Ithaka S+R recently attended and presented (Alex Monday, Bethany Lewis) at the 14th annual National Conference on Higher Education in Prisons (NCHEP), held April 10-11 in New Orleans. The conference brought researchers, practitioners, correctional staff, and students together to consider this year’s theme: “A New Era? Pell Reinstatement and the Future of Prison Education.” From the opening remarks to the final sessions, the conference fostered a strong sense of community. Attendees shared impactful stories and experiences, reinforcing both the value of this work and the importance of continued collaboration and support. The conference began with a panel facilitated by Ulcca Hansen, founder of Educating Potential and included experts in the field unpacking the current uncertainties in the field and how to best “weather the storm.” As with NCHEP13, presentations throughout the conference were dedicated to current and formerly incarcerated students and their programs.

The conference also included luncheons reserved for various communities within the Alliance. One, hosted by the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI), introduced Dr. Erin Corbett, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Second Chance Educational Alliance Inc. while another was dedicated to researchers in higher education in prison communities. The conference also included time for educational programs to meet with different intermediary and technical assistance organizations, learn about recent reports and publications in the field, and meet with funders.

Below we offer some reflections on notable themes and takeaways from NCHEP.

Reentry

With the restoration of Pell in 2023, universities, their prison education programs, and department of corrections are required to ensure they are providing an equitable education for their incarcerated students. One aspect of these requirements includes reentry support, a topic Ithaka S+R has been exploring through an ECMC-funded project. Universities and their prison education programs are required to ensure students leaving prison have adequate resources as they resume their studies on campus. Throughout the conference, several panels gave examples of what their programs were doing to facilitate this process. In a session titled “Holistic Approaches to Restorative Reentry from Prison to Campus,” the Tufts University MyTERN program described how they employ past students and participants to create a more welcoming environment for incoming students. This program not only provides access to campus resources, but mentors who are current and former students with lived experience.

Data

The restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners is also reshaping the data landscape for prison education programs. With federal funding now in play, programs are being held to more rigorous data collection and reporting standards than ever before. Historically, many prison education programs operated at the margins of their institutions; these programs must rapidly build capacity to meet new demands for compliance, accountability, and evidence of impact.

At this year’s NCHEP, conversations around data infrastructure surfaced across multiple panels, many of which resonated with Ithaka S+R’s current project on building data collection and evaluation capacity for higher education in prisons, supported by Ascendium Education Group. Presentations explored not only what data is being collected and how, but also who is involved in the process and how systems can be improved to better serve students and programs alike. Several sessions offered innovative ideas for defining meaningful metrics, using technology to close data gaps, and strengthening institutional collaboration.

During a Friday morning session, we shared early findings from the opening phase of our project, which draws on interviews with more than 40 stakeholders across state and federal agencies, higher education institutions, and philanthropic organizations. A central theme was the critical need for stronger data systems to support students, measure outcomes, assess equity, and evaluate both social benefits and financial returns. At the same time, our research highlighted significant barriers to progress: lack of standardized practices, limited coordination between stakeholders, data privacy concerns, and insufficient staffing capacity.

Our session also featured a presentation by the State University of New York (SUNY) Office of Higher Education in Prison. Panelists Rachel Sander, Jennifer Lee, and Darryl Epps shared how the SUNY Office of Higher Education in Prison has developed a centralized infrastructure to collect and analyze data, support program staff, and generate tools and resources that strengthen the entire higher education in prison pipeline. Together, the presentations underscored the importance and the challenges of building robust, sustainable data ecosystems in this new era of higher education in prison.

Looking Forward

While the reinstatement of Pell for incarcerated students is fairly new, the community is slowly acclimating to the new challenges and opportunities. Relationships between departments of corrections and higher education in prison programs are continuing to evolve. As a result of this restored federal funding, departments on university campuses, such as financial aid offices and accreditation committees, are expected to be more involved and accountable with their student data and are eager to join the conversation. They are also working with each other to ensure students inside are receiving an equitable education and experiencing a smoother transition to college once they are released. Organizations such as Vera and Jobs for the Future (JFF) are providing toolkits that will allow the process the Department of Education is now requiring to be simpler to navigate.

This NCHEP was the largest ever, and, as space for the community to convene in solidarity and share the wealth of knowledge spread throughout the country, we hope that each subsequent NCHEP will continue to beat that record.