RTI receives new funding to provide Reentry Campus Program with training and technical assistance

Innovative program supports currently and formerly incarcerated individuals in accessing and completing postsecondary education

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - RTI International, a nonprofit research institute, will expand its work with the Reentry Campus Program (RCP) using new funding from Ascendium Education Group. The funding will allow RTI to provide training and technical assistance to RCP to enhance the program's readiness for evaluation and promote its operational and financial sustainability.

RCP, based in Rhode Island, supports currently and formerly incarcerated individuals in accessing and completing postsecondary education through academic counseling, reentry case management, and Prior Learning Assessments (PLA). It also provides services such as peer mentorship and digital literacy tutoring.

"We are thankful to Ascendium for the opportunity to continue our evaluation readiness development with RCP and look forward to helping this innovative program grow to its full potential," said project director Dr. Hannah Cortina, a research criminologist at RTI. "The goal of this work is to expand RCP's infrastructure and ability to conduct future evaluations, ultimately enhancing their ability to support current and formerly incarcerated individuals in achieving their educational and career journeys."

A year-long initial assessment conducted by RTI that concluded in January 2024 identified the need for additional capacity-building efforts at RCP, including the need to formalize program models, develop standard operating procedures, enhance data capacity, and create training materials for peer mentorship and case management.

"Since its founding, Reentry Campus Program has exemplified how to support learners with a history of incarceration in accessing and succeeding in postsecondary education," said Molly Lasagna, Ascendium senior strategy officer. "We're pleased to support RTI in their ongoing efforts to enhance evaluation readiness, with the goal of benefiting similar programs nationwide."

With the new funding from Ascendium, RTI experts will build on the initial assessment and answer key research questions around RCP's updated theory of change, standard operating procedures, data collection capabilities and sustainability strategies. The work will also involve developing peer reviewed publications, practitioner-friendly resources, and conference presentations to disseminate findings.

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