tag: Prison education
Blog Post
January 29, 2026
Expanding Access to Credit for Prior Learning for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Learners
Despite the growing adoption of Credit for Prior Learning in higher education, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated learners remain disconnected from the advantages CPL can offer. While recent efforts have expanded access to higher education in prison, they have also tended to reinforce a narrow definition of academic learning—one that privileges classroom-based instruction and overlooks the diverse lived experiences that shape learning in carceral environments.
Upcoming Event
February 21, 2026
Disability and Technology Access in Correctional Contexts
On February 21, Ithaka S+R’s Ess Pokornowski will give a presentation exploring accessibility, disabilities, and reasonable accommodations in higher education in prison contexts, at the 2026 Stop the Stigma event. The presentation will primarily adapt and summarize previous Ithaka S+R work on educational technology access and educational spaces and learning environments in prison. It will also outline promising developments and future areas for research and technical assistance related to disability services in higher education in prison settings. View the…
Blog Post
January 20, 2026
Digital Literacy Strategies to Prepare Incarcerated Students for Education and Work
In today’s technology-driven world, digital literacy isn’t just a skill—it’s a lifeline. For individuals who are incarcerated, the ability to effectively use digital tools can mean the difference between returning to the community prepared or being left even further behind. As research shows, digital skills acquisition is critical for navigating all phases of reentry.
Blog Post
October 16, 2025
Building College and Community Partnerships to Support Reentry
Updates from the Cohort
On September 25 and 26, Ithaka S+R hosted representatives from the programs and organizations taking part in its year-long cohort to build better college and community partnerships to support reentry, reintegration, and successful campus transitions for students who were incarcerated. This convening is part of a larger project funded by ECMC Foundation which has already produced a landscape review exploring how colleges and community organizations partner to serve reentry. The in-person event represents the mid-way point in the…
Issue Brief
September 30, 2025
Pell Restoration and Approval
Following the Data
In 2020, the FAFSA Simplification Act restored access to Pell Grants for students who are incarcerated, reversing a nearly 30-year ban on their eligibility for federal aid. To access Pell Grant funding, eligible students must be enrolled in federally recognized Prison Education Programs. In this brief, we walk through the multi-year, multi-phase process to demystify the federal regulations and highlight its significance in improving higher education in prison data infrastructure—a critical need for the field.
Past Event
August 10, 2025
Research in Practice
Activating New Resources for Advancing Educational Technology in Corrections
At the 2025 Correctional Education Association (CEA) Conference, Ithaka S+R’s Ess Pokornowski led a workshop with Jenna Dreier and Stacy Holliday (Jobs for the Future) on activating new resources for advancing educational technology in corrections. The session took place in August 2025.
Blog Post
September 4, 2025
Reflections on Summer Library Conferences and Serving the Justice Impacted
This summer I attended and presented at two library conferences, the annual American Library Association (ALA) and the annual American Association of Law Librarians meetings. I participated in four panel discussions that focused on how libraries can better serve people inside and outside of prison. If you weren’t able to attend, I have provided some of my insights in this blog. If you are interested in hearing more, please reach out to me at Tammy.Ortiz@ithaka.org. In recent years, ALA…
Research Report
August 20, 2025
Why Data and Why Now?
The Importance and Challenges of Data for Higher Education in Prison
Nearly 400 higher education in prison programs now operate across the US, yet basic data about these students at scale—such as enrollment, retention, and completion—is often inaccessible or inconsistent. As these programs expand, strengthening data infrastructure has become both a practical necessity and a moral imperative.
Past Event
August 12, 2025
Data with Purpose
Advancing Educational and Reentry Outcomes Through BID
This session at the Correctional Education Association 79th International Conference and Training Event will explore the critical role of data collection in supporting the Best Interest Determination (BID) process, emphasizing why this practice is essential for informed decision-making and effective service delivery. Ithaka S+R will provide attendees with insight into data collection, reporting, and evaluation processes and infrastructure from a broad, systems-level perspective, mapping the data landscape across stakeholder institutions and charting how it might shape policy and be used…
Past Event
June 5, 2025
Creating Sustainable Data Infrastructure
Collection & Reporting
Ithaka S+R’s Alex Monday will be participating in a talk at Aligning Efforts: Navigating the Intersection of Student Services and Prison Education Agenda, hosted by the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) in Washington DC. The question of data collection and data reporting for prison education programs is complex. This conversation will explore what data should be collected, how that data can be consolidated and analyzed, and mechanisms for data sharing. In conversation with Alex Monday, Donna…
Blog Post
May 8, 2025
Assessing the Best Interest Determination
An Interview with Macy Pickman
Recently, as part of our work on enhancing data infrastructure for higher education in prison, we published an interview with Ruth Delaney, director of the Vera Institute of Justice’s Unlocking Potential initiative. In that interview, Delaney provides her expert insights into the Best Interest Determination (BID) process of Postsecondary Education in Prison (PEP) program approval. The Best Interest Determination, or BID, is a comprehensive program review, conducted by the oversight entity (state department of corrections or bureau…
Blog Post
April 29, 2025
The New York Prison Guards Strike
Impacts and Lessons for Higher Education in Prison
On February 17, 2025, correctional officers across New York state staged an unsanctioned strike—the second statewide walkout of the correctional workforce in state history. Following an incident and ensuing lockdown at Collins Correctional Facility, officers at Collins and Elmira began a series of wildcat strikes. At its peak, thousands of officers walked off the job, prompting Governor Kathy Hochul to deploy the National Guard to staff prisons. Officers cited low pay, chronic understaffing, and forced overtime as key grievances,…
Blog Post
April 25, 2025
Reflections on the 2025 National Conference on Higher Education in Prisons (NCHEP)
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.
Blog Post
April 4, 2025
What Comes Next with Pell Restoration in Postsecondary Education in Prisons
An Interview with Ruth Delaney
As Ithaka S+R continues its work on enhancing data infrastructure for higher education in prison, we are committed to leveraging insights from experts across the field and highlighting key initiatives shaping the landscape. The restoration of Pell Grants for incarcerated learners, enacted through the FAFSA Simplification Act, has created a pressing need to examine program accountability, approval processes, and the role of data in supporting high-quality education. As we look forward to publishing findings from over 40 interviews with…
Research Report
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.
Blog Post
January 7, 2025
Higher Education in Prison and Return to Title IV (R2T4)
The July 2023 restoration of Pell grants for incarcerated students was a watershed moment for increasing access to higher education in prison. But with this change came a complex set of administrative and regulatory issues confronting both prison education programs and students. Return to Title IV (R2T4) rules create risks for all Title IV Federal Student Aid recipients, not just incarcerated learners. If a student receives Title IV funding and withdraws during the semester, the college or university may have…
Blog Post
October 7, 2024
Looking at Learning Spaces for Higher Education in Prison Programs
What does equitable access to quality instruction look like in a carceral context? How can higher education in prison 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? Drawing on interviews with former students, higher education in prison program personnel, and department of corrections staff members, our new report documents what instructional conditions are like in carceral spaces, and how those conditions…
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.
Past Event
October 17, 2024
Information Access for All Incarcerated Learners
Contextualizing Information Access and Prison Education
Several factors limit education and information access and equity in carceral settings, including limited budgets to support education inside, censorship and media review practices, lack of attention to library services, and regulations prohibiting information sharing between incarcerated people. Libraries and nonprofits are working to address these limitations by identifying how people who are incarcerated can more easily access information, engage in creative practices, and support their own learning goals. In this session at the Montreal…
Blog Post
September 27, 2024
Building Data Collection and Evaluation Capacity for Higher Education in Prisons
A New Project Supported by Ascendium Education Group
The reinstatement of Pell Grant funding for people who are incarcerated presents a dramatic opportunity for learners in prison, but it also poses a complex challenge. As more educational programs become available for individuals in prison, it’s essential that departments of corrections (DOCs) and higher education in prison programs are able to measure program effectiveness, quality, and impact over time–including by collecting data on student enrollment, academic outcomes, completion rates and more. To collect and use these data, DOCs, state…