| We’re Looking Forward to Connecting, Learning and Sharing at NCAN’s Annual Conference  Members of Ascendium’s Education Grantmaking team are looking forward to joining partners and practitioners at the National College Access Network’s (NCAN) annual conference, “Racing Toward Postsecondary Success,” taking place September 16-18 in Indianapolis. We’re proud to sponsor the Success in Higher Education track of the event, and are involved in some sessions as well. Ascendium Vice President of Education Philanthropy Amy Kerwin will join colleagues from three national grantmakers for one of the plenaries, “Taking Stock of the College Access and Success Movement: A Conversation with Grantmakers.” Ascendium Program Officer Carolynn Lee will moderate a workshop led by staff from two of the public school districts participating in our summer melt text nudging initiative, Text Steps. The session, “Eyes on the Prize: Aligning School and Community Resources to Improve Low-Income Student Access & Success,” will explore strategies for developing districtwide systems of supports to increase college and career readiness among high school graduates from low-income backgrounds. Representatives from all 13 Wisconsin districts implementing Text Steps will be at the conference. During the conference, NCAN will announce the winner of the 2018-19 FAFSA Completion Challenge. The project—funded by Ascendium and The Kresge Foundation—builds on the success of the 2016-17 FAFSA Completion Challenge, through which 22 of the largest U.S. cities collectively increased FAFSA completion rates and helped reverse a four-year nationwide decline. We’re excited to hear results from the 2018-19 cohort, and two event sessions will highlight lessons learned. |
