Hello All. I've just spent the day with a wonderful collection of government representatives and dedicated correctional education advocates in Washington DC. The Ford Foundation hosted this fantastic event where we heard about some amazing programs implementing innovative practices. Lancaster, PA was represented as an awardee of ED's PRSCEO grant, and many other great projects were highlighted.
This is an amazing time in our field. Let's be optimistic and innovative and strive for growth and ingenuity! I challenge all of you to post your wish list for the coming year. Then let's see how far we can go!
Heather
Comments
Hello Heather,
Yes, I fully agree. This is an amazing time in the field! My hope is there can be discussion on how the dissemination of the results of the PRSCEO grant from the funded projects will be communicated. This hope is grounded in a past experience when I was a "Project Coordinator" of a 5 year SAMHSA HIV/HEP C Reentry grant while employed as a Substance Abuse Programs Director at a HIV Advocacy group in South Los Angeles. What I liked about the SAMHSA grant was that SAMHSA would have a regional conference where grantees met to communicate their grant progress. Connecting all of this to the PRSCEO grant it would sure be nice if a Summit can be convened that will communicate how the grantees performed on the indicated performance measures. Perhaps this is already on the horizon?
On that note, puttting on my Quality Improvement Program Analyst hat, I think it would be very impacting to communicate the sucess and areas for learning that the grantees experienced. In my place of employment, we are using the Results Based Accountablity Framework-- a model highlighted by the National Reentry Resource Center and also being used in the USDOE's Promising Neighborhoods Campaign (RBA has been endorsed by Bill Gates and President Obama). I share this model because it goes back to shared understandings on language and the necessary agreement in sharing data results to promote the value of correctional education programming in reentry. Given the PRSCEO is a reentry model under the correctional education umbrellla, framing the results as students returning to the community I believe communicates the value of collaboration between correctional institutions and educational systems that can begin to promote what we already know that education works! I know in CA, current Ed. Code supports formerly incarcerted persons enrolling in the CA Community Colleges because CA has not changed existing law towards background checks for citizens who have been formerly incarcerated desiring to continue thier eduction in public higher education systems in CA.
Onward!
Hi Luis! Great insights once again. I appreciate your on-the-ground programmatic experiences and your optimism for the future of Correctional Ed. I too hope that ED will plan to share success stories from PRSCEO and other grants with the field. Agencies are moving forward with the model, even without having received funding, so continued guidance from ED would sure be wonderful!
And by the way, wasn't Bryonn Bain's performance amazing?! Anyone who wants additional info on this incredible Brooklyn performance artist please visit www.lyricsfromlockdown.com. This guy was wrongfully detained and it completely altered his life's focus. He's got a Masters and a J.D. from Harvard Law and is a phenomenally talented individual who performed at Monday's Summit.
Yes, it would be wonderful! Bryonn was very inspiring!! I really enjoyed his refreshing performance. It reminded how important the arts are to any person. Having participated in an Arts in Corrections program over 20 years ago out here in CA, only to hear it was axed, Bryonn's performance was encouraging because juvenile and adult correctional populations do have creative minds that have been hindered by so many variables ...the work Bryonn is doing builds bridges and commmunity. I would encourage everyone to visit his website.