Chicago Public Schools launched new school profiles on its website — a milestone in the district’s five-year push to change how it portrays the quality of its campuses. 

Key Findings

• The Cultivate Survey reliably captures the learning conditions it was designed to measure for all students. There is no evidence of bias in how the survey functions across student groups.
• Within an academic year, improving students’ experiences of their learning conditions from fall to spring predicts substantial and positive changes in how valued students feel.

Since 2019, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research (UChicago Consortium) has been conducting research on the educational experiences and outcomes of the English learner (EL) population in Chicago Public Schools (CPS). This body of work, led by Marisa de la Torre, managing director and senior research associate at the UChicago Consortium, spans from pre-K into early elementary and middle grades, through high school, and into higher education.

In June of 2023, the Wisconsin Legislature passed Act 12 requiring that Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) place 25 school resource officers (SRO) in its schools by the fall of 2023. That didn’t happen. 

This project will identify student, school, family, and neighborhood factors associated with absenteeism in grades 6-12 in the Chicago Public Schools, clarifying the role of in-school vs. out-of-school factors, and the influence of school policies and practices.

Post-pandemic, the alarming headline of K-12 education is that for too many families, school has become irrelevant and even optional. Absenteeism climbs and learning gaps persist. A key factor in this crisis is that when schools reopened, pre-2020 approaches were dusted off and retrofitted to our new landscape. 

But reality has been forever altered: both for students, who don’t see school as particularly relevant to their current lives or future goals, and for teachers, who are experiencing increased burnout, a more acute pay penalty, and limited resources and support...

Lauren is a Research Analyst I at To&Through. In this role, she provides analytics support and maintains the data tool. She is passionate about providing tools to parents and educators so they can make the best decisions for their schools and communities. Prior to joining To&Through, Lauren worked as a math tutor and statistician for the Exigent Summer Program for Advanced West Side Mathematics. She also worked as a teaching assistant. Outside of work, Lauren enjoys running, playing violin, and watching The Great British Baking Show.

It’s true: English learners lag their peers by several metrics, a fact some politicians use to deride their growing presence in America’s public schools. 

But researchers with The University of Chicago say such data points represent a mere snapshot of student achievement for those still learning a new language, telling just a fraction of a greater story...

Earlier this week, the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research published a research report looking at English Learners (ELs) in Chicago Public Schools. Among the many findings, the report shows that Former ELs, students who achieved English proficiency and exited EL programs by high school, are thriving academically, and even outperforming their peers in various key areas. This report is a testament to the incredible potential of our young people and the impact of bilingual education programs and support.

A newly released study from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research found that English-learning school students who were more proficient in the language by the ninth grade scored higher and graduated at higher rates than late-arriving learners who continued their language studies into high school.