Two Generations. 
One Future.
Ascend at the Aspen Institute is a hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security. Ascend takes a two-generation approach to our work – focusing on children and their parents together – and we bring a gender and racial equity lens to our analysis.
Announcing: 2019-20 Ascend Impact Series
We are proud to announce the Ascend Impact Series: monthly stories and stats that illustrate the powerful, tangible impact a two-generation (2Gen) approach can have in building prosperity and opportunity for families. These stories and quantitative proof points will contribute to the growing 2Gen evidence base, including recent research on CAP Tulsa, which found that the 2Gen program CareerAdvance® reduces chronic absence…
Impact Series: Goodwill’s 2Gen High Schools Lead to Increased Wages
This blog is part of Ascend’s Impact Series: monthly stories and stats that illustrate the powerful, tangible impact a two-generation (2Gen) approach can have in building prosperity and opportunity for families. According to the Census Bureau, 32 million adults in the U.S. currently lack a high school diploma, with those who are parents having 10 million children. The Excel Center,…
New Fact Sheet and Mental Health Brief: Understanding and Supporting Student Parents
With 22 percent of the undergraduate student population comprised of parents with children, policymakers and institutions must explore the unique needs of this population and address the challenges that may prevent parents from attaining their degree. This includes determining what systems, services, and approaches best support their mental health needs. As part of the Aspen Postsecondary…
Women Leadership Fuels Prosperity for Families
As a state senator and Campaign Advisor for Family Values @ Work, a national network of state-based coalitions fighting for paid leave, I often think about the power of women organizing as activists and as legislators. In my seven years in office, I have seen how having women in leadership positions leads to policies that…
Accelerating Postsecondary Success for Parents: Identifying and Addressing Mental Health Needs
New Mexico Forum on Early Childhood Development and Family Well-Being