A Revised Second-Chance Pell Experiment

The Education Department is planning to tweak—but not end—a pilot program for prison higher education programs as it gears up to reinstate Pell Grant eligibility for incarcerated students broadly. The department’s announcement means that education for incarcerated students won’t be disrupted when new regulations take effect this summer, officially giving those students access to Pell Grants. Colleges and universities participating in the pilot known as Second-Chance Pell have until May 18 to apply for a waiver that will let them continue operating programs in prison for three years.