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
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.