When it comes to education policy, few areas are as overlooked as the needs of students who are incarcerated. Research for Action, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing a just education system, has taken a bold step to address this issue. With a new grant from Ascendium Education Group, RFA is set to explore how developmental education (DevEd) reforms have been experienced by those supporting incarcerated learners in California. This research comes at a pivotal moment as policymakers and educators grapple with how best to serve one of the most marginalized student populations in the nation.
DevEd was designed to bridge gaps in foundational skills so students can succeed in college-level courses. Yet, for decades, it has faced harsh criticism for acting more as a gatekeeper than a pathway—creating barriers that disproportionately harm students of color, low-income learners, and those who are the first in their families to attend college. Incarcerated learners face many of these same challenges, with the additional complexity of navigating higher education systems from prison.
Systemic challenges—including limited access to educational resources, heavy reliance on outdated modalities like correspondence courses, and the stigma of incarceration—often make academic success an uphill battle. Coupled with this, traditional DevEd practices have resulted in many students being stuck in remedial course sequences, unable to reach their degree or credential goals.
Recognizing these challenges, California has undertaken reforms to its developmental education systems in recent years. Policies like Assembly Bills 705 and 1705 have aimed to eliminate unnecessary remedial courses, allowing students to begin college-level work sooner while providing targeted supports. RFA’s prior work on AB 705 and 1705 has revealed great variation in implementation across California’s community colleges. But how are these reforms being implemented in the unique context of prisons? Are incarcerated students reaping the same benefits as their peers on the outside? And where do gaps persist?
These are the questions RFA aims to answer. Through its research, RFA will dig into how these reforms are being implemented and experienced by incarcerated students, faculty, and administrators. The study will consider how different instructional modalities—whether in-person classes, online learning, or correspondence courses—are shaping outcomes. Centering equity in its analysis, RFA seeks to amplify the experiences of incarcerated learners and bring actionable insights to policymakers, educators, and advocates.
For incarcerated students, higher education is not just a means to individual empowerment but also a lifeline to opportunity, rehabilitation, and hope. Education is a proven key to reducing recidivism, fostering self-sufficiency, and breaking cycles of poverty. If developmental education reforms can be tailored to better serve incarcerated students, the ripple effects could be felt far beyond prison walls. Improved educational outcomes for these learners could mean stronger communities, reduced incarceration rates, and a more equitable society.
RFA’s work aims to examine implementation, surface best practices, and inform data systems to better understand the experiences of incarcerated students across the state. To meet credential attainment goals, our society must attend to the experiences and outcomes of those pursuing higher education from prison, maximizing their potential to reach their goals.