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tag: Ennead Lab

March 31, 2025

Terrain Leveling

Design Strategies for Improving Higher Education in Prisons

A growing body of research documents the barriers faced by incarcerated students—such as limited access to technology and conflicts with correctional staff—but far less attention has been paid to the role of the built environment in shaping educational experiences. This project, led by Ennead Lab and Ithaka S+R, examines how spatial, architecture, and design features impact learning inside prisons. It draws on qualitative interviews and site visits to advance both research findings and a portfolio of design interventions.
Upcoming Event
April 16, 2025

Terrain Leveling

Design Strategies for Improving Higher Education in Prison

With support from Ascendium Education Group, Ithaka S+R and Ennead Lab have examined how educational spaces in prison impact the teaching and learning experience and developed actionable strategies for integrating educational best practices into the redesign of these spaces. Join us for a webinar on April 16, 2025 at 2:00-3:00pm ET as we speak with experts in the field about their experiences with college education in prison, the challenges they navigated, and how architects, designers, and educational leaders can…
Research Report
October 7, 2024

Uneven Terrain

Learning Spaces in Higher Education in Prison

How can prison education programs fulfill their obligation to provide their students with an educational experience that is as close as possible to the one of students on main campuses? Thus far, our research into equitable access has focused largely on instructional delivery and practices, and technological access and use. This report broadens our interrogation of that central question by exploring the role of space, architecture, and design in the context of higher education in prison.
Blog Post
February 16, 2022

Understanding Educational Space Needs in Prisons

New Project Announcement

Across higher education, classrooms and study commons have been reimagined to foster student engagement and learning. But for higher education in prison programs, it can prove challenging to find spaces optimized for education, much less space designed to support their educational needs. Access—or the lack of access—to classrooms, libraries, and scientific and computer labs, can play determining roles in the quality of higher education programming. With many competing demands for space, Departments of Corrections (DOC) may be inclined to look…