The UChicago Consortium on School Research has been helping Chicago Public Schools use data to improve for decades. Director Elaine Allensworth's new book shows schools how to pick metrics that matter...

Our December 2025 newsletter features:

Emanda is a Research Assistant for UChicago Consortium who strives to create impact through organizing and translating data insights. Her previous experiences include working as a student data scientist for the Data Science Institute and Inclusive Development International where she contributed to PalmWatch, a data transparency tool aimed at exposing violations in the palm oil supply chain. She has also worked as a Data Strategy Intern for Driving Forward, a non-profit organization that provides resources to first-generation and under-resourced college students.

Chicago Public Schools students are graduating from high school at near record-high rates, but only half who enroll in college will complete their credential within a decade, a new report says. 

The overall college completion rate for CPS alumni is 48% — below the national average of 64%, according to an annual study from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research and the To&Through Project...

Chicago Public School students are enrolling in college at rates higher than the national average, according to a new report by UChicago's To&Through Project and Consortium for School Research. 

Why it matters: Higher college enrollment rates can translate into higher earnings for CPS students, 71.8% of whom face economic disadvantages...

Freshman OnTrack is a data point that changed adults’ focus, school practices, and student outcomes—including high school credit accumulation, grades, test scores, and graduation rates, and college enrollment and graduation rates.

Educators in Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have used Freshman OnTrack data, together with their own information and insights, to organize work and focus resources since the early 2000s.

"On track" metrics are now used in grades 3-12 in Chicago, and also used widely across the country.

This 2-page overview shares: 

Amid growing calls for redefining the high school experience, there’s a critical missing link that is often overlooked: principals and assistant principals. Despite their influence over how time is used, which courses are offered, how teachers and counselors collaborate, and which business and college partners can engage with students, most school administrators simply aren’t trained, supported or held accountable for transforming their high schools.

Key Takeaways for Policymakers: 

Event Overview

What can schools learn from their 5Essentials data and how can it be used to inform school improvement plans? 

Hear from UChicago Consortium and UChicago Impact staff, a veteran Chicago Public Schools (CPS) principal, and CPS data staff on how principals can make sense of their 5Essentials data and use it to strengthen school improvement planning. 

This recorded discussion took place on November 19, 2025.