On Campus

A Pathways in Practice is a published Chancellor’s Office document that describes how a California community college is operating as an academic institution to serve students whose education is taking place inside or after time in justice settings. Each document names the college, describes the design choices that make the practice possible, explains how a peer college can build their own version, and identifies the Vision 2030 commitment the practice advances. Each document has similar sections and formats to standardize the content and ensure practitioners walk away to what they need to implement a practice in their campus. This document explains each section and provides an overview of what readers can expect.

A data dashboard is a centralized, visual tool that aggregates student-level information into one accessible platform. It transforms raw data — enrollments, appointments, grades, and services — into meaningful insights that drive decisions. For Rising Scholars Directors and coordinators, it replaces disconnected spreadsheets and siloed records with a single source of truth that is updated in real time, or as frequently as possible, and accessible to authorized staff across your campus. Rising Scholars programs support students who bring significant resilience, lived experience, and determination to their educational journeys. Consistent data allows colleges to better understand student experiences, demonstrate program impact, and identify opportunities to strengthen support and success. A shared dashboard across campuses promotes continuous improvement, informs grant reporting, highlights promising practices, and helps the Chancellor’s Office understand what is working statewide—so effective strategies developed in one region can be adapted and expanded across all 116 colleges.

The Access Project was founded in 2019 to improve access to high-quality legal services to people of limited means. Through creative use of technology and innovative program design, we leverage the resources and enthusiasm of law firm volunteers to complement and support the work of legal services organizations.

Rising Scholars programs can be established at any time. To support this ongoing momentum, this article outlines concrete steps practitioners can take to launch a program or strengthen their readiness for the next RFA cycle. 

This project is from the National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH), in partnership with the State University of New York’s Office of Higher Education in Prison (SUNY OHEP). NASH and SUNY OHEP wish to thank the Ascendium Education Group for generously funding this research. The authors gratefully acknowledge the students, administrators, and system-level leaders who participated in this study. Their willingness to share their experiences was essential to this work. All participants remain anonymous throughout this report. This study was approved by the SUNY Institutional Review Board, #STUDY00006202.

Rising Scholars hosted this webinar on February 11, 2022. It covers expungement and record clearance, fair chance hiring, and licensing barriers in California.

FAQ about changes to occupational licensing brought about by AB2138 (2020), including a description of when a license can be denied because of criminal history and links to organizations that can provide legal support.

Know Your Rights flyer from Legal Aid at Work provides an overview of job seekers’ rights

This 2024 Toolkit from Legal Aid at Work helps job seekers with criminal records.

This 2020 flyer from East Bay Community Law Center provides an overview of clean slate remedies available for formerly incarcerated people.