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
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.