The To&Through Project’s events are intended for a diverse cross-section of education leaders and partners from the K-12, higher education, nonprofit, and civic communities. Presenters and panelists come together to share new research findings as well as share ideas and strategies for helping Chicago’s under-resourced students succeed in high school and college. The To&Through Project also hosts monthly Data Collaboratives designed to elevate and promote dialogue around new and emerging work focused on applying data to youth development efforts. You can watch recordings of our previous events on YouTube.
Events
Featured Events
Middle Grades to College: High School Views on Building Foundations for Postsecondary Success
The CPS Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising and Success Bound will join the To&Through Middle Grades Network to host a panel of high school practitioners who will share advice on how to best support middle grades students in the transition to high school and the foundational skills necessary for postsecondary success. This session is geared towards elementary school practitioners supporting middle grades students and those interested in strengthening the connection between the middle grades and postsecondary success.
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual celebration will feature reflections from our MGN schools on their overall MGN experience, breakout sessions highlighting change ideas tested by schools, highlights from the MGN Student Fellowship.
To&Through Milestones Tool 101: Exploring CPS Student Outcomes Data
In this 90 minute introductory workshop, participants will dive into the To&Through's online public data tool that shows CPS students' outcomes on key academic metrics from the sixth grade through college. You'll understand T&T's specific philosophy on data use, learn about the different “lenses” of available CPS outcomes data, and how this Tool can (and can't) be helpful in your work of strengthening student pathways to and through college.
Upcoming Events
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual celebration will feature reflections from our MGN schools on their overall MGN experience, breakout sessions highlighting change ideas tested by schools, highlights from the MGN Student Fellowship.
To&Through Milestones Tool 101: Exploring CPS Student Outcomes Data
In this 90 minute introductory workshop, participants will dive into the To&Through's online public data tool that shows CPS students' outcomes on key academic metrics from the sixth grade through college. You'll understand T&T's specific philosophy on data use, learn about the different “lenses” of available CPS outcomes data, and how this Tool can (and can't) be helpful in your work of strengthening student pathways to and through college.
May Data Collaborative - Noble Schools
D. Nigel Green & Tyler Portis will present on Noble Schools’ Campus Equity Story dashboard, a newly introduced data tool that measures which campus subgroups have experiences furthest from “promised” goals within the Family, Staff, and Student communities. This dashboard takes information from multiple data tools to narrow the focus to where strategic planning could be better focused. D. Nigel Green is Senior Director of Equity and Tyler Portis is Senior Data Analyst within Noble Schools.
Partnership for College Completion’s College Transfer Report
The Partnership for College Completion will present findings from their recent report, Seamless Success: Transforming College Transfer for Greater Equity, which delves into the barriers faced by transfer students in Illinois, with a focus on community college students striving to transfer to four-year institutions. Informed by student perspectives, the report highlights challenges such as financial stress, administrative burdens, and inequities in transfer pathways, which disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color.
June Data Collaborative - Mikva Challenge
Mikva Challenge's Student Advisory Councial youth will present their Student-Led Local School Council (LSC) Toolkit, which is explicitly designed for student representatives. The toolkit will cover: building confidence; public speaking tips; leadership empowerment strategies; effective communication with teachers, administrators, and peers; conflict resolution and finding common ground; resources on LSC student member voting privileges; ways to elevate student voice in LSC meetings.
The To&Through Project: Kegs & Cases
Join the To&Through Project for our third annual Kegs & Cases at Cruz Blanca Taproom. We will share our latest Learning Case– a qualitative look at the experiences of Diverse Learner students as they navigate decision making, enrollment, and persistence at their chosen post-secondary pathways. Come participate in a facilitated case learning experience, meet & collaborate with stakeholders supporting CPS students, and network with our To&Through community over beers and snacks!
Past Events
April Data Collaborative - High Jump
Nate Pietrini & Ariana Pozos will share findings and implications from High Jump's 2023 research initiative focused on using "empathy interviews" to gain deep insights into the daily experiences of economically disadvantaged children of color attending selective enrollment high schools in Chicago.
Supporting newly arrived migrant students in Chicago Public Schools
More than 5,700 newly arrived immigrant students have enrolled in Chicago Public Schools since the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year (Chalkbeat). Many are refugees and asylum seekers facing a variety of challenges navigating systems and barriers in this new city and country.
Inquiry and Action Workshop: To&Through Milestones Tool
This 90-minute in-person workshop will allow participants to explore the To&Through Milestone Tool and learn how the data can be used to inform the support efforts of Chicago Public Schools students on their paths to high school and college completion. Participants will be able to work side by side with To&Through Tool Experts to explore the Milestones Tool, learn helpful navigation strategies, and practice sharing findings that can inform their work to support CPS students.
March Data Collaborative - Noble Schools Network
JY Sun (Senior Director of College Analytics & Insights), Sarah MacCallum (Senior Director of College Counseling), and Claire Goodrich (Senior Director of Data) will present on how the Noble Schools network uses their college counseling framework in practice as well as associated KPIs and data systems they utilize to track progress.
Exploring College Success for Black Graduates of Chicago Public Schools
On February 20th, 2024, join us for a virtual presentation and discussion focused on the success of Black college graduates in Chicago Public Schools and the opportunities to strengthen college pathways and outcomes for Black CPS graduates. Following a presentation of data and existing research by Dominique McKoy of the To&Through Project, attendees will be invited to a post-presentation discussion to reflect on the implications and collective opportunities to improve our supports for Black CPS students and alumni.
February Data Collaborative - Kids First Chicago
Jose Pacas, Chris Poulos, and Micaelan Valesky will present key data insights that supported an in-depth report series of parent-led recommendations to help stem Chicago’s Enrollment Crisis. Jose, Chris, and Micaelan are part of the Data Science and Research team at Kids First Chicago.
January Data Collaborative - Evidence 2 Action Workshops
Rosa Ramirez Richter (UChicago Consortium on School Research) and Dom McKoy (The To&Through Project) will present on efforts to share research and data with CPS parent and community LSC members in our new Evidence to Action workshop series. Rosa is the Director of Engagement and Partnerships at the UChicago Consortium on School Research and Dom is the Deputy Director of the To&Through Project.
Research Spotlight: Evidence to Inform Holistic College Admissions Policies
As we continue to navigate a college admissions landscape following the Supreme Court ban on race-conscious admissions and a context that is increasingly test optional, how are we re-thinking what equitable admissions policies can look like? A new report examines the idea of contextualized evaluation to account for the opportunities available within a high school and the broader context of individual schools, which seeks to level the playing field among different applicants coming from starkly different high schools, neighborhoods, and backgrounds.
December Data Collaborative - Embarc Post Secondary Team
Thomas Goodwin (Director of Data & Analytics) and Frank Miller (Lead Postsecondary Success Coach) will provide a presentation highlighting their utilization of Postsecondary Success (PSS) metrics, including non-college options, to drive and enhance Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) outcomes. Additionally, they will explore the reciprocal relationship between SEL measures and the enhancement of the PSS curriculum.
Research Release: The Finishing in Four Years Fallacy: 4-year versus 6-year
On the Dec 5th, 2023 at 2pm join the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium for the release of a new research brief and student stories series focused on CPS graduates' time to college completion.