College-In-Prison Survey of Student Engagement

The College-in-Prison Survey of Student Engagement (CIPSSE, pronounced “sipsee”) is a nationwide assessment and research project that works with participating college-in-prison programs to collect data, provide reports, and support program leaders with improvement efforts. CIPSSE is housed within the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (IUCPR) and is supported by researchers at the Center for Community College Student Engagement and the Moreau College Initiative at Holy Cross College. 

Most colleges and universities in the US rely heavily on widely available data collection tools and resources for valid and reliable assessment and accreditation projects that lead to evidence-informed improvement. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the hundreds of college-in-prison programs whose access to quality assessment is held back by a lack of resources, administrative hurdles, and more restrictive environments for learning and educational improvement.

We propose to change that.

What will CIPSSE accomplish?

We identify three main purposes of CIPSSE:

1. To collect actionable data for the improvement of prison education programs,
2. To consult with and support institutions in how to use their CIPSSE results to drive change, and
3. To accumulate a solid body of data for research into the experiences of incarcerated students—data that can be used by qualified researchers to inform policy and practice with regard to the support and delivery of essential CIP programs.