Michelson 20MM
in the News
Spark Community Advisors Pave the Way for Digital Equity
Meet the Spark Grant Community Advisors who are integral to shaping the 2024 funding cycle. Their expertise ensures initiatives tackling digital equity across underserved communities in California are impactful and scalable, addressing systemic disparities in digital access.
Empowering Student Parents: The Impact of AB 2881 and the Road Ahead
Student-parents, often people of color, women, and first-generation college students, face significant barriers to degree completion, including isolation and feeling unwelcome on campuses. AB 2881 offers hope by granting priority registration and centralized resources, aiming to alleviate these challenges and support academic success for parenting students statewide. Student parents shared how implementation has progressed.
The Restoration of Pell Grant Eligibility: A Year of Transformation
In July 2023, the U.S. Department of Education reinstated Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students, a decision poised to reshape higher education’s impact on reentry and societal integration. A year later, this policy shift is proving transformative, fostering educational opportunities that promise brighter futures and reduced recidivism rates nationwide.
Understanding the Student Experience of Automatic Textbook Billing: A Small-Scale Survey
Automatic textbook billing has spread across the country since the Department of Education’s changes to the Cash Management Rule in 2016. The updated regulations allow postsecondary institutions to automatically bill students for course materials with two main guardrails. Despite the popularity of this model and student anecdotes, public data on the lived experience of students navigating this model are limited, which this small-scale survey aims to begin to address.
Empowering Student Parents: AB 2458 and the Path to Educational Equity
Student parents from across California convened to advocate for AB 2458, a crucial legislation aimed at improving support systems in higher education. This initiative seeks to enhance accessibility and financial aid for student parents, addressing their unique challenges in pursuing academic success.
Introducing Evelyn Lucho, Michelson 20MM Student Basic Needs Senior Program Coordinator
Evelyn Lucho, newly appointed Senior Program Coordinator at Michelson 20MM Foundation, brings a robust background in social work to champion student basic needs and equity in higher education. Her journey from a first-generation college student to a seasoned advocate highlights her commitment to empowering marginalized communities in academia
Does Coursemarking Impact Student Enrollment Behavior? Glendale Community College Will Explore This with a Michelson Spark Grant
Glendale Community College is enhancing student engagement with Zero and Low Textbook Cost (ZTC and LTC) courses via a Michelson Spark Grant. By integrating image-based markers for these courses in PeopleSoft search results, GCC aims to increase student awareness and enrollment.
A Global Impact: How Homeboy Industries’ Pathway to College Program Is Helping Thousands of Justice-Impacted Individuals
Homeboy Industries’ Pathways to College program is making significant strides in helping justice-impacted individuals in Los Angeles overcome the challenges of college enrollment. Through community collaboration and support via a Michelson Spark Grant, they will host an educational summit to help other organizations implement the model.