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
August Data Collaborative | Project OneTen
Adrian Villarreal from Project OneTen will walk through their Student Engagement Dashboard, powered by Airtable, and show how we use real-time data to track participation, growth, and retention. We’ll highlight our Flag System, a key tool to ensure students receive timely support and stay on track, activating staff and partners as needed. Adrian Villarreal is the Director of Operations & Impact at Project OneTen.
To&Through Spotlight: Sparking Engagement in the Middle Grades
Adolescence is one of the most critical periods for brain development and learning. Research also indicates that student engagement drops dramatically during this time. This is why the middle grades are a period of vulnerability but also of tremendous opportunity. This is a cornerstone of the work of our To&Through Middle Grades Network.
September Data Collaborative | To&Through’s 100th Data Collaborative
Come celebrate our 100th To&Through Data Collaborative! We’ve been hosting these data-centered collaborative spaces since 2017 and we are reaching the milestone of hosting our 100th Data Collaborative! Join us for a highlight of the impact of our Data Collaboratives over time AND join Alex Ritson and Dominique McKoy from the To&Through Project to provide input on the rollout of our new Milestones Tool lens showing outcomes for CPSChicago Public Schools students filtered by Higher Ed institutions.
Upcoming Events
August Data Collaborative | Project OneTen
Adrian Villarreal from Project OneTen will walk through their Student Engagement Dashboard, powered by Airtable, and show how we use real-time data to track participation, growth, and retention. We’ll highlight our Flag System, a key tool to ensure students receive timely support and stay on track, activating staff and partners as needed. Adrian Villarreal is the Director of Operations & Impact at Project OneTen.
To&Through Spotlight: Sparking Engagement in the Middle Grades
Adolescence is one of the most critical periods for brain development and learning. Research also indicates that student engagement drops dramatically during this time. This is why the middle grades are a period of vulnerability but also of tremendous opportunity. This is a cornerstone of the work of our To&Through Middle Grades Network.
September Data Collaborative | To&Through’s 100th Data Collaborative
Come celebrate our 100th To&Through Data Collaborative! We’ve been hosting these data-centered collaborative spaces since 2017 and we are reaching the milestone of hosting our 100th Data Collaborative! Join us for a highlight of the impact of our Data Collaboratives over time AND join Alex Ritson and Dominique McKoy from the To&Through Project to provide input on the rollout of our new Milestones Tool lens showing outcomes for CPSChicago Public Schools students filtered by Higher Ed institutions.
To&Through Milestones Tool 101 Workshop
In this 90-minute introductory and interactive workshop, participants will dive into the To&Through's online public data tool, which shows CPS students' outcomes on key academic metrics from the sixth grade through college. You'll understand our specific philosophy on data use, learn about the different “lenses” of available CPS outcomes data, and how this Milestones Tool can (and can't) be helpful in your work of strengthening student pathways to and through college.
October Data Collaborative | CPS Academic Progress Indicator
Peter Leonard and Kevin Shallcross will share how Chicago Public Schools has developed and is implementing the Academic Progress Indicator (API), the "Student Growth to Proficiency" measure in the Continuous Improvement and Data Transparency Policy (CIDT). The API uses shifts in standardized achievement to provide an understanding of student progress over time. Peter Leonard is the Executive Director of Student Assessment & MTSS and Kevin Shallcross is the Manager of Data Quality in the Department of School Quality Measurement & Research.
Exploring Pathways From High School to Career and Their Payoffs in Illinois
Does higher education still pay off for students? How have students from low-income families in Illinois fared after high school, and how do their education and earnings outcomes compare to more economically advantaged students? What education and employment opportunities best support upward economic mobility for Illinois students?
To&Through Milestones Tool Superuser Workshop
Calling all To&Through Milestones Tool fans! We want to delve deeper into the hidden features of the Tool that only superusers know about, and collaborate around use cases for the Tool and the CPS student outcomes data found there. Join us in this virtual workshop to practice finding and communicating insights from the Milestones Tool and share potential actions we want to take with that data.
Who should attend?
November Data Collaborative | Chicago Youth Boxing Club
Noah Pickens and Adrian Guzman, from the Chicago Youth Boxing Club (CYBC), will present on their efforts to develop a competency-based evaluation protocol that captures the holistic impact of their year-round boxing and mentorship programs. Their approach centers youth and community transformation, and they are seeking ways to improve our ability to capture a blend of quantitative, demographic, and developmental data to measure change over time.
December | Kids First Chicago: The State of Chicago Public Schools
Kids First Chicago (K1C) will present its latest State of Chicago Public Schools report—an annual data-driven review of how CPS students are doing both academically and socioemotionally. The report highlights key indicators such as student proficiency, growth, on-track rates, chronic absenteeism, post-secondary outcomes, and parent engagement.
Past Events
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.
To&Through Data Spotlight: Emily Oster on National COVID-19 School Response
Professor Emily Oster will join us to share the National COVID-19 School Response Dashboard that tracks COVID-19 rates in schools across the country. She will also demonstrate Stats iQ, a new statistical analysis tool tied to the dashboard.
Annual Update: The Educational Attainment of Chicago Public School Students
The To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium shared the newest report on the Educational Attainment of Chicago Public School Students along with new updates to the To&Through Online Tool. For the first time, the report and the Tool include outcomes from 2-year colleges and a new Postsecondary Attainment Index.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Moon Lee
Moon Lee will share the Noble Network of Charter Schools’ new Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) data system developed specifically for remote learning. Moon is the Chief Data and Innovation Officer at the Noble Network of Charter Schools.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Jessica Cañas & Michael Johnson
Jessica Cañas and Michael Johnson will present on emerging community-based research efforts in Little Village and Englewood. Jessica is the Postsecondary Manager for Enlace Chicago, and Michael is the EQLP Project Manager for Teamwork Englewood.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Cason Brunt
Cason Brunt will share a curriculum overview, metrics, and outcomes associated with the Empowered Leader Experience, a brand new high-impact leadership development experience offered to college-aged Chicago Scholars. Cason Brunt is the Director of College Success and Postsecondary Leadership Development at Chicago Scholars.