Accreditation

On September 30, 2024, the Department of Education significantly revised its instructions that allow schools to apply to be official Prison Education Programs. The announcement details the new instructions and provides some process clarifications. You can find more information on the NASFAA PEP WebCenter, located at nasfaa.org/pep. The link to information about starting a Prison Education Program, including the announcement, can be found at https://www.nasfaa.org/starting_pep

We are assessing the impacts of…

To have consistent access to relevant DOC data on students who are incarcerated, postsecondary institutions should establish data use agreements (DUAs), also known as data sharing agreements (DSAs), with their DOC partners. This brief breaks down the basics of establishing a DUA.

This brief describes the factors to consider when planning an evaluation of a postsecondary education in prison program. Evaluations are critical tools for assessing whether a program has been implemented as intended and equitably, informing program development or improvements, and assessing the effects of a program on student outcomes.

With support from the Ascendium Education Group and the Ichigo Foundation, Jobs for the Future’s Center for Justice & Economic Advancement is excited to launch the Normalizing Education Collective (The Collective), a year-long community of practice designed to support non-profit postsecondary institutions nationwide as they explore building or expanding high quality postsecondary pathways in prison that…

Good morning all,

I hope this finds you well. I am reaching out to those who are offering educational programming (BA/AA/Certificate program) inside BOP facilities. I was part of the team that created the BA program inside Pelican Bay State Prison (Cal Poly Humboldt) and am now working with Cal State Long Beach Project Rebound on building an education program inside, so  I am somewhat familiar with the relationship between the university and state facilities (CDCR) but have questions about working with the federal system. I am working towards building a program in CA with BOP…

Hey, Everybody!

I want to take this week's post as an opportunity to uplift my girl, Brittany LaMarr! Brittany is a formerly incarcerated prison education advocate, works with the National Prison Debate League (and was instrumental in making arrangements for the establishment and launch of the MCC Women's Debate team, along with NPDL Director Daniel Throop).

It has been my pleasure to have been a co-speaker with Brittany to discuss our support for the New England Board of Higher Education's Commission on the Future of Education in Prison's report recommendations to improve…

Many universities, community colleges, certificate/technical and vocational programs, and non-accredited courses have already joined the growing HEP community and with the expansion of Pell, it is now more important than ever for educators hoping to make a foray into prison education spaces, to have resources and guidance to start their prison education partnership program.

If you've ever wondered, how does a HEP or a PEP get started? Never fear! The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has constructed a resource page to help those who are looking to enter…

MIT is holding an event to gather professors, students, policy makers, and members of the business community to discuss equitable hiring practices and the barriers that individuals from marginalized communities face in socioeconomic, professional arenas. This event is to discuss and improve public support for second chance hiring practices for formerly incarcerated individuals and will be featuring the story of Daniel Dart, MIT's first formerly incarcerated student at the Sloan School of Business. 

"MIT Sloan EMBA student, Daniel Dart, EMBA '24, is a leader in Second Chance…

The purpose of this fact sheet is to outline the Department of Education’s requirements that will
be effective on July 1, 2023 at 34 CFR 668 Subpart P for nationally recognized institutional
accrediting agencies (agencies) for its accredited institutions to establish eligibility of a prison
education program (PEP).

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.