Regional Coalition
Unlocking Pathways: A regional coalition strengthening jail-to-college access
With generous support from Ascendium Education Philanthropy, Western Mass CORE launched Unlocking Pathways in September 2025 — a regional planning initiative to strengthen and connect jail-to-college pathways across Western Massachusetts.
At the center of this work is a shared question:
How can we make the path into community college clearer and more reliable for people impacted by incarceration in Western Massachusetts?
What This Work Does
Unlocking Pathways builds on existing efforts across colleges, jails, and community organizations. Rather than creating something new from scratch, the initiative focuses on alignment — reducing friction between systems and supporting smoother transitions into community college.
Partners include:
- Students and leaders with lived experience
- Community colleges
- Public and private universities
- Jail and corrections partners
- Reentry and community organizations
How We’re Working
A cross-sector Guiding Team stewards the work, supported by Student and Regional Advisory Councils.
Working groups focus on:
- Financial aid and tuition
- Credit transfer and mobility
- Academic reentry and student support
- Data sharing and metrics
- Transferable and stackable pathways
Together, these efforts are shaping a shared regional roadmap.
This initiative is made possible through the generous support of Ascendium Education Philanthropy, whose investment supports collaboration, learning, and long-term alignment across the region.
Events
Credit Mobility & Transfer Working Group
Snapshot from the first meeting of Working Group 2: Credit Mobility & Transfer, featuring attendees and Dr. Sarah Kuczynski’s, Director of New England Prison Education Collaborative and Transfer Initiatives presentation. The meeting brought together representatives from Amherst College, Greenfield Community […]
Student and Regional Advisory Committee Collaborative Session
TBD This gathering was part of our ongoing effort to help participants see the system — to recognize that we are all part of shaping the realities students face. By mapping connections between policies, practices, and personal experiences, we began to […]
Financial Aid and Tuition Working Group
Working group members gathered at Amherst College, one of our partners in the Unlocking Pathways Initiative. Western Mass CORE brought together financial aid experts from across local colleges and universities for its first working group– Working Group 1: Financial Aid […]
Student Advisory Council Meeting
Student Advisory Council members at our first meeting discussing their role in the next year of planning. The Unlocking Pathways Student Advisory Council (SAC), composed of eight student leaders, met for the first time to discuss the barriers justice-impacted learners […]
Regional Advisory Council Meeting
Regional Advisory Members engaged in identifying ways to expand post-secondary education opportunities The Unlocking Pathways Regional Advisory Council (RAC), made up of fourteen leaders from corrections, education, reentry, and the community, met for the first time to review data underscoring […]
Unlocking Pathways: Virtual Kickoff Convening
A snapshot from the Unlocking Pathways Virtual Kickoff Convening Western Mass CORE held its Unlocking Pathways Virtual Kickoff convening that brought together students, corrections leaders, college partners, and community organizations. The initiative, supported by Ascendium Education Philanthropy, is a year-long […]