Network for College Success at the University of Chicago

The UChicago Network for College Success partners with educators, school leaders, and districts to build transformational high school experiences that prepare all students for academic, career, and community-based success after graduation. Our mission is to cultivate postsecondary readiness and success for students by translating research into practice and supporting high school leaders to organize their schools for improvement. We operate from a position that views effective high schools as essential to repaying the educational debt (see Gloria Ladson-Billings) owed to Black & Latinx students and communities. NCS began with a small group of Chicago Public high school principals looking to respond to the high school research published by the UChicago Consortium on School Research. Over the past 17 years, we have purposefully expanded our model to deepen our supports for district and school improvement. Through a national network of cross-school learning communities and job-embedded coaching, NCS supports district leaders, principals, teachers, counselors, and staff to: - Strengthen school leadership - Build high-functioning teams that drive improvement - Improve teaching and learning - Build educators’ collective efficacy - Support student success in the 9th-grade transition - Prepare students for postsecondary success