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
Understanding Chicago Public Schools Graduates' College Pathways
On May 19, the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium shared findings from a new report on Chicago Public Schools (CPS) graduates’ pathways through college.
To&Through Data Collaborative: City Colleges of Chicago
Declan McDonnell presented data on efforts to incentivize enrollment at City Colleges of Chicago. Declan is a Data Strategist at the City Colleges of Chicago.
Supporting College Enrollment & Retention During the Pandemic
On April 28 at 1:00 PM (CST), the To&Through Project and the Partnership for College Completion hosted a panel discussion for a deeper look at the practices and policies that led some higher education institutions to see increases in 2020 enrollment and/or retention for CPS graduates. The panel included leaders from Northern Illinois University and Western Illinois University.
2020 College Enrollment & Retention of CPS Graduates During the Pandemic
On April 27 at 12:00 PM (CST), the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium shared findings from a new report examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Chicago Public Schools (CPS) graduates’ immediate college enrollment and retention rates during the fall of 2020.
To&Through Data Collaborative: MAPSCorps
Nia Abdullah and Jessie Gotsdiner will present MAPSCorps’s community asset data collected by high school and college students across Chicago. Nia is the Executive Director of MAPSCorps (Meaningful, Active, Productive, Science in Service to Communities) and Jessie is the Director of Operations.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Jazmin Fermin
Jazmin Fermin will share features of the user-centered data dashboard designed for the Network for College Success partner schools. Additionally, she will cover the value of telling stories with data and the importance of building systems/tools with the end-user in mind. Jazmin is the Data Strategist at the Network for College Success.
To&Through Research Spotlight: Linking SEL to Long-Term Success
John Q. Easton and Shanette Porter joined us to share emerging research on the relationship between social emotional development, long-term outcomes, and the impact of schools.
The Education Debt for Young Black Men of Chicago Public Schools
This panel discussion featured Dr. Maurice Swinney, Chief Equity Officer for Chicago Public Schools (CPS); Dr. Shawn Jackson, President of Truman College; and Dr. Kyle Westbrook, Executive Director of the Partnership for College Completion. The panel discussion centered on the K-12 and higher education experiences of Black male students from CPS.
To&Through Data Collaborative: To&Through Project Team
Alex Usher and Shelby Mahaffie will share an early look at the To&Through Project’s thinking about National Student Clearinghouse data on 2020 college enrollment. Alex Usher is the Associate Director of Data and Research and Shelby Mahaffie is a Research Analyst II for the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium.
Introduction to the Postsecondary Attainment Index
The To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium shared the purpose behind the new Postsecondary Attainment Index and demonstrated for non-profits and school districts how to calculate their own PAI using the PAI Calculator Tool.