19 of our Favorite Moments from the School Year (so far)
Over the academic year, the Network for College Success (NCS) 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.
This year, we are working with over 30 schools/districts across the country. Whether through one-on-one coaching sessions, team meetings, or within larger professional learning communities, we are grateful for the many moments of connection, collaboration, and celebration that have us excited for the second half of the school year.
Before the end of the calendar year, we’d love to look back at some of our favorite moments (so far).
Connecting and Sharing Knowledge
1 We collaborated with our family at the To&Through Project to share what we learned about Freshman Success over the past 15 years.
2 Herumakhi Mutefnou, Director of Data Strategy and Innovation, engaged with other education leaders at Schott Foundation for Public Education’s #OTL2022 convening.
3 Sarah Howard, Senior Director of the Partner School Network, shared her perspective on equity-oriented grantee capacity building at Catalyst:Ed’s #EdFunders22 event.
4 The “Student Voice as Data: Co-Creating the Schools Our Students Deserve Through Their Own Words” session from Carnegie’s 2021 Summit was highlighted in their Living Improvement series. This session was led by Ria Pretekin and Kate Pressler, Postsecondary Coaches at NCS.
5 Jessica Bunzol, Instructional Coach at NCS, shared resources and valuable insights at The Project for Education Research That Scales (PERTS)’s #ElevateShowcase.
6 Members of our team attended the Annual Fall Conference hosted by the Council of the Great City Schools, a space that invites education leaders to discuss issues and share practices to improve teaching and learning.
Our Professional Learning Experiences
7 This past July marked an exciting return to our in-person National Freshman Success Institute #NFSI for the first time since 2019.
8 In August, we hosted our Equity-Based Leadership (EBL) workshop, which serves as a learning space for participants to examine their identity in relation to leadership and to explore how “the skin they are in” impacts the communities they are part of.
9 During the same month (August), we hosted our Leading Professional Learning Communities workshop, an experience designed for educators to foster PLCs in their schools for student success.
10 Later in October, we hosted days four and five of the seven-day #NFSI experience. During that time, participants visited six of our partner schools in Chicago who showcased various approaches to Freshman Success work.
Celebrating Students
11 We love seeing our partners at North Side High School in Fort Worth, TX celebrate their 9th-grade students!
12 Take a look into the classroom work 9th-grade students at North-Grand High School engaged in during their AP Human Geography class.
13 Chicago Public Schools celebrated a record-high four-year high school graduation rate of 82.9% for the Class of 2022, up from 80.2% last year and 77% five years ago.
Amplifying and Co-Creating with our Partners
14 We collaborated alongside our partners at the Fort Worth Independent School District to share Freshman Success learnings at #InvestForward.
15 In September, we were delighted to hear from Pedro Martinez, Chicago Public Schools CEO, during NeCeSsary Spaces, a celebration of our partnership with CPS and collective impact over the span of 15+ years.
16 Alongside our partners, we celebrated our brilliant team of Freshman Success, Instructional, Leadership, and Postsecondary coaches on National Coaches Day.
17 Sarah Duncan, NCS Co-Executive Director, and Raul Magdaleno, Principal at Kelly College Prep, reflected on and shared Kelly’s 9th-grade success story.
18 Even in the virtual landscape, our team continued connecting and supporting our national partners’ Freshman Success efforts.
19 Two NCS Principal partners were recognized by Chicago Public Schools for their ongoing efforts in supporting their high school communities.
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About the Network for College Success
The Network for College Success (NCS) works to cultivate postsecondary readiness and success for all students by translating research into practice and supporting high school leaders to organize their schools for improvement and innovation. NCS envisions the transformation of public high schools into communities of powerful learning for students and educators. We imagine schools in which all students excel academically and develop the agency, integrated identity, and competencies necessary to have successful lives as adults.
