The Partnership for College Completion was granted a transformative, multi-year award from Ascendium Education Group that will support the next phase of work on the Developmental Education Reform Act (DERA). The $1.1 million grant supports our efforts in scaling and implementing evidence-based placement and co-requisite models throughout community colleges in Illinois to improve student outcomes. By strengthening our policy advocacy and expanding data analysis through consistent funding, Illinois can position itself as a national leader in developmental education reform.
Ascendium is a nonprofit committed to helping learners from low-income backgrounds achieve their academic and career goals. Their education philanthropy centers on increasing opportunities for learners to achieve upward mobility through high-quality postsecondary education and workforce training.
“Our partnership with Ascendium will ensure the proper foundation for extensive research on developmental education and its widescale impact,” said Daisy Copeland, PCC Director of Development. “Through DERA, college becomes more accessible and affordable for students from underserved backgrounds, a key value of both PCC and Ascendium.”
Since its inception, the Partnership for College Completion (PCC) has been a leader in higher education advocacy through the support of our donors and benefactors. Through strategic investments and a strengthened development department, PCC has been able to fund the policy, research, and advocacy initiatives most important to Illinois’s higher education system.
The grant coincides with the release of “PCC’s Second Progress Report on Developmental Education in Illinois,” which can be viewed here.
About the Partnership for College Completion
The Partnership for College Completion champions policies, practices, and systems that increase college completion and eliminate degree completion disparities for low-income, first-generation, and students of color in Illinois – particularly Black and Latinx students. For more information, visit partnershipfcc.org.
About Ascendium
Ascendium Education Group® is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization driven by the belief that learning after high school gives people the power to build better futures. Our national philanthropy focuses on increasing opportunities for learners from low-income backgrounds to achieve upward mobility through postsecondary education and workforce training. We partner with organizations whose objectives align with our core strategies to expand opportunity, support learner success, and connect and align systems. Our grantees include postsecondary education and workforce training providers, intermediaries, researchers, and media organizations from across the U.S. To learn more, visit ascendiumphilanthropy.org.