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
Middle Grades to College: High School Views on Building Foundations for Postsecondary Success
The CPS Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising and Success Bound will join the To&Through Middle Grades Network to host a panel of high school practitioners who will share advice on how to best support middle grades students in the transition to high school and the foundational skills necessary for postsecondary success. This session is geared towards elementary school practitioners supporting middle grades students and those interested in strengthening the connection between the middle grades and postsecondary success.
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual celebration will feature reflections from our MGN schools on their overall MGN experience, breakout sessions highlighting change ideas tested by schools, highlights from the MGN Student Fellowship.
To&Through Milestones Tool 101: Exploring CPS Student Outcomes Data
In this 90 minute introductory workshop, participants will dive into the To&Through's online public data tool that shows CPS students' outcomes on key academic metrics from the sixth grade through college. You'll understand T&T's specific philosophy on data use, learn about the different “lenses” of available CPS outcomes data, and how this Tool can (and can't) be helpful in your work of strengthening student pathways to and through college.
Upcoming Events
Middle Grades to College: High School Views on Building Foundations for Postsecondary Success
The CPS Office of School Counseling and Postsecondary Advising and Success Bound will join the To&Through Middle Grades Network to host a panel of high school practitioners who will share advice on how to best support middle grades students in the transition to high school and the foundational skills necessary for postsecondary success. This session is geared towards elementary school practitioners supporting middle grades students and those interested in strengthening the connection between the middle grades and postsecondary success.
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual celebration will feature reflections from our MGN schools on their overall MGN experience, breakout sessions highlighting change ideas tested by schools, highlights from the MGN Student Fellowship.
To&Through Milestones Tool 101: Exploring CPS Student Outcomes Data
In this 90 minute introductory workshop, participants will dive into the To&Through's online public data tool that shows CPS students' outcomes on key academic metrics from the sixth grade through college. You'll understand T&T's specific philosophy on data use, learn about the different “lenses” of available CPS outcomes data, and how this Tool can (and can't) be helpful in your work of strengthening student pathways to and through college.
May Data Collaborative - Noble Schools
D. Nigel Green & Tyler Portis will present on Noble Schools’ Campus Equity Story dashboard, a newly introduced data tool that measures which campus subgroups have experiences furthest from “promised” goals within the Family, Staff, and Student communities. This dashboard takes information from multiple data tools to narrow the focus to where strategic planning could be better focused. D. Nigel Green is Senior Director of Equity and Tyler Portis is Senior Data Analyst within Noble Schools.
Partnership for College Completion’s College Transfer Report
The Partnership for College Completion will present findings from their recent report, Seamless Success: Transforming College Transfer for Greater Equity, which delves into the barriers faced by transfer students in Illinois, with a focus on community college students striving to transfer to four-year institutions. Informed by student perspectives, the report highlights challenges such as financial stress, administrative burdens, and inequities in transfer pathways, which disproportionately impact students from low-income backgrounds and students of color.
June Data Collaborative - Mikva Challenge
Mikva Challenge's Student Advisory Councial youth will present their Student-Led Local School Council (LSC) Toolkit, which is explicitly designed for student representatives. The toolkit will cover: building confidence; public speaking tips; leadership empowerment strategies; effective communication with teachers, administrators, and peers; conflict resolution and finding common ground; resources on LSC student member voting privileges; ways to elevate student voice in LSC meetings.
The To&Through Project: Kegs & Cases
Join the To&Through Project for our third annual Kegs & Cases at Cruz Blanca Taproom. We will share our latest Learning Case– a qualitative look at the experiences of Diverse Learner students as they navigate decision making, enrollment, and persistence at their chosen post-secondary pathways. Come participate in a facilitated case learning experience, meet & collaborate with stakeholders supporting CPS students, and network with our To&Through community over beers and snacks!
Past Events
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.
Data Spotlight - Cultivate: Exploring Student Mindsets Through Survey
Join us for a presentation on the Cultivate Survey with Camille Farrington, Director of the Equitable Learning & Development Group at the UChicago Consortium, and Elliot Ransom, Co-CEO of UChicago Impact, as they share a new survey being used across CPS called Cultivate.
To&Through Data Collaborative: The To&Through Project
The To&Through Project team will present on their expanded use of qualitative data and efforts to develop qualitative resources, such as case studies, to inform Chicago practitioners' understanding of college access and success for CPS students.