How did Chicago Connected Broadband Access Eligibility and Participation Affect Remote Learning Engagement and Achievement During the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Key Findings
- About 70% of 5th-8th grade students continuously enrolled in non-charter CPS schools since fall 2017 were deemed eligible in summer or fall 2020 for Chicago Connected, based on their level of socioeconomic disadvantage.
Some CPS teachers claim REACH evaluation system disproportionately targets Black educators
After a career as a chef, Gloria Simpson knew she wanted to teach, and when she got the opportunity in 2002, she jumped at the chance to pursue her dream.
Simpson spent 15 years as a culinary teacher in Chicago Public Schools until 2017, when she was forced into retirement, she said, after receiving a poor teaching evaluation. Simpson’s career came to an abrupt end due to what she called “principal manipulation.”
Improving Education with Evidence: Research Partners & Chicago Public Schools
Event Overview
What insights and improvements are possible when school systems and research partners collaborate?
Chicagoans have built a data-informed culture throughout our city's education ecosystem.
Hear from Chicago Public Schools leaders and research partners about bright spots and opportunities in evidence-informed strategy, practice, and policy in schools and the education ecosystem.
This recorded discussion took place on March 13, 2025.
Family Playbook: How Can We Understand Students’ Progress in School?
Key Findings
- Attendance matters because it affects students’ academic skills, grades, and likelihood of high school and college graduation.
- Grades are typically the best predictors of students’ learning and long-term outcomes, including college enrollment and college degree completion.
- Standardized tests can help identify needed, extra supports for students.
- “On-track” indicators help educators ask key questions and build stronger, more supportive relationships with students.
Student Experiences through the COVID-19 Pandemic
Key Takeaways
- In the remote/hybrid year, students’ reports of feeling supported by teachers and peers were higher than pre-pandemic.
- With all of the focus on test scores, it’s important to remember the human experience during and after peak COVID experiences.
- A natural threshold surfaced for remote instructional time.
- Most students in grades 2–12 spent four hours in synchronous instruction with teachers—regardless of the specific requirements for their grade level.
Key Findings
- Absence rates increased duri
Make room, test scores
Everyone knows standardized tests paint an incomplete picture of schools’ impacts on students. Yet coming up with thoughtful alternatives to tests is easier said than done.
After all, any truly informative indicator of school quality must satisfy at least five criteria...