School Visit Information
During school visits, you will see 9th grade success work in action and interact with Chicago educators about their experiences. We will provide round trip transportation from the venue facility to the school visit sites. Please dress business casual and bring a state ID or passport for photocopying as required by Chicago Public Schools.
What are the start and end times for each day?
Times vary depending on the day of the institute. Schedule coming soon!
Where is the institute taking place?
Participants will convene at the UChicago Crown Family School of Social Work Policy, and Practice, which is on the Hyde Park Campus. The address for this building is 969 E 60th St, Chicago, IL 60637.
Am I required to attend all five days?
Your attendance and engagement for all five days of the Institute is critical in order to maximize the learning for yourself and your team. The Institute is designed as a scaffolded experience that builds educator capacity over time in order to take the work back to districts and/or schools.
Please review the cancelation and switching policies regarding attendance expectations.
Is there a specific attire required?
Attire for the institute is casual, except on the School Visit day. Attire for this date is business casual. Also, while July weather in Chicago is typically mild and sunny, the temperature indoors can be cool, so please bring a light sweater or jacket.
What kind of materials or tools does my team need to bring?
During the session in July, your team will have time to make plans to monitor your freshman success data during the upcoming school year. In order to make the most of the time, your team would benefit from bringing the following materials with you to the institute:
Document(s) that describe the promotion and graduation requirements in your district or your school, as well as any “on-track” metric your district or state may have already adopted;
Spreadsheet data files (or samples of data files) that list freshman grades in each course, attendance rates and student demographics. If these are not available, then summary reports are acceptable. Student identifying information can be removed if your district prohibits transporting or downloading student data off-site. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about what kinds of documents you should bring.
We recommend that all participants bring a laptop or a tablet computer. At a minimum, please ensure that at least one member of your team has a full laptop that can run Microsoft Excel as it will be needed for portions of the agenda. You will be provided with a guest log in to access the internet, and a charging station will be available when at the UChicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. During School Visits, internet access and charging may not be available.
Will meals be provided?
Breakfast and lunch will be provided every day of the institute.
Is there free parking on campus?
There is free street parking near the Crown Family School. However, these spots usually fill up quickly. Participants are also encouraged to visit the UChicago website on parking and transportation for more information.
Which airport does NCS recommend?
We recommend flying into Midway airport which is roughly 25 minutes from the University of Chicago Hyde Park campus. Please note that O’Hare airport is roughly one hour away.
Also, in July, you will receive the NFSI Resource Guide binder with materials for all five days of the Institute, so please leave some room in your luggage to take the binder back with you!
Does NCS provide any hotel or lodging accommodations?
NCS does not hold any hotel blocks for the institute. However, we do recommend booking with any of the following:
Additionally, there is a UChicago Friends & Family Rate available at SOPHY Hyde Park. To book online, use the this link, enter preferred dates of stay, and click ‘Check Availability.' To book via phone, call 1.773.289.1003 and use request rate code: UNCH
If you need additional support, please reach out to Nichole Ellington.
