Pathways Through Education
Power Rooted in Community
We envision a Western Massachusetts where every person impacted by incarceration has a fair chance to learn, lead, and live with possibility.
Community
Community
Opportunity
Opportunity
Resources
Resources
Education
Education
We facilitate college-level learning that is rigorous, relevant, and transferable.
Western Mass CORE expands access to higher education for people impacted by incarceration across Western Massachusetts — inside county jails and throughout reentry.
Our work centers student navigation and direct support while also addressing the systemic barriers that disrupt academic reentry. CORE builds public awareness, convenes cross-sector leaders, and coordinates collaborative planning to strengthen a regional ecosystem of jail-based higher education and post-release college access.
Our coalition includes justice-impacted students and alumni, educators, correctional and reentry professionals, policymakers, workforce leaders, advocates, and community partners committed to building an equitable, coordinated, and student-centered system of postsecondary access.
Western Mass CORE began as a college access initiative at Holyoke Community College and has evolved into a regional intermediary advancing higher education as a central part of reentry. Our work is supported in part by a generous planning grant from Ascendium Education Group.
News & Insights
Study to create jail-to-college pipeline being held in WMass
Now, a regional effort organized by Western Mass CORE, or Community, Opportunity, Resources and Education, is bringing together multiple organizations to streamline a jail-to-college system, said Nicole Hendricks, executive director.
New grant boosts re-entry education programs for one Western Massachusetts organization
Western Mass Core will now be a fiscally sponsored program of Mass-Hire Holyoke after receiving a $750,000 grant, allowing them to launch an independent regional initiative, Unlocking Pathways.
Basketball Hall of Fame hosted job fair to help build western Massachusetts workforce
The Basketball Hall of Fame hosted a job fair with 48 companies present, offering services to help seal criminal records and build the workforce in western Massachusetts.
Creating pathways from jails to colleges
While college-in-prison programs are growing, jails often lack similar opportunities. Educators like John Schlueter were surprised to find minimal educational offerings beyond AA and Bible study. Groups like FreeWriters highlight the absence of college courses or academic advising for jailed individuals.
HCC Western Mass CORE Program Receives State Grant
The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education recently awarded a Bridges to College grant to Holyoke Community College. The grant will support HCC’s Western Mass CORE program.
Holyoke Community College grant to expand outreach to formerly incarcerated
Holyoke Community College received an $81,605 grant to expand educational outreach for formerly incarcerated individuals. The funding supports advising, mentorship, and events like expungement clinics and family programs. Professors will also continue teaching courses inside local jails.
Western Mass Core providing a pathway to higher education
Two Holyoke Community College professors have started a program called Western Mass Core, which provides educational opportunities for incarcerated individuals.
Funding Roundup
Holyoke Community College assistant professor Naomi Lesley teaches an English 101 composition class to inmates at the Hampden County Correctional Center. The college credit course is available at the jail through the HCC's Western Mass
Core Principles
For 31-year-old Bramin, a highlight of the "Epidemics in History" course was engaging with classmates' diverse perspectives. Their discussions encouraged him to consider both thoughts and emotions in understanding topics. He noted he hadn't realized how much interpretation involves empathy.