Displaying results 1 - 20 of 75
Ithaka S+R has released a new report examining how the interstitial nature of higher education in prison programs, caught between correctional and college systems, puts increased pressure on educators and students on the inside. This, in turn, creates self-censorship concerns, surveillance issues, and raises questions about the equity of educational experience on the inside.
Postsecondary institutions can capitalize on existing national data sources to obtain information on prison education programs (PEP) and students. This resource provides a brief overview of the following data sources:
Access to education is in high demand among the incarcerated population. There are clear benefits to students who are incarcerated, their families and communities, public safety, and safety inside prisons. Yet the gap in educational aspirations and participation has been largely driven by a lack of capacity due to limited funding.
In this descriptive research study, Caisa Elizabeth Royer, Erin L. Castro, and Estefanie Aguilar Padilla explore the experiences of prison stakeholders in higher education with prison disciplinary power.
For many people who are incarcerated, postsecondary classes offered by the facility in which they’re serving their sentences represent a first step on an educational journey that is likely to continue after they are released—one that could ultimately lead to an industry-recognized credential, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, or even a master’s degree or a PhD.
Established in 2019, the Journal of Higher Education in Prison is the only open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes exclusively on topics and issues affecting the field of higher education in prison. Our goal is that the journal will serve as a tool to facilitate conversation on theory, praxis, and teaching and learning in prison.
This report from the Community College Journal of Research and Practice summarizes results from a critical mixed methods case study of a mid-sized urban community college district. The case study uses publicly available data to compare these colleges’ explicit commitment to access and opportunity with their investments in surveillance, security, and enclosure.
This resource highlights existing higher education programs in Illinois state prisons and uplifts the need for additional programs and supportive policies across the state.
FAQ document describing higher education in prison in Illinois
In 2022, Ithaka S+R launched a nationwide survey that would help determine the national landscape for accessibility to educational technology in prison education programs.
In an effort to make visible the national landscape of access to educational technology in prison education programs, Ithaka S+R launched a first-of-its-kind national survey in the fall of 2022, with grant funding support from Ascendium Education Group.
This brief report outlines the potential impacts of Pell restoration on the field of higher education in prison. Using original qualitative data from interviews with 12 higher education in prison programs and quantitative data from a national survey of college programs in prison, our analysis focuses on persistent funding challenges that the Pell grant alone cannot address.
In this research brief, researchers share findings from incarcerated students and alumni regarding their experiences with technology during enrollment in postsecondary education and participation in Second Chance Pell.
In this research brief, researchers share findings from incarcerated students, alumni, and formerly incarcerated participants regarding their academic experiences during enrollment in postsecondary education and participation in Second Chance Pell.
Launched in 2015, the Second Chance Pell Experiment allowed a select number of institutions of higher
education to provide Pell grants to incarcerated students. Seven years later, and on the cusp of Pell
expansion, there are a few noteworthy impacts of the Federal Experiment:
» As of 2022, up to 200 institutions of higher education can participate in the federal Experiment.
The Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative, launched in 2015, has already impacted the landscape of prison higher education by increasing the number of colleges and universities providing in-prison postsecondary education. This research brief draws upon three years of data collection through a national mixed-methods project, Exploring the Experiences of Participants in Second Chance Pell.
Data report: In this report, we provide a descriptive overview of the landscape of higher education in prison during the 2020-2021 academic year (July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021), based on the responses of known higher education in prison program staff (N=406) to the 2022 Annual Survey of Higher Education in Prison Programs.
This research brief draws upon three years of data collection through a national mixed-methods project, Exploring the Experiences of Participants in Second Chance Pell. Here we draw from the perspectives of higher education administrators and practitioners participating in the federal Experiment.