Educators increasingly use early warning indicators to identify students who need support and subsequently develop strategies to help them. In Chicago, the Network for College Success (NCS) at the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration assists schools in using early warning indicators by providing data analytic capacity and outside facilitation.
As an alternative to the "buy a program" approach often used to address vexing problems in schools, the Network for College Success focuses on fostering the conditions for whole-school change, such as capacity building and and systems thinking. NCS does this through building sustained professional learning communities and providing executive coaching. Educators also benefit from de-siloing their work: NCS creates space for educators to come together across schools to review research, examine data, problem solve, and set next steps. We support educators who are committed to improving student outcomes but need the research-based tools, skills, and strategies to implement real and lasting change. We help schools use classroom- and school-level data to support staff in developing interventions, and then provide feedback to staff on the efficacy of their interventions...