The Alliance for Higher Education in Prison invites higher education in prison programs to apply to be part of a two-year cohort. The cohort of twelve programs will serve as co-learners in an on-going national project aimed at understanding the broad landscape of higher education in prison and developing quality standards in the field. Cohort members will contribute to discussions about quality and give real time feedback on the development of the project. The cohort will also work with one another and with the project leadership team throughout the grant period.
The cohort will represent the diversity of the higher education in prison stakeholder community, including credit and non-credit bearing programs, degree and non-degree granting programs, various institutional types, geographic locations, and types of facilities; size of program; diversity of staff, leadership, and program participants; and existing program infrastructure.
The cohort is being created as part of the Higher Education in Prison Landscape Project, a partnership between the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, the Research Collaborative for Higher Education in Prison at the University of Utah (Erin Castro, Director) and the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy (Amy Lerman, Professor). The Landscape Project serves the mission of the Alliance by working to understand and report on the landscape of higher education in prison programs. The primary goals of this project are to support the emerging field of higher education in prison by bringing together aggregate data on programs, creating a central hub of information, and working with programs from around the country.
Participating programs will receive:
Eligible programs must meet the following criteria:
Participating programs commit to:
Cohort Timeline
Applications Open: July 8, 2019
Applications Due: August 19, 2019
Cohort Selected: September 20, 2019
First cohort meeting: November 17, 2019 (at the 2019 National Conference on Higher Education Prison)
Second cohort meeting: TBD
To Apply
The 2019 application deadline has passed. Please continue to visit the website for updates on the 2019 Higher Education in Prison Cohort Program as well as announcements about future cohort programs.
For more information, including information on the responsibilities of cohort members and application guidelines, download our Cohort Application Guidelines here.
All applications must include:
Please direct questions about the cohort to: cohort@higheredinprison.org
The cohort will represent the diversity of the higher education in prison stakeholder community, including credit and non-credit bearing programs, degree and non-degree granting programs, various institutional types, geographic locations, and types of facilities; size of program; diversity of staff, leadership, and program participants; and existing program infrastructure.
The cohort is being created as part of the Higher Education in Prison Landscape Project, a partnership between the Alliance for Higher Education in Prison, the Research Collaborative for Higher Education in Prison at the University of Utah (Erin Castro, Director) and the University of California Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy (Amy Lerman, Professor). The Landscape Project serves the mission of the Alliance by working to understand and report on the landscape of higher education in prison programs. The primary goals of this project are to support the emerging field of higher education in prison by bringing together aggregate data on programs, creating a central hub of information, and working with programs from around the country.
Participating programs will receive:
- $25,000 per year for two years (administered by the Alliance)
- Financial support for attending meetings, including flight and accommodations
- Support in compiling and submitting project-related data
- Support in using individual program data to communicate program metrics to funders, stakeholders (internal and external), and other supporters
- Shared resources, materials, networking and other opportunities that derive from participation in a professional cohort
Eligible programs must meet the following criteria:
- courses provided to adult (18 years and older) students who have earned a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent secondary credential;
- courses and programs provided in partnership with a post-secondary accredited institution;
- instruction provided by two-year and/or four-year colleges and universities with public, private, or nonprofit status;
- credit or not for credit coursework;
- degree or non-degree granting pathways; and
- may include courses for college preparation
Participating programs commit to:
- Designate a primary representative within program leadership who will be responsible for the program’s participation in this project, including interviews, report reviews, survey responses, participation in meetings, project related assignments, and generally will be responsible for ensuring that the program achieves the participation standards and expectations
- Participate in two in-person cohort meetings per year
- Participate in quarterly facilitated cohort web discussions per year
- Sign-up for the cohort list-serve
- Assist in setting up one site visit from the project leadership team, including inside the correctional institution and classroom, and including focus groups with students if possible
- Participate in staff and program leadership interviews and/or focus groups
- Review and comment on data collection instruments (i.e., annual survey of higher education in prison programs) and draft reports
- Conduct annual reporting on cohort-related expenditures, project experience, and impact of the cohort
Cohort Timeline
Applications Open: July 8, 2019
Applications Due: August 19, 2019
Cohort Selected: September 20, 2019
First cohort meeting: November 17, 2019 (at the 2019 National Conference on Higher Education Prison)
Second cohort meeting: TBD
To Apply
The 2019 application deadline has passed. Please continue to visit the website for updates on the 2019 Higher Education in Prison Cohort Program as well as announcements about future cohort programs.
For more information, including information on the responsibilities of cohort members and application guidelines, download our Cohort Application Guidelines here.
All applications must include:
- A completed online application form, including:
- a completed budget template
- a detailed budget narrative
- a completed program diversity table
Please direct questions about the cohort to: cohort@higheredinprison.org
