Power of Policy

Ascend’s Policy Acceleration Partnership is an effort to support cities, counties, and states committed to increasing economic mobility and well-being for student parents – because when student parents succeed, their families and communities succeed as well. In 2021, five awards worth $150,000 each were given to support work across the country, from Rhode Island to California. The hope was that these partnerships would ensure that policies and systems lead parents to credentials and careers that provide living wages, access to opportunities for advancement, and continued learning in sectors with high growth and demand.

Two years later, policies have been implemented and systems are shifting. We checked in with one of those awardees – Minnesota’s Office of Higher Education – to better understand how the award led to real change and an extraordinary impact for the state’s student parents enrolled in postsecondary pathways.