Urban Teacher Education Program

Chicago's school board recently voted to remove police officers from CPS schools and explore alternative modes of discipline. This comes after a recent study by the UChicago Consortium showing that removing police officers from schools does not make students or teachers feel less safe.

Schools to only flag parents about 'serious safety issues' if change approved by board of education Board members are expected to overhaul the way schools track disruptive behavior and how it communicates with families about incidents at school.

Dive into 's data tools this summer! These tools give the public access to Chicago Public Schools data on key milestones like high school graduation and college enrollment rates, and let users examine indicators at the school and community levels.

To&Through Data Tools — Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Data The To&Through Project’s data tools enable users to explore Chicago Public Schools (CPS) data on student attainment—such as the CPS high school graduation rate and college enrollment rate—at the individual school and community level. Users can disaggregate CPS statistics by race/ethnicity and ...

In a recent study, the UChicago Consortium saw a reduction in high-level discipline infractions at schools that removed police officers and that Black students were more likely to have officers in their schools than other racial groups. Read more in the Chicago Sun-Times

CPS dropping school police officers didn't change students, teachers feeling safe, U of C study reveals The University of Chicago analysis released Wednesday found a reduction in high-level discipline infractions at schools that had gotten rid of cops, and that Black students were more likely to have officers in their schools than other racial groups.

The University of Chicago To&Through Project Learning Cases are qualitative, narrative stories based on real experiences in schools. They can help educators to reflect and collaborate around adaptive challenges and apply learnings to their own practice. Request a copy here.
https://toandthrough.uchicago.edu/learning-cases

In 2020, CPS began allowing local school councils to remove their school resource officers. A new University of Chicago Consortium on School Research study has found that it hasn't led to increased disciplinary issues or made students and staff feel less safe. Read more in WTTW - Chicago PBS

Removing School Resource Officers Hasn’t Led to More Disciplinary Issues or Made Students Feel Less Safe, New Report Finds As Chicago Public Schools prepares to eliminate resource officer positions districtwide, a new study found removing police from city schools has not led to increased disciplinary issues, nor did it make students and staff feel less safe.

Chicago high schools that removed police in the last few years saw a slight dip in the most serious types of student disciplinary violations, according to University of Chicago Consortium on School Research's latest study. Read more in Chalkbeat Chicago
https://ow.ly/y7az50StrMc

For-profit education programs in Illinois often leave students worse off than if they hadn’t gone to college at all. Read more in WBEZ

Students at Illinois’ for-profits colleges often leave worse off than when they started Students are frequently saddled with debt and jobs with low wages, a WBEZ investigation finds. Recruitment targets Black, brown and low-income students.

What if CPS students could ride the CTA for free? Even with currently discounted fares, transportation costs can often be a burden and hinder student success. Read more in Chicago Sun-Times

Let Chicago Public Schools students ride CTA trains, buses for free Currently, students ride for 75 cents, and during the school year. Unrestricted free passes would help kids and CPS families, 70% of whom have very low incomes.

How do schools approach discipline and climate? UChicago Consortium on School Research recently released the Family Playbook, as featured in Illinois PTA This research shows the negative impacts of suspensions on CPS students and what other approaches can take their place.

Understanding and Advocating on School Discipline How does your child’s school approach school discipline and school climate? The University of Chicago Consortium on School Research recently released a toolkit called Family Playbook: School Suspen…

For Chicago's first-ever school board election, candidates are hustling for the 1,000 signatures they need to get on the ballot. More in .

Chicago school board candidates submit signatures: 'It was a hustle' Prospective candidates took turns presenting their piles of papers for counting; officials had to confirm at least 1,000 signatures before they could be submitted. Candidates have until 5 p.m. next Monday to file.

Chicago's Opportunity Index has come under new scrutiny this spring as CPS overhauls its approach to budgeting. But some parents and school leaders have questioned whether their schools' scores fairly reflect their needs. Read more in Chalkbeat Chicago

What is Chicago Public Schools’ Opportunity Index? The district says the complex calculation is key in ensuring schools that need more get more. But the metric has also generated confusion and raised questions.

Findings from UChicago's Education Lab showed that in-school high-dosage tutoring infused with education technology increased learning for students in Chicago and New York.
https://ow.ly/rmwE50SoSPm

Elementary schoolers saw gains in preliminary standardized test results since the pandemic. But standardized tests don't give the full picture of how they'll perform in the future, according to the UChicago Consortium on School Research's Elaine Allensworth. Read more in Chicago Tribune

CPS: Elementary students topped pre-pandemic literacy rate in preliminary standardized test results Chicago Public Schools students in grades 3-8 appear to have performed better on English Language proficiency tests, than in 2018-19, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I’m worrying that we’re selling our kids short, that we’re so focused on what they can’t do, but what about what they can do?" In The University of Chicago To&Through Project's new blog post, Middle Grades Network educators reflect on the challenges they are navigating in their work.

Voices of Resilience: Educators’ Perspectives on the Evolving Challenges in Education In February 2020, the To&Through Project’s Middle Grades Network (MGN) launched with a vision to create more equitable and responsive…

Five years in, CPS' teacher residency program is growing its ranks and helping fill vacancies in areas where it’s especially hard to find teachers. Read more in WBEZ

CPS teacher residency program growing, helping fill classrooms The Chicago Public Schools program aims to bolster teacher ranks amid a workforce shortage.

The Class of 2024 started high school anything but normally—with virtual classes and COVID-19 changing everything. In Chalkbeat Chicago they talk about their time in high school, post-secondary plans, and how they feel about graduating in tumultuous times.

10 Chicago graduates discuss their high school experience and plans for the future Class of 2024 students graduated this year with a pretty normal end to high school — prom, in-person classes, graduation. Chalkbeat spoke with 10 graduating seniors about what it was like to start as freshmen during COVID-19.

Students who live in close proximity to a homicide had lower attendance rates, grades, and a greater likelihood of behavioral infractions afterward. But a new report sheds light on what schools can do to mitigate those effects. More in WTTW - Chicago PBS

Living Near Violence Can Negatively Impact Academic Performance. A New Study Looks at What Schools Can Do to Mitigate That “There’s no silver bullet here,” study author David Johnson said. “But there is some really solid evidence that the work that schools are doing matters. And I think that’s really exciting and important.”

What do you need to know about Chicago's elected school board? WBEZ goes over how Chicago's first school board election will work this fall and how to vote. https://ow.ly/38O750ShCNC

To&Through Learning Cases are qualitative, narrative stories based on real experiences in schools. When paired with intentional learning experiences, these cases provide opportunities for educators to reflect and apply learnings to their own practice.
https://ow.ly/nCc750SgBOP

How can we help students "in the middle" academically? Leaders from OneGoal will share how they support postsecondary outcomes for their students and what problems of practice they're grappling with. https://ow.ly/4bcQ50Sf1V7

Schools have the potential to curb the academic and social-emotional fallout experienced by students living near where homicides happen, according to a new UChicago Consortium on School Research study. Read more in Chalkbeat Chicago about how positive school climates help students.

Exposure to violence hurts academics. Schools can rein in that fallout. Living close to homicides takes a toll on students’ academics and well-being. A new study found schools can lessen it.

In 2021, Chicago Public Schools launched a $135 million curriculum called Skyline. While initially receiving mixed reviews, it's now utilized by around 90% of teachers and expanding, according to CPS. Read more in ABC 7 Chicago
https://ow.ly/FJo950Saw6G

What is 'Skyline,' Chicago Public Schools' $160 million curriculum? In 2021, Chicago Public Schools launched a $135 million curriculum called 'Skyline'. And this school year they've added an additional $25 million. This is one of the largest educational initiatives in CPS history.

For Chicago's high school seniors hoping to attend college next year, the last few months have been a stress-filled struggle to complete the trouble-plagued, much-maligned FAFSA. Read more in Chicago Sun-Times

FAFSA financial aid form mess has delayed college plans for high schoolers in Chicago, elsewhere “It really put me on edge,” Samaya Acker, a senior at Air Force Academy High School on the South Side, says of the new form's flawed rollout, which has delayed financial aid awards and college decisions for many high school seniors and others hoping to attend college next year.

Explore The University of Chicago To&Through Project's new Student Stories webpage highlighting CPS alumni's journeys from middle grades through high school and postsecondary! It offers a comprehensive library of in-depth accounts of their journeys through their educational careers.
https://ow.ly/QLCj50S9eCc

On June 18th, join The University of Chicago To&Through Project and OneGoal virtually for a data collaborative sharing recent quantitative analysis about postsecondary outcomes for students "in the middle" academically (GPA: 2.25-2.99). RSVP here: https://ow.ly/ZOlV50S83st

Chicago is trying to improve how it funds schools for children “farthest from opportunity.” But its new funding formula has faced challenges while it also grapples with the end of federal COVID relief funding. Read more in Chalkbeat Chicago

CPS tried to make its budget funding formula more equitable. Not everyone is happy. Chicago Public Schools created a new budget formula that’s meant to more equitably fund schools. Some schools are seeing boosts next year, but others expect to lose staff.

As newly arriving migrant students enroll, many are landing in schools with little to no bilingual staff. It's resulted in some students falling behind and school leaders struggling to comply with the state's requirements. Read more in Chalkbeat Chicago

Lost in translation: Migrant students fall behind in segregated Chicago schools Many of Chicago’s migrant families are settling down in neighborhoods with underresourced, segregated schools that don’t have the proper language support for children learning English as a new language.

Read The University of Chicago To&Through Project's new blog post, "Voices of Resilience: Educators’ Perspectives on the Evolving Challenges in Education!" Direct quotes from educators show the challenges educators are navigating and what they need to better support their work.

Voices of Resilience: Educators’ Perspectives on the Evolving Challenges in Education In February 2020, the To&Through Project’s Middle Grades Network (MGN) launched with a vision to create more equitable and responsive…

Check out the latest update on the To&Through Milestones tool, now featuring 2023 school year data on sixth-grade enrollment, elementary on-track, freshman enrollment, freshman on-track, high school graduation, college persistence, and college completion. https://toandthrough.uchicago.edu/tool/cps/

Join The University of Chicago To&Through Project in-person for their Kegs & Cases event at Guild Row! They'll share their latest Learning Case—a qualitative look at how practitioners are supporting CPS alumni in their postsecondary journeys—and engage in community discussion together.
https://ow.ly/3QwH50RXhPK