Posted Date:September 28, 2015
| Author: | Ted Mitchell, Under Secretary, U.S. Department of Education |
Subject: Application Deadline Approaching for Second Chance Pell Experiment
As part of the Obama Administration's commitment to create a fairer, more effective criminal justice system, reduce recidivism, and combat the impact of mass incarceration on communities, in July the Department of Education announced the Second Chance Pell pilot program to test new models to allow incarcerated Americans to receive Federal Pell Grants and pursue postsecondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs, support their families, and turn their lives around. This pilot will allow participating postsecondary institutions, in partnership with one or more Federal or State penal institutions, to provide Federal Pell Grant funding to otherwise eligible students who are incarcerated and who are eligible for release back into the community, particularly those who are likely to be released within five years of enrollment in the program.
Additionally, on Wednesday, September 30, 2015 at 3:00-4:30pm EST, the Department of Education will host a webinar for postsecondary and correctional institutions interested in developing or expanding higher education offerings for incarcerated students. This webinar will focus on strategies for developing strong partnerships between postsecondary and correctional institutions for the purposes of offering high-quality academic programming. The webinar can be accessed here.
In order to be considered for participation in the experiment postsecondary education institutions must submit a letter of interest to the Department of Education, following the procedures outlined in the Federal Register notice published on August 3, 2015, no later than Friday, October 2, 2015 to receive priority consideration. We invite many postsecondary institutions to apply to be a part of providing incarcerated students with a second chance.