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
Spotlight on Student Voice: Centering Young People as Experts in Student Experience
How can we better put student voice and student feedback into action? Join us on May 2nd at 2:00pm (CST) to engage in discussion with Middle Grades Network (MGN) Student Fellowship and its alignment with one of their partner schools, Sumner Math & Science Community Academy. Participants will learn about the process of student voice implementation and understand how direct feedback from students can be used to shift practice.
May Data Collaborative - The People’s Music School
Natalie Butler and Marc Wilson will present on The People's Music School's use of quantitative and qualitative data analysis to deepen student impact over a long-term journey with the school. The People's Music School is one of the nation's only and largest free music schools, partnering with CPS schools to provide high quality after-school music programming in Chicago's historically underserved communities. Natalie is their Dean of Learning & Teaching and Marc is the Chief of Strategy and Partnerships.
Kegs & Cases: Supporting CPS students in their journeys after high school
Join us in-person for our second annual To&Through Kegs & Cases event at Guild Row (3130 N Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 60618). We will share our latest Learning Case– a qualitative look at how practitioners are supporting CPS alumni in their postsecondary journeys in the first two years after high school graduation. Come participate in a facilitated case learning experience, learn about how this resource can support the learning communities you engage with, and network with our To&Through community with drinks and snacks!
Upcoming Events
Spotlight on Student Voice: Centering Young People as Experts in Student Experience
How can we better put student voice and student feedback into action? Join us on May 2nd at 2:00pm (CST) to engage in discussion with Middle Grades Network (MGN) Student Fellowship and its alignment with one of their partner schools, Sumner Math & Science Community Academy. Participants will learn about the process of student voice implementation and understand how direct feedback from students can be used to shift practice.
May Data Collaborative - The People’s Music School
Natalie Butler and Marc Wilson will present on The People's Music School's use of quantitative and qualitative data analysis to deepen student impact over a long-term journey with the school. The People's Music School is one of the nation's only and largest free music schools, partnering with CPS schools to provide high quality after-school music programming in Chicago's historically underserved communities. Natalie is their Dean of Learning & Teaching and Marc is the Chief of Strategy and Partnerships.
Kegs & Cases: Supporting CPS students in their journeys after high school
Join us in-person for our second annual To&Through Kegs & Cases event at Guild Row (3130 N Rockwell St, Chicago, IL 60618). We will share our latest Learning Case– a qualitative look at how practitioners are supporting CPS alumni in their postsecondary journeys in the first two years after high school graduation. Come participate in a facilitated case learning experience, learn about how this resource can support the learning communities you engage with, and network with our To&Through community with drinks and snacks!
June Data Collaborative: OneGoal
Susie Tovar, E.M. Saunders, Veronica Nieves and Drew Stricker will share about the OneGoal organization and recent quantitative analysis about postsecondary outcomes for students “in the middle” academically (GPA: 2.25-2.99). OneGoal is a postsecondary access and success organization working with schools and districts to transform postsecondary advising so that all students can define their futures. Susie is the Senior Director of Teacher Support, Junior Year of High School; E.M.
Past Events
November Data Collaborative - T&T Student Stories
The To&Through Project team will present on their expansion of the Student Stories initiative. These stories aim to humanize quantitative To&Through findings by zooming in on individual CPS student journeys to highlight the successes, challenges, and complexities that exist across the many post secondary pathways chosen by CPS graduates.
Inquiry and Action Workshop: To&Through Milestones Tool
Join the To&Through team as we explore new 2022 data on our To&Through Milestone 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.
October Data Collaborative - Black Researchers Collective
Dr. Glenance Green and Shari Runner will present on the Black Researchers Collective's efforts to train and equip communities with the research tools to be more civically engaged and policy informed. Glenance and Shari are the co-founders of the Black Researcher Collective.
Annual Update on the Educational Attainment of CPS Students
On Thursday, October 12th, 2023 at 12pm, the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium will share their newest report on the 2022 Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Students, which highlights the success of CPS students pursuing college degrees and opportunities gaps that still exist to make college success an accessible option for all CPS students.
To&Through Research Spotlight: The State of Adolescent Mental Health
As students re-enter school buildings this fall, we know that mental health challenges are on the rise for adolescents and we need to show up to support the well-being of young people in our communities. Dr. Jorge Verlenden (Behavioral Health Scientist at the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the CDC) will share the CDC's latest research on the current state of mental health for adolescents in the United States and in Chicago, including disparities in mental health within specific student populations.
September Data Collaborative - UtmostU
Shayna Balting (Data Narrator) and David Bennett (Assoc ED) will present on UtmostU’s use of monthly college student survey data to shape post-secondary coach interventions as part a larger system of post-secondary supports. The UtmostU network supports 16 schools and CBO’s, and over 1,000 Chicago-area college students through a shared tech platform, community learning, and resource collaboration.
August Data Collaborative - Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative
Dr. Sarah Cashdollar will present IWERC’s research on access to dual credit coursework in the state of Illinois. Dr. Cashdollar is Associate Director of IWERC Research, Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative, University of Illinois.
Inquiry and Action Workshop: To&Through Milestones Tool
Join the To&Through team as we explore new 2022 data on our To&Through Milestone 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.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Chicago Scholars
Derrick Fleming and Alberto Morales will present how Chicago Scholars is working to improve male scholars' college graduation rates by building on their college access, success, and leadership development model and leveraging the expertise of other youth mentoring nonprofits. Derrick is the Managing Director of Strategic Engagement for Chicago Scholars and Alberto is the Founder of Morales Consulting.
Kegs and Cases: To&Through Learning and Networking Event
It’s been a long time since the To&Though Community has gotten together in person and we are excited to see you! Come to engage with our new qualitative data experience: Learning Cases! You’ll have the opportunity to read our newest learning case on post-secondary counseling and then discuss the tensions and questions it raises with peers. There will be time to network and catch up with friends and colleagues. First round is on us!