Level Learning, 535 E 5th Street, Austin, TX (2026)

07/29/2026

Every person deserves the opportunity to learn, grow, and build a brighter future – no matter where they are. 📚🩵

When access to educational guides was blocked in Missouri state prisons in 2023, thousands of incarcerated learners were cut off from basic study resources, and families outside were left with few ways to support their loved ones' educational goals.

We believed that access to learning materials is a fundamental right. That is why Level partnered with the First Amendment Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law to stand up for incarcerated learners and their families. ⚖️

We are so proud to share that Level and the Missouri Department of Corrections have reached a settlement agreement that restores educational access across Missouri!

Here is what this win means for learners and families:

Free Educational Materials Restored: Incarcerated individuals can once again request free study materials and literacy resources through facility case managers – taking the cost burden off families.

Nationwide Vendor Access: Non-profit educational and literacy organizations across the country can now qualify to send books and study guides.

Clear Guidelines & Transparency: Facility staff and families will have access to a public directory of approved vendors, with clear rules and timelines.

As Level Executive Director Alex Wright shared: "Imagine what the experience was like for those inside Missouri state prisons who were suddenly cut off from outside educational resources... In the end, a sensible and favorable policy was established."

We are deeply grateful to the First Amendment Clinic at Washington University in St. Louis Law for their tireless dedication, and to our partners at Missouri Prison Books who fight every day for literacy and human dignity. 💪🏽

Together, we are reopening the doors to learning and opportunity.

📲 Read the full details of the settlement on our blog – link in the first comment below! 👇

06/19/2026

To our dedicated community of sponsors and families – we know how much you value seeing your loved ones learning and preparing for the future. Today, we have a heartbreaking update to share.

Due to ongoing funding challenges, Level is ending our primary program of creating and physically distributing printed education and workforce development modules. We know how rare and important this access is for people in prison. This was not the decision we wanted to make, and it means sponsors can no longer enroll loved ones in the program.

However, we want to assure you of a few important things:
- We will continue to serve our currently enrolled incarcerated learners through July 31, 2026.
- We will continue to communicate with you about modules delivered and certificates earned through that date.
- Digital versions of certificates will remain accessible on our website so you and your loved ones can still view and print them.
- We are keeping our educational content alive by making it available under an open Creative Commons license for others to use.

We still believe that every person has the potential to contribute to thriving communities. Together, we can prevent other important programs from ending. Please consider supporting and advocating for other organizations doing this critical work.
Read the full update and details in the first comment below. 👇🏽

05/29/2026

We asked, and you answered! 🩵

When we launched our sponsorship program, our goal was to connect people in prison with the education they need to build a brighter future and to empower families on the outside to be part of that journey.

To make sure we are building a program that truly serves our community, we sent out our first sponsor survey in mid-December 2025. We were absolutely blown away by your response! Hearing your stories, your definitions of success, and your honest feedback about what we can do better is the foundation of our work.

You shared how much peace of mind our program brings, but you also asked for a wider variety of content and better communication when facility mailroom delays happen. We heard you loud and clear.

We’re excited to share the full results of the 2025-26 Sponsor Survey – along with the specific steps we’ve taken to expand our content and improve delivery tracking.

Visit our blog to read the full report and see how your feedback is actively shaping the future of Level here: https://learnlevel.org/level-2025-2026-sponsor-survey/

Thank you to the 159 sponsors who shared their voices with us. Together, we are redefining what is possible. 💪🏽

05/04/2026

To the families who rely on handwritten letters to stay connected with a loved one inside: we see you, and we know how frustrating the recent push to ban physical mail has been. 💌

Two new reports from The Marshall Project and Prison Policy Initiative shed light on the dangerous drug crisis inside our facilities – and why taking away your letters is the wrong answer.

When looking for solutions, it is easy for facilities to go for an "easy win" like banning mail, or to place all the blame on corrections officers smuggling contraband. But the truth points to a massive systemic failure. Our prison system is facing an unprecedented staffing crisis. With officers being actively recruited by agencies like ICE, and facilities operating at dangerously low levels, implementing normal safety controls is nearly impossible.

The deeper issue? A lack of hope. When incarcerated people are isolated, stripped of support, and left with zero hope for their future, despair sets in – and dangerous synthetic drugs fill the void.

Banning letters from home won't stop the drug crisis. It only severs the vital lifelines to family and community that keep people grounded and looking forward.

True safety comes from connection and opportunity, not further deprivation. At Level, we believe that providing access to relevant education and job development transforms the years of incarceration into an opportunity to prepare for release. When we include families and supporters on the outside in that educational journey, outcomes improve.

Let's focus on building hope and real solutions. 🩵

04/01/2026

Happy April! 🩵 Did you know that this month is both Financial Literacy Month AND Second Chance Month?

To celebrate, we are so excited to announce our newest guide for our learners inside: Build Your Financial Future: Stabilize and Grow. Today, 121 of these guides are in the mail heading directly to people in prison across the country – and thousands more will follow!

Every stack of paper in this photo represents a new beginning and a brighter future for someone preparing to come home. This new curriculum builds on the foundations of financial literacy. It helps learners understand how to manage debt, build a safety net, and make a plan for their future.

A huge thank you to our subject matter expert, Kevin Paulin! Kevin shares his own powerful story of reentry and transformation to encourage our learners. As he tells them in the first lesson: "You have an opportunity to make new decisions that will impact generations to come. You have an opportunity to be great."

03/25/2026

What do 7,000 steps toward stronger communities look like? 🩵

At Level, they look like 7,000 incarcerated learners preparing for a brighter future. By accessing educational and workforce development content, these individuals are taking active steps to transform their lives – and our shared communities. 🚀

Reaching 7,000 learners is a profound milestone. In the American prison system – often a "digital desert" where access to transformative education is severely limited – we are working to equip people with the modern skills they need to build economic security after release.

We know that when returning citizens succeed, families are strengthened, and our entire ecosystem becomes safer and more resilient. That is the true impact of this work. 💪🏽

This milestone isn't just Level’s win – it is a collective achievement made possible by a powerful community of believers, from the families supporting their loved ones on the inside to our visionary philanthropic partners 🙏🏽

03/08/2026

Big news for our Level family! 💥 We are growing so that we can serve even more of your loved ones across the country.

We’ve just added five new facilities to our program, from South Dakota to South Carolina! This means more incarcerated learners will now have access to our entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and job-training guides. 📖✨

New facilities now serving:
🔹 South Dakota Women’s Prison
🔹 Jackson Parish Jail
🔹 Jenkins Correctional Facility
🔹 Tyger River Correctional Center
🔹 C.S.P. Los Angeles County

At Level, we believe that a brighter future is possible for everyone, regardless of where they are today. We are so grateful to the families and supporters who walk this journey with us.

Do you have a loved one at one of these facilities or the other 1,000+ we serve? Share this post or tag a friend who needs to see this! 👇🏽

03/06/2026

🏠 "A 'house' is just a structure, but a 'home' is where you are loved." – David Jones

David Jones grew up in Northeast DC with a deep understanding of what it means to belong. But when he found himself incarcerated in a facility with zero educational programming – a "digital desert" – he had to fight to keep his mind active and his future bright.

David didn't wait for an opportunity to come to him; he reached out to Level.

While on the inside, David completed nearly 10 of our educational guides. He studied entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and more. When it came time for his release hearing, those certificates were more than just paper – they were proof to the judge of his dedication to change. ⚖️

David is now home, navigating his new life with resilience, ambition, and the same guides he used on the inside to build his credit and plan his future business.

At Level, we believe that education is a bridge. It connects the person someone is today to the person they have the potential to become for their family and their community. 🩵

Read David’s full story of perseverance and transformation here: https://learnlevel.org/david-jones-success-stories/

Please join us in welcoming David home and celebrating his hard work!

12/03/2025

💙 Love this story of Kathy and Phil Shaw in Virginia who are supporting their loved one on the inside 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

For seven long years, Phil and Kathy Shaw had been on the list for adoption, waiting for the call that there was a baby available for placement with them. At last, it came. Go to Roanoke, the Virginia couple was told; there’s a 6 month old boy there for you to see. “They said, ‘Of course, you don’t have to take him if you don’t want,’” says Phil. But as soon as they arrived and a staff person brought the baby to meet them, there was no question about them taking him. “He looks to Kathy,” Phil says, “and he reaches towards her, like, ‘That’s my mama.’ Oh, we knew. We knew.”

They named their new son Bronson (a movie starring Charles Bronson was on TV when the parents-to-be were discussing names, and they knew “right then and there that was his name”) and the connection the Shaws immediately felt to the boy has remained steady ever since, even through the challenges they’ve faced as a family. “We had our problems,” says Phil. “He’s been a difficult child to raise, Lord knows – Kathy took the brunt of it – but we love him. He’s still got problems, but, you know… he’s my son. He’s our son. And we want to help him in any way we can.”

With Bronson currently incarcerated in a Virginia state correctional facility, the help his parents want to provide is by way of education. “Kathy has an associate’s degree, I have a bachelor’s degree, and we realize education is power,” says Phil. “Simple as that. You get an education – and it doesn’t have to be book education, it doesn’t have to be to get an actual college degree – any knowledge only helps you and, if you’re working, only helps your employer. So that’s what we want for our son. We want him to be successful.”

It was Bronson who discovered Level and told his dad, “Check this out. This is something.” Once Phil did check it out, he realized that the program offered a rare opportunity for his son to further his education while he was incarcerated. “The state of Virginia is very, very backward when it comes to educating their felons over 21,” he says. “If you’re under 21, they have a high school for you, so you can graduate from high school. If you’re under 21, they do rehabilitation. If you’re over that age, it’s incarceration. And they do nothing – I repeat, nothing – to make sure that when you leave those gates you won’t be back. I like the fact that Level is helping people that sometimes have no help on the outside. By helping them, you’re only going to make them a better citizen when they get out.”

Bronson getting out is a thing Phil and Kathy think about a great deal. And they have worries. “When you get out of prison, you’ve done your time according to the law, okay?” says Phil. “However, most public opinion is, they hold it against you. As a matter of fact, here in Chesterfield County, my son will not be able to rent an apartment. Why? Because he’s a convicted felon. Does that make sense to you? It doesn’t make sense to me. And then, it was only up until recently that if you owed fines to the state of Virginia, they suspended your driving license. Now, if you’re lucky enough to get a job, and you’re lucky enough to have some place to stay, it better be on a bus line or you have somebody to take you to and from the job. Failing that, you’ve got to drive. Well, what happens? You’re breaking the law again. What happens? They’re going to send you back in.”

11/14/2025

💙 Proud to share the story of Nicole Steward in Michigan who is supporting her loved one on the inside 🙏🏽💪🏽🙏🏽💪🏽💥

“I’ve always helped others.” Nicole Steward is a self-described jack of all trades whose jobs have ranged from real estate agent to hairdresser, insurance agent to photographer. But no matter what her profession’s been at any given moment, Nicole has always made time to lend a hand to those around her. At a high school in southern Michigan, where Nicole has lived since she was in high school herself, she ran an outreach program in which she mentored teenage girls. At her church, she runs a women’s ministry. For the past several years, she’s also been working at Oaklawn, a provider of mental health and addiction services in Indiana. Initially, she facilitated support networks for families in need there. Now, her work focuses on men who have committed domestic violence and children who have experienced it.

Helping others runs in Nicole’s family. Her mother spent many years working as a substance abuse counselor, and Nicole remembers how she would come home and tell Nicole about her therapy groups. Now that she’s become a counselor, Nicole says, “I call her and I tell her stories from my groups. My mom still works, so she still has group. So we go back and forth talking about the different groups.”

Now, the impulse to help others has shown up in the next generation of Nicole’s family. Her son, Jordan Johnson, who’s currently incarcerated in a state prison in Michigan, has told her when he gets out he wants to be a motivational speaker. She sees that future for him as “promising” because of the way Jordan has applied himself on the inside. “He’s read, like, 40 books since he’s been in there,” Nicole says. “Not little 100-page books. I’m talking thick books, you know? So he’s gaining knowledge and more information so when he does come out, he’ll be able to help others.”

Read the full story on our blog https://learnlevel.org/nicole-steward-success-stories/

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