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
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 the Milestones Tool can (and can’t) be helpful in your work to strengthen student pathways to and through college.
October Data Collaborative | The Learning Partnership
Steven McGee, President, and Randi McGee-Tekula, Vice President, of The Learning Partnership will present on The Learning Partnership’s research on computer science education in CPS. Their work is part of the Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science (CAFÉCS), which is a partnership with CPS, DePaul University, Loyola University, University of Illinois Chicago, City Colleges of Chicago, and Partner to Improve.
November Data Collaborative | HEAR Scholarship Foundation
Vera Pollina, Executive Director, and Laury Wolf, Program Manager, of the HEAR Scholarship Foundation will present on gathering scholar data to drive programming opportunities. They will share about the early stages of surveying their college freshman cohort to determine the unique needs for support in a changing college landscape.
Upcoming Events
November Data Collaborative | HEAR Scholarship Foundation
Vera Pollina, Executive Director, and Laury Wolf, Program Manager, of the HEAR Scholarship Foundation will present on gathering scholar data to drive programming opportunities. They will share about the early stages of surveying their college freshman cohort to determine the unique needs for support in a changing college landscape.
To&Through Milestones Tool Superuser Workshop
Calling all To&Through Milestones Tool fans! 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 for this virtual workshop to practice finding and communicating insights from the Milestones Tool and share potential actions to take with that data.
December Data Collaborative | CPS and Civic Consulting Alliance
From May 2025 to June 2026, Chicago Public Schools (CPS), in partnership with Civic Consulting Alliance, convened a diverse working group of school leaders, teachers, counselors, partners, and central office staff to develop a middle school strategy and plan that builds upon current initiatives as a key postsecondary success commitment.
Past Events
Data Spotlight: Are Colleges Creating Socioeconomic Mobility?
A new data tool from the Postsecondary Value Commission provides vital insights into whether colleges are generating the economic outcomes we care about for students. Join us for a presentation and Q&A with two of the researchers behind the Equitable Postsecondary Value Explorer. They will share key findings from analyses of the data and demonstrate how to use the tool to interrogate whether colleges are opening the doors of socioeconomic mobility for graduates.
Research Spotlight: The Impact of Ninth-Grade Ethnic Studies on Educational Attainment
How did one ninth-grade class curriculum increase students’ overall engagement in school, probability of graduating, and likelihood of enrolling in college? Join us to learn about new research on how offering an ethnic studies course to ninth-graders in the San Francisco Unified School District fostered these outcomes.
To&Through Data Collaborative: The To&Through Middle Grades Network
Ashley Leonard and Jen Ciok will present on reflection tools being used to help support and codify educator learning through the To&Through Middle Grades Network. Ashley is the Director and Jen is the Lead Coach for the To&Through Middle Grades Network.
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.