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
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of our partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual session will feature reflections from current partner schools on the process of testing change ideas and the impact of co-creating these ideas with their MGN Student Fellowship.
May Data Collaborative | Chi-Rise
Erin Estrada and Kate Cronin will present on Chi-Rise's use of program level student data and counselor insights to drive a rigorous college list building process during the 2025-26 academic year. This process brings together multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources across the program's Finance, Fit, Finish trajectory. Erin Estrada is the Chi Rise Program Officer at Crown Family Philanthropies, and Kate Cronin is the Data and Strategy Analyst at Crown Family Philanthropies.
To&Through 2025-26 Data Collaborative In-Person Celebration
Based on feedback from our brilliant Data Collaborative community, we want to create one opportunity during the year to bring our data community together in person. Whether you’ve been an active Data Collaborative member, presented or attended a session this year, or are simply curious about the work we’re doing, we’d love for you to join us for a collaborative gathering where you can:
Upcoming Events
Past Events
Research Spotlight: Student Debt's Disparate Impact on Black Borrowers
Could higher education be exacerbating the racial wealth gap? Join us to learn about Dr. Louise Seamster’s research on how student loans are disparately impacting Black students' lives and how the findings can help reframe who we, as a nation, owe. Dr. Seamster will also present findings from her recent research on the implications of student loan forgiveness options for racial equity.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Northern Illinois University
Alan Clemens will present on the addition of Equity Profiles to the Illinois Postsecondary Profiles (IPP) tool. The IPP provides statewide postsecondary data directly from agency sources designed to support a variety of use cases. Alan is the Director of Illinois Interactive Report Cards at Northern Illinois University and will be joined by other members of the management and development team for IPP.
Annual Update on the Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools Students
The To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium will share our newest report on the 2020 Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Students. Researchers will provide a picture of educational attainment during the onset of the pandemic (which comprises the most recent available data) for students of different race/ethnicity groups, students who began as English Learners, students with disabilities, and Options students.
To&Through Data Collaborative: UIC & Kids First on CPS Accountability Stakeholder Engagement
Natalie Neris and Matt Sweeney will present on the stakeholder engagement process for the CPS Accountability Redesign initiative at our December To&Through Data Collaborative.
Using Community-Based Data for Educational Equity
Join us on Wednesday, November 17 at 11:00 AM (CST) for a panel discussion with leaders from organizations collecting and using data on differences in investments, assets, and educational experiences between communities in Chicago. Leaders will discuss the implications of these data for cross-sector efforts to foster equitable investment in and educational experiences for Chicago Public Schools students.
To&Through Data Collaborative: To&Through on the Middle Grades Data Tool
Alex Seeskin and Thomas Massion will share a working prototype of the To&Through Online Tool that for the first time provides elementary schools with data on their graduates' Freshman OnTrack, high school graduation, and college enrollment rates. Alex is the Director of the To&Through Project and Thomas is a Research Analyst with the To&Through Project.
Community-Based Approaches to Educational Improvement
Join us on Tuesday, November 9 at 11:00 AM (CST) to put CBOs’ work in conversation with new research from the UChicago Consortium and the To&Through Project on differences in educational attainment between Chicago’s community areas. CBO leaders from the South and West Sides of Chicago will discuss the need for a whole-city approach to educational improvement and the collaborations that must be realized to advance educational equity.
Investigating Educational Attainment for CPS Students from a Community Perspective
Join us to investigate key attainment metrics for CPS students based on the community area in which they live rather than the school they attend. At the webinar, we will present key findings from new research that analyzes differences in patterns of high school enrollment as well as high school and college attainment between Chicago’s community areas. Attendees will also be among the first to explore the new, first-of-its-kind To&Through Community Milestones Tool.
Research Spotlight: Race, Advanced Math, and the Transition to High School
What are the academic and social factors that explain disparities in students’ likelihood of getting on (and staying on) the accelerated math track during the transition to high school? Join us at our Research Spotlight webinar on October 27 at noon (CST) to learn about Dr. Yasmiyn Irizarry’s recent study on advanced math course-taking in the ninth grade and its implications for practice and policy.
Research Spotlight: The Impact of COVID-19 and Racial Trauma on Emerging Adolescents
Experts in adolescent development and the creation of racial identities will discuss the impact of COVID-19 and incidents of racial trauma on emerging adolescents. The panel will include Dr. Rob Jagers from CASEL and Dr. Joanna Williams from Rutgers University. The panel will be moderated by Jenny Nagaoka of the University of Chicago with a welcome and introduction by Dr. Nancy Deutsch of the University of Virginia.