DeVos expands Second Chance Pell experiment, invites 67 schools to join program
This article first appeared on The Hill on April 24, 2020.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Friday expanded the Second Chance Pell experiment, inviting nearly 70 schools to join the program that gives incarcerated individuals need-based federal Pell Grants so they can enroll in postsecondary programs offered by colleges and universities.
"I've had the pleasure of visiting several Second Chance Pell institutions and have seen firsthand the transformative impact this experiment has on the lives of individuals who are incarcerated," DeVos said in a statement. "By expanding this experiment, we are providing a meaningful opportunity for more students to set themselves up for future success in the workforce."
Created in 2015, over 4,000 credentials — postsecondary certificates, associate degrees and bachelor's degrees — have been conferred to Second Chance Pell students in the last three years, according to a study by the Vera Institute of Justice.