Our professional learning help principals, teachers, counselors, and other school leaders focus on what matters most for Chicago's high school students. Experienced NCS Coaches work with adults in each school to build their capacity to lead change, improve instruction, and support students transitioning in and out of high school.
Principal Leadership
Principals are the drivers of school improvement. NCS supports principals to lead change through rigorous instruction, student transition supports, and postsecondary enrollment and success. NCS also builds principals' capacity to develop teams and leaders that drive school improvement initiatives. Read more…
Instructional Improvement
NCS helps teachers improve the quality of teaching and learning so all students are ready to succeed in college. To accomplish this, NCS works with the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) at each partner school to develop and strengthen their capacity to lead continuous instructional improvement in all academic departments. The ILT uses data about their school, from test scores to student work, as well as current research, to determine a school-wide instructional goal and corresponding powerful practices that will improve student achievement. Read more…
On-Track to Graduation and College Readiness
NCS works with schools to develop social and academic supports and interventions that will increase the number of students who are On-Track to Graduate, particularly in the crucial freshman year when students are transitioning into high school. NCS also supports schools to focus on increasing student achievement to As and Bs so that all students are working at college-ready levels. Read more…
For more information on the On-Track to Graduation metric, please visit the Results page.
College Enrollment and Success
NCS helps counselors develop strong college-going cultures in their schools. Specifically, NCS coaches counseling teams on how to use key data to guide students through the college search, application, and enrollment process. Read more…