The restoration of Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students and the expansion of Prison Education Program approval requirements have increased expectations for how higher education in prison programs collect, manage, and use data. In Mississippi, these changes come at a moment of growing interest in expanding access to postsecondary education inside correctional facilities, alongside heightened demands for accountability, coordination, and evidence of program quality.
This report from Ithaka S+R documents Phase 1 of a multi-phase effort to understand Mississippi’s current higher education in prison data landscape and identify opportunities for improvement. Drawing on stakeholder interviews, document review, and engagement with the Mississippi Consortium for Higher Education in Prison and other state partners, the assessment examines what data information is currently collected, how it is used, and where there are gaps and inconsistencies.