Ready for Pell Evaluation

Abstract

The Ready for Pell initiative occurred as the landscape for postsecondary education in prisons was changing. Most of the participating colleges did not have access to Pell Grants prior to the end of the initiative. Even colleges with access to Pell Grants through the Second Chance Pell Experiment were still learning about the federal rules for Pell reinstatement and the process to become an approved prison education program (PEP).3 Much work remains, therefore, for the Ready for Pell grantees and other colleges to implement quality postsecondary education programs effectively and equitably in prisons. Their work would benefit from more opportunities to learn from one another, particularly from colleges that have more established prison-based programs and partnerships with their DOCs and prisons. Their work would also benefit from additional research that documents (1) the experiences of colleges with the PEP approval and oversight assessment processes, including the colleges’ ability to meet the “best interest” criteria, and (2) the experiences of students enrolling in and completing postsecondary education programs in prisons, including their experiences with different program and course options, delivery approaches, student support and reentry services, and transitioning to postsecondary education programs at other facilities or in the community.
This is a critical time for colleges, prisons, DOCs, and, most importantly, students who are incarcerated. The next few years will show the impact of Pell reinstatement on the education opportunities in prisons and how those opportunities affect students while they are incarcerated and, for many, after they are released.