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
Research Spotlight: A New Paradigm for Funding Illinois Universities
Research spotlight: A New Paradigm for Funding Illinois Universities: After decades of funding cuts and no system for doling out state appropriations to universities, how can we rethink this process to provide the resources universities need to equitably serve students?
To&Through Data Collaborative: Western Illinois University
Justin Schuch will present on Western Illinois University's use of student data to inform their student support and retention strategies via their Connections Mapping Program. The approach brings together multiple data sets from throughout the institution focused on decisions students make during the early part of the semester. Justin is the Executive Director of Retention Initiatives at Western Illinois University.
Practice Spotlight: Chicago Public Schools Office of Equity
To engage in school-wide equity work, it is essential for educators to build common understanding of foundational equity concepts from the CPS Equity Framework. Join us on Tuesday May 9th, 2023 at Noon to hear from Chicago Public School’s Dr. Fatima Cooke, Chief Equity, Engagement, Strategy Officer and Evangelina (Eva) Covarrubias, Executive Director of the Office of Equity as they revisit core elements of the CPS Equity Framework such as the CPS definition of equity, Targeted Universalism, and Liberatory Thinking, and relates them to work within schools.
Inquiry and Action Workshop: To&Through Milestones Tool
This 90-minute in person workshop will allow participants to explore the To&Through Milestone Tool and learn how the data on the tool can be used to inform the support efforts of Chicago Public Schools students on their paths to high school and college completion. Participants will have the opportunity to work side by side with To&Through Tool Experts to explore the Milestones Tool, learn helpful navigation strategies, and practice sharing findings that can inform their work to support CPS students.
To&Through Data Collaborative: CPS Alumni Support Initiative
Jenny Zuluaga will present on the CPS Alumni Support Initiative that ensures CPS graduates connect and persist in their postsecondary pathways of choice and aims to grow the CPS alumni champion community. Jenny is the Director of Alumni Persistence and Success, in the Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising (OSCPA) at Chicago Public Schools.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Cristo Rey Network
Stephanie Arias and Bianca Paiz will present the Cristo Rey Network's national college decision making framework and seek input on their data tracker, containing over ten thousand award letters and college decisions from across 38 high schools in 24 states. Stephanie is the Vice President of College Initiatives and Bianca is the Director of College Initiatives for the Cristo Rey Network.
Building Your Data Story: To&Through Tool Workshop
This 90-minute virtual workshop will allow participants to explore the To&Through Milestone Tool and learn how the data on the tool can be used to craft data stories that can help articulate equity opportunities, inform responses to the data, and communicate strategies to take action. Whether you’re familiar with the Milestones Tools and want to take your data practice to the next level or are brand new to the Tools, this session is for you.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Praxis Institute
Fausto Lopez and Joshua Prudowsky will present on the Praxis Institute's evaluation of 2022 One Summer Chicago an enrichment youth programming, where nearly 25,000 Chicago youth participated with in-person programming for the first time in two years. Their presentation will focus on Praxis Institute's efforts to democratize evaluation for nearly 100 community-based organizations, their continuous quality improvement process, and lessons learned. Fausto is the Co-Founder of the Praxis Institute and Josh serves as the Director of Program Development & Impact.
Annual Update on the Educational Attainment of CPS Students
On February 9th, 2023 at Noon CST, the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium will share their newest report on the 2021 Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Students. Researchers will provide a picture of educational attainment during the 2020-2021 school year for students of different race/ethnicity groups, students who began as English Learners, and students with disabilities. Presenters include Jenny Nagaoka, Deputy Director of the UChicago Consortium on School Research, and Shelby Mahaffie, Research Analyst II at the To&Through Project.
(UPDATE) To&Through Data Collaborative: Matt Muench - P33
Matt Muench will present on the TechChicago Equity Index, Chicagoland's first effort to understand the full picture of what it will take to make Chicago the most inclusive tech city in the country. Matt is the Chief Impact Officer at P33.