Each year, The New England Prison Education Collaborative (NEPEC) will support two New England states in the development of state strategic plans that aim to expand the quality and quantity of higher education in prison program portfolios in their states. To do this work, NEPEC will engage stakeholders including leadership from Departments of Correction and relevant state agencies, leaders with lived experience of the criminal legal system, and higher education program providers.
NEPEC will provide a framework to help states move through the state strategic planning process. Funding from the New England Board of Higher Education and Ascendium Education Group will support the planning process through a state planning grant. States will also be eligible for a technical assistance grant to meet needs identified during the planning process.
The aim is to see all six New England states through the planning and implementation process, with NEPEC serving as a resource for both the monitoring of progress toward state goals and metrics and the dissemination of progress updates through annual reports.