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
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of our partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual session will feature reflections from current partner schools on the process of testing change ideas and the impact of co-creating these ideas with their MGN Student Fellowship.
May Data Collaborative | Chi-Rise
Erin Estrada and Kate Cronin will present on Chi-Rise's use of program level student data and counselor insights to drive a rigorous college list building process during the 2025-26 academic year. This process brings together multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources across the program's Finance, Fit, Finish trajectory. Erin Estrada is the Chi Rise Program Officer at Crown Family Philanthropies, and Kate Cronin is the Data and Strategy Analyst at Crown Family Philanthropies.
To&Through 2025-26 Data Collaborative In-Person Celebration
Based on feedback from our brilliant Data Collaborative community, we want to create one opportunity during the year to bring our data community together in person. Whether you’ve been an active Data Collaborative member, presented or attended a session this year, or are simply curious about the work we’re doing, we’d love for you to join us for a collaborative gathering where you can:
Upcoming Events
Annual Middle Grades Network Celebration of Learning
Join us to celebrate the remarkable work of our partner schools in the To&Through Middle Grades Network (MGN) at our annual celebration of learning. This virtual session will feature reflections from current partner schools on the process of testing change ideas and the impact of co-creating these ideas with their MGN Student Fellowship.
May Data Collaborative | Chi-Rise
Erin Estrada and Kate Cronin will present on Chi-Rise's use of program level student data and counselor insights to drive a rigorous college list building process during the 2025-26 academic year. This process brings together multiple quantitative and qualitative data sources across the program's Finance, Fit, Finish trajectory. Erin Estrada is the Chi Rise Program Officer at Crown Family Philanthropies, and Kate Cronin is the Data and Strategy Analyst at Crown Family Philanthropies.
To&Through 2025-26 Data Collaborative In-Person Celebration
Based on feedback from our brilliant Data Collaborative community, we want to create one opportunity during the year to bring our data community together in person. Whether you’ve been an active Data Collaborative member, presented or attended a session this year, or are simply curious about the work we’re doing, we’d love for you to join us for a collaborative gathering where you can:
Past Events
January Data Collaborative - Evidence 2 Action Workshops
Rosa Ramirez Richter (UChicago Consortium on School Research) and Dom McKoy (The To&Through Project) will present on efforts to share research and data with CPS parent and community LSC members in our new Evidence to Action workshop series. Rosa is the Director of Engagement and Partnerships at the UChicago Consortium on School Research and Dom is the Deputy Director of the To&Through Project.
Research Spotlight: Evidence to Inform Holistic College Admissions Policies
As we continue to navigate a college admissions landscape following the Supreme Court ban on race-conscious admissions and a context that is increasingly test optional, how are we re-thinking what equitable admissions policies can look like? A new report examines the idea of contextualized evaluation to account for the opportunities available within a high school and the broader context of individual schools, which seeks to level the playing field among different applicants coming from starkly different high schools, neighborhoods, and backgrounds.
December Data Collaborative - Embarc Post Secondary Team
Thomas Goodwin (Director of Data & Analytics) and Frank Miller (Lead Postsecondary Success Coach) will provide a presentation highlighting their utilization of Postsecondary Success (PSS) metrics, including non-college options, to drive and enhance Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) outcomes. Additionally, they will explore the reciprocal relationship between SEL measures and the enhancement of the PSS curriculum.
Research Release: The Finishing in Four Years Fallacy: 4-year versus 6-year
On the Dec 5th, 2023 at 2pm join the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium for the release of a new research brief and student stories series focused on CPS graduates' time to college completion.
November Data Collaborative - T&T Student Stories
The To&Through Project team will present on their expansion of the Student Stories initiative. These stories aim to humanize quantitative To&Through findings by zooming in on individual CPS student journeys to highlight the successes, challenges, and complexities that exist across the many post secondary pathways chosen by CPS graduates.
Inquiry and Action Workshop: To&Through Milestones Tool
Join the To&Through team as we explore new 2022 data on our To&Through Milestone Tool! This 90-minute in-person workshop will allow participants to explore the To&Through Milestone Tool and learn how the data can be used to inform the support efforts of Chicago Public Schools students on their paths to high school and college completion.
October Data Collaborative - Black Researchers Collective
Dr. Glenance Green and Shari Runner will present on the Black Researchers Collective's efforts to train and equip communities with the research tools to be more civically engaged and policy informed. Glenance and Shari are the co-founders of the Black Researcher Collective.
Annual Update on the Educational Attainment of CPS Students
On Thursday, October 12th, 2023 at 12pm, the To&Through Project and UChicago Consortium will share their newest report on the 2022 Educational Attainment of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Students, which highlights the success of CPS students pursuing college degrees and opportunities gaps that still exist to make college success an accessible option for all CPS students.
To&Through Research Spotlight: The State of Adolescent Mental Health
As students re-enter school buildings this fall, we know that mental health challenges are on the rise for adolescents and we need to show up to support the well-being of young people in our communities. Dr. Jorge Verlenden (Behavioral Health Scientist at the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the CDC) will share the CDC's latest research on the current state of mental health for adolescents in the United States and in Chicago, including disparities in mental health within specific student populations.
September Data Collaborative - UtmostU
Shayna Balting (Data Narrator) and David Bennett (Assoc ED) will present on UtmostU’s use of monthly college student survey data to shape post-secondary coach interventions as part a larger system of post-secondary supports. The UtmostU network supports 16 schools and CBO’s, and over 1,000 Chicago-area college students through a shared tech platform, community learning, and resource collaboration.