In the first comprehensive analysis of Illinois' statewide survey of school climate and learning conditions, this report finds systematic differences among schools in the degree to which students and teachers report strength in the five essential supports. Previous UChicago CCSR research has linked strength on the five essentials-effective leadership, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environments, and ambitious instruction-to engaging instruction and learning and ultimately to improvements in test score gains and attendance trends. This report analyzes data from the 2013 survey administered by the Illinois State Board of Education and the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute to all teachers and students in grades six through 12. The goal of the survey was to help schools across the state better identify their strengths and weaknesses. Nearly 90 percent of schools responded.
About the Author: JOSHUA KLUGMAN is a Senior Quantitative Research Analyst at UChicago CCSR. His current research focuses on the effects of the essential supports on student outcomes and the role of noncognitive factors in students' academic performance. MOLLY F. GORDON is a Senior Research Analyst at UChicago CCSR. Previously, she was a Research Associate at the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement (CAREI) at the University of Minnesota. PENNY BENDER SEBRING is a Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago and Founding Co-Director of UChicago CCSR. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund, and she is chair of the Policy Advisory Board of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. SUSAN E. SPORTE is Director for Research Operations at UChicago CCSR. She serves as the main point of contact with Chicago Public Schools regarding data sharing and research priorities; she also oversees UChicago CCSR's data archive. The University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research (UChicago CCSR) builds the capacity for school reform by conducting research that identifies what matters for student success and school improvement. Created in 1990, UChicago CCSR conducts research of high technical quality that can inform and assess policy and practice in the Chicago Public Schools. UChicago CCSR studies also have informed broader national movements in public education. UChicago CCSR encourages the use of research in policy action and improvement of practice but does not argue for particular policies or programs. Rather, UChicago CCSR helps to build capacity for school reform by identifying what matters for student success and school improvement, creating critical indicators to chart progress, and conducting theory-driven evaluation to identify how programs and policies are working.