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
Research & Tool Release: Elementary On-Track
What are the long-term impacts of being on-track in elementary school? Join us for the release of our forthcoming research with the UChicago Consortium and an accompanying, publicly accessible data tool. The research can help elementary educators identify and support students early in their educational journeys by organizing their efforts to improve students’ outcomes.
To&Through Data Collaborative: City Colleges of Chicago
Leaders from City Colleges of Chicago will present on the implementation of population health management strategy to create a predictive analytics algorithm. This algorithm has led to intentional, proactive, and integrative retention student support practices across the City Colleges of Chicago district.
Research Spotlight: College Coaching & the Transition to College
What might be some of the unintended consequences and/or possibilities of college coaching for larger structural change in equitable college access and success? Join us as we update our understanding of the issues impacting recent CPS graduates’ post-secondary outcomes with Dr. Bridgette Davis. Dr. Davis is an Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy.
15 Years and Counting: Lessons from the Network for College Success
Chicago has seen amazing increases in our high school graduation rates through ninth-grade success systems. How did this happen? What can we leverage from that work in districts nationally? Join this conversation to hear how we can spread and scale education innovations in Chicago across the country. The discussion will feature leaders from the Network for College Success.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Hope Chicago
Dr. Janice K. Jackson and Michele Howard will present and seek feedback on Hope Chicago's two-generation, debt-free college scholarship and support program for Chicago Public Schools students. Dr. Jackson is the CEO of Hope Chicago and Michele Howard is the Chief Program Officer.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Project OneTen
On August 23 at 2 PM (CST), Dirrick Butler will present on how Project OneTen is working to measure relationship development and student growth for ninth-grade young men in their program. Dirrick Butler is the founder and executive director of Project OneTen, a mentorship and academic coaching program for Black and Brown boys in Chicago.
To&Through Data Collaborative: Teach Plus
Josh Kaufmann, Kristen Ciciora, and Teach Plus teacher leaders will present on their work to codify best practices for improving teacher diversity at all parts of the teacher pipeline, from what it takes for students of color to consider education as a career to how schools need to change in order to better support their educators of color. Josh is the Executive Director and Kristen is the Senior Director of Instructional Programs at Teach Plus Illinois.
To&Through Data Collaborative: The Network for College Success
The Postsecondary Team at Network for College Success will present on the Developmental Relationships Survey tool as a first step in identifying what support and guidance young people receive from all adults at the high school level as young people discover who they are, develop abilities to shape their own lives, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them on their postsecondary journey.
Research Spotlight: Chicago's Enrollment Crisis
How are equity issues in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) exacerbated by the reality of declining student enrollment? Join us on Thursday, June 9 at 2 PM (CST) to learn about Kids First Chicago's latest report exploring the root causes of CPS's enrollment decline. Kids First Chicago's (K1C) Chief of Policy Hal Woods will review the key drivers behind the decline and share how K1C is engaging parents and communities in identifying potential solutions to keep more families in Chicago and enrolled in CPS.
To&Through Data Collaborative: University of Illinois at Chicago
Sue Farruggia and Jeremiah Abiade will present on the support of Black enrollees at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the development of the DuSable Scholars program.