice for college programs with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated students.

Fresh Start is a one-time, temporary program from the
U.S. Department of Education (ED) that offers special benefits for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans.
Fresh Start automatically gives you some benefits,
such as restoring access to federal student aid grants
and post-release loans). But you need to act to claim the full benefits of Fresh Start and get out of
default.

Fresh Start is a one-time, temporary program from the
U.S. Department of Education (ED) that offers special benefits for borrowers with defaulted federal student loans.
Fresh Start automatically gives you some benefits,
such as restoring access to federal student aid grants
and post-release loans). But you need to act to claim the full benefits of Fresh Start and get out of
default.

This webinar asks justice-impacted college graduates to reflect on their educational experience – the challenges encountered as they worked toward earning their degrees, the services they found helpful, and what the future of college-in-prison programming should look like.

This webinar explores the key components, challenges, and possible solutions to delivering high-quality academic advising, specifically for students enrolled in postsecondary education in prison programs. Panelists share how their institutions provide counseling services and academic advising in order to support student success in carceral settings.

This panel focuses on the impact of the Second Chance Pell Experiment and the expansion of Pell access. Panelists speak about their involvement with the Second Chance Pell Experiment, the value of financial aid, and what colleges and departments of corrections need to know in order to support the education of incarcerated students.

This fact sheet highlights the effects of the FAFSA Simplification Act, which restores access to Pell Grants for people in prison.

A guide created for colleges and corrections departments seeking to set up new programs to help program coordinators launch a college-in-prison program—from the decision to undertake this work to the first day of class.

This webinar discusses some key factors in successfully setting up a satellite campus. Experts in the field discuss the importance of institutional support, creating learning communities that transcend prison walls, creating academic calendars, and more.

This webinar explores how organizations and educational programming can effectively recruit and train leaders and staff. Specifically, this webinar provides insight into important hiring techniques to ensure that formerly incarcerated people have significant roles in the work that impacts them and their communities.

This webinar features multiple perspectives from professionals in the field of higher education in prison on developing Memorandums of Understanding (MOU). These experts provide valuable advice on negotiating and collaborating with various stakeholders and navigating multiple financial considerations throughout the development of the MOU.

This webinar showcases the work of several prison-based education programs to develop student advisory boards in prison, establish reentry navigators on college campuses, and collaborate with formerly incarcerated people within student-led and other community-based organizations that support current students.

This webinar showcases the work of several prison-based education programs to develop student advisory boards in prison, establish reentry navigators on college campuses, and collaborate with formerly incarcerated people within student-led and other community-based organizations that support current students.

This webinar showcases the work of several prison-based education programs to develop student advisory boards in prison, establish reentry navigators on college campuses, and collaborate with formerly incarcerated people within student-led and other community-based organizations that support current students.

This webinar offers a review of research related to postsecondary education in prisons and recidivism. Panelists discuss some of their own research on this subject, what this and other research means for evaluating postsecondary education programs, and what is or should be on the horizon in this field.

A guidebook for departments of corrections administrators focused on collecting data related to correctional education

This data brief summarizes results from the first six years of the Vera Institute of Justice's Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative (SCP), launched by the U.S. Department of Education in 2015.

This report summarizes five case studies of state departments of corrections, and their partners, that have created robust job training programs that provide incarcerated people opportunities to earn industry-relevant credentials and prepare for in-demand careers after release.

This report summarizes five case studies of state departments of corrections, and their partners, that have created robust job training programs that provide incarcerated people opportunities to earn industry-relevant credentials and prepare for in-demand careers after release.

This fact sheet highlights new regulations, passed by Congress on October 28, 2022, that prison education programs must follow to access Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

This fact sheet highlights new regulations, passed by Congress on October 28, 2022, that prison education programs must follow to access Pell Grants for incarcerated students.

This webinar focuses on how state consortia, or structured stakeholder partnerships, can facilitate this process and ensure the voices of directly impacted people are heard and valued.

The U.S. Department of Education has published final regulations about the requirements colleges with approved prison education programs (PEPs) must follow in order for students who are incarcerated to be eligible to access Pell Grants for an academic credential. This webinar covers key takeaways from the final rules for college PEPs, departments of corrections, and accreditation agencies.

In collaboration with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the Vera Institute of Justice created this guidebook for accreditors and their peer reviewers, providing insight into the unique context and goals of postsecondary education in correctional facilities.

This webinar spotlights Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) Centers. These centers, which currently operate in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, connect individuals reentering their community with employment in manufacturing.

This webinar spotlights Manufacturing Extension Partnerships (MEP) Centers. These centers, which currently operate in all 50 states and Puerto Rico, connect individuals reentering their community with employment in manufacturing.

A meta-analysis of 37 years of research (1980-2017) on correctional education and applied meta-analytic techniques.

A meta-analysis of 18 eligible studies of educational interventions implemented within juvenile correctional facilities.

An article reviewing key findings from a review of correctional education programs for incarcerated adults and juveniles. The study included a meta-analysis of CE's effects on the post-release recidivism and employment rates of incarcerated adults, as well as a synthesis of evidence on CE programs for juveniles.

An infographic outlining key findings from a RAND report titled "Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education."

A blog post advocating for equitable, student-centered technology ecosystem for correctional education. An ED resource (provided elsewhere in our library) is referenced at the end of the post.

The Reentry Education Tool Kit was created by RTI International with support from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), to help education providers and their partners create a reentry education continuum in their communities.

The current study examines how academic achievement—measured as verbal and math performance—is associated with prison programming and reentry.

This paper describes an effort to address the lack of policy-relevant data on correctional education: the Correctional Education Data Guidebook and Web site and the research projects that led to their development.

Project announcement about how Ithaka S+R and Ennead Lab are launching a two-year research and design project to both understand how space acts as a limiting factor on the quality and scalability of higher education in prison and propose solutions to mitigate these challenges.

Recording from the San Francisco Public Library's Banned Books event.

Meta-analysis examining the effectiveness of correctional education programming.

Drawing on past RAND research on correctional education and focusing on the Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative and the Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education initiative in North Carolina, this Perspective summarizes research on the effectiveness of educational programs in helping to reduce recidivism, key lessons learned in providing college programs to incarcerated adults, and remaining issues that need to be addressed, including how to ensure long-term funding of in-prison college programs and the need for an outcomes evaluation to learn from the Experimental Initiative.

RAND and RTI International researchers conducted an independent evaluation of the North Carolina Pathways Program, examining the implementation of the in-prison and community components of the program, the experiences of Pathways students and staff, factors that facilitated or hindered their participation in the program, and lessons learned.

This guide is intended to be a starting point for corrections officials who are considering partnering with a college to implement an in-prison college program within their prison facilities or who currently have such a program and would like additional information to help ensure the success of that program.

After conducting a comprehensive literature search, the authors undertook a meta-analysis to examine the association between correctional education and reductions in recidivism, improvements in employment after release from prison, and learning in math and in reading.