Overview
Actionable research focused on Chicago Public Schools,
answering questions that are relevant nationwide.
Policymakers have called for broadening access to Algebra in eighth grade. In partnership with AIR, the UChicago Consortium is examining whether longer-term course taking and achievement outcomes associated with taking eighth-grade Algebra differ for average and lower-performing students, who may be less prepared than their more advanced peers to take Algebra in eighth grade.
Since 2016 we have been a Learning Partner in the Building Equitable Learning Environments Network. In addition to contributing to the design of the network, we have worked with the member school support organizations to incorporate SOLD principles into their work and to develop their capacity to design and facilitate equitable learning environments for young people.
A qualitative study and Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) project to deepen our understanding of the psychological concept of belonging and its meaning for the experience and performance of young people in K-12 schools. We are interested in how belonging intersects with issues of identity and group membership.
Many districts, including Chicago, are expanding their efforts to increase Computer Science (CS) education. In this study, we answer questions by taking a longitudinal look at CPS’s efforts to make introductory CS education universal at the high school level, examining student enrollment and performance in CS, as well as the influence of CS course-taking on student outcomes.
CPS is serving an increasing population of English Learners (EL), almost 20 percent as of the fall of 2018. Publicly reported statistics on academic achievement show that EL students are lagging behind their peers. The UChicago Consortium is focusing on an in-depth examination of the performance of EL students from pre-k through the elementary grades.
A three-year collaborative project between the UChicago Consortium Equitable Learning & Development Group, CASEL, and the National Equity Project with an integrated focus on social-emotional learning, equitable structures and outcomes, and the capacity of adults and systems to support students’ social, emotional, and academic development.
Pre-k students are the most likely students in elementary schools to be absent, and these missed days matter. Why are pre-k students absent? How are educators successfully improving pre-k students’ attendance?
The UChicago Consortium is conducting a multi-year, mixed methods research project exploring the work of educators and schools serving students who live in Chicago communities experiencing high levels of violent crime. The project combines administrative data from the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), publicly available crime data from the Chicago Police Department (CPD), student and teacher…
This is a multi-method study of the school leadership pipeline in Chicago Public Schools and the State of Tennessee. The study examines how leaders are identified and recruited; critical pre-service experiences; preparation and development; and aspects of the hiring process. The researchers study expect to identify processes that lead to stronger school leadership and improved student…
In partnership with UChicagoSTEM, the UChicago Consortium is studying implementation of the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards in Chicago, examining teacher and administrator perceptions of district supports, barriers, and changes in students’ experiences in their math and science classes.
The North Lawndale Cluster initiative aims to coordinate and align resources, programs and partnerships to support students from preschool through high school graduation in five schools in the North Lawndale area. The UChicago Consortium is evaluating the changes that occurred in the initiative schools over time, and the implications for the coordinated model.
The UChicago Consortium, jointly with the UChicago Poverty Lab, has established a new partnership with CCC. Its first project examines different methods to measure success for CCC students beyond what has been collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
This study explores the relationship between access to Pre-K enrollment sites, actual enrollment in Pre-K, and later academic outcomes. It describes Pre-K enrollment by student and neighborhood characteristics in great detail. Finally, it explores whether changes in CPS enrollment policies have helped achieve the goal of providing Pre-K opportunities to more students who are most likely…
This two-year study examines the validity and use of 5Essentials data in school improvement. Our longitudinal validation work will include CPS elementary and high schools across six different outcomes. We will also conduct qualitative interviews in six schools to explore practitioners’ experiences with using 5Essentials data.
In partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, the UChicago Consortium is using available administrative datasets and data from surveys of college alumni to understand what the college-to-career transition looks like for graduates of Chicago area two-year and four-year institutions, particularly for first-generation, Pell eligible college students.
Read our 2016-20 Research Agenda to learn more about the big-picture questions we seek to answer through our research.