Princeton, NJ
The Petey Greene Program (PGP) believes that everyone
deserves a chance, that we cannot discount anyone, and that we are responsible for each other. That’s why, since 2008, the Petey Greene Program has supported the educational journeys of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people by providing the high-quality, individualized tutoring and academic support that every learner needs to achieve their educational goals.
The PGP provides supportive 1:1 and small group tutoring for students who are:
- Participating in high school classes
- Focused on adult basic education
- Studying for HiSET and GED tests or college admissions and placement tests
- Participating in college readiness programming
- Enrolled in college
- Participating in vocational training or studying for certifications
- Enrolling in credit transfer and recovery programs
- Pursuing self-guided online learning
Only 20% of formerly incarcerated people have a high school 
diploma, one third have a GED, and less than four percent have a college degree. Without a high school credential, unemployment rates among formerly incarcerated people range from 25% to 60%. The Petey Greene Program is one of the few organizations focused on disrupting this cycle by helping incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people prepare for postsecondary success.
Since its founding, the PGP has tutored roughly 16,000 students in over 50 correctional facilities and reentry programs, with more than 3,200 volunteer tutors recruited from 30 universities in eight states and the District of Columbia.
A meta-analysis by the RAND Corporation found incarcerated people who participated in an educational program, such as the Petey Greene Program’s, had 43% lower odds of returning to
prison, and a study of the program showed incarcerated students tutored by the Petey Greene Program advanced one to two full grade levels more than non-tutored students over the course of just one semester.
In addition to transforming pre-collegiate education, the PGP provides trainings, workshops, and events that educate the organization’s volunteers on how to be effective tutors in 
carceral settings, while connecting volunteers with the broader movement to reimagine the criminal legal system.
The Good Green grant will help the Petey Greene Program maintain and expand operations to continue transforming pre-collegiate education for currently and formerly incarcerated learners.