NCS Webflow

Set Students Up For Success That Can’t Be Undone

Find perspective, tools, and processes that equip educators to help the most underserved 9th grade students achieve academic excellence. Since 2020, we’ve accelerated the high performance of Black and Latinx 9th graders through the Freshman Success for Equity Improvement Network (FS4E), a collective of justice-focused Chicago public high schools. Join us to make kids’ futures—not yesterday’s traditions—your benchmark for success.

I’m in

Schools And Districts Raising The Bar For 9th Grade Success

We help educators adopt mindsets and build cultures that sharpen their practice and empower their students.

Transformational Leadership

Empower change through trust. Foster student-centered classrooms, schools, and districts rooted in authentic, caring relationships.

Data-Driven Improvement

Turn insights into actions. Build a practice of improvement through the routine of team-wide data collection and reflection.

Thriving Learning Environments

Create spaces where students belong. Engage every student in learning that fascinates, inspires, and connects.

On-Track Practices

Help students hit milestones that matter. Equip students to stay on course and achieve the success they deserve.

“If we can work on those levers of personal transformation; If you start to see yourself differently as an educator as a result of the work we're doing, then we are creating change that can't be undone.”

NCS Transformation Coach

“I have been involved in NCS partnerships since 2006. Those partnerships have been instrumental in my growth as a leader, and they are instrumental to the growth of my school leaders today. Their approach centers knowledge of continuous improvement and engages adults through developing a culture of collaboration and innovation. The coaches do not tell you what your problem is or how to solve it, they help you develop your own collaborative problem solving process.”

Michael Boraz, CPS Chief of Schools for Network 15

“I've recognized my own unconscious biases and I'm working on becoming a person and an educator who is embracing discomfort more, I'm spending more time with people who are not like me, I'm working on my communication so that all people can feel comfortable around me, and I'm continuing to be the change our students need.”

FS4E Participant

Why It Matters

9th Grade Achievement Paves The Way

The 9th grade experience depends on the team of educators who lead this pivotal year. When these educators are fully supported, they are more equipped to fully support their students. When 9th grade students win, the entire learning community benefits.

more likely to graduate

Students who are on-track at the end of 9th grade are nearly three times more likely to graduate from high school than those who are off track.

greater drop in GPA

The drop in core GPA from 8th to 9th grade for high-achieving Black students is two times as high as it is for their White and Asian peers.

as likely to leave teaching

New teachers who receive mentoring and other support are half as likely to leave the profession than those who don't.

What We Offer

What Students—And Educators—Need To Thrive

Get tools, practices, and experiences that equip educators to help every student excel from the start of high school to graduation and beyond.

Reflection

Shift your focus from changing students to changing school culture. Listen to students and take action to make a difference.

Collaboration

Move from individual teaching to collective growth. Build teams and connect with other schools to learn and grow together.

Integration

Apply proven strategies that target systemic root causes and deliver lasting, equitable improvements at your school or district.

Coaching

Get the dedicated support you need to set up new routines, track progress, and refine strategies for success.

“We have to explicitly name the groups of students we are not serving, dismantle the culture of bias and low expectations that is deep seated in our building, learn from students directly what changes we can make to better serve them, and then take action on the changes within our locus of control, and advocate for those that are not.”

NCS Participant

“I never grew up in K-12 with a teacher that looked like me until college and graduate studies. Going into teaching, I always thought I was disrupting the system. However, as a teacher in the system, I've realized I play a significant role in student success AND student failure.”

NCS Participant

“Lifting up the most at-risk students doesn’t mean compromising other students, but benefits the community as a whole.”

NCS Participant

Our Impact

Students Empowered To Try—And Try Again

By becoming communities where Black and Latinx students experience deep and joyful learning, the schools and districts we partner with make education transformative for everyone.

Our Reach

By bringing together a solution-driven network of teachers, administrators, and district leaders across Chicago public high schools, FS4E allows educators with unique experiences but similar challenges to learn, problem solve, and test out solutions together.

Chicago Public Schools High Schools

70+

educators

3,500+

students

Student Outcomes

Eliminating barriers that target the most vulnerable students makes excellence more attainable for all.

point increase in percentage of Black male 9th grade students earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher from SY19 to SY24

point increase in percentage of 9th grade students earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher from SY19 to SY24

Winning Together

The educators we partner with feel more connected to one another, passionate about their calling, and equipped to deliver exceptional learning experiences to each of their students.

100%

of participants agreed NCS professional learning prepared them to take action to improve outcomes and experiences for their students.

97%

of participants felt better equipped to serve their least-reached students.

Net Promoter Score for how likely participants are to refer colleagues to NCS professional learning opportunities on a scale from 1 to 10.

“[NCS] put the fire back into me about why I wanted to be a teacher.”

David Holland
Social Science Teacher, Corliss High School

“Having conversations with other teachers, other administrators, counselors and the people who are part of the network, it makes me more excited about what I do every day. It's very very grounding.”

Cassandra Velasquez
English Teacher, Gage Park High School

Case Study

Belonging Is The Launchpad

Students respond with enthusiasm when they feel heard and valued. By interviewing them, implementing their feedback, and building solutions around their needs, our network members helped students feel confident and supported enough to pursue their goals whole-heartedly.

Corliss High School

One-On-One Time Unleashes Student Confidence

Plan

During empathy interviews with students, Corliss educators learned their students:

Feel connected and confident with personalized attention from teachers.
Want assignments to feel meaningful and less like busy work.
Need much more  support to keep up with online classes.

To foster student belonging and transformational relationships, Corliss educators:

Connected with a group of 2-5 students with varying levels of school success at lunch on Thursdays.
Asked students for instructional help, like providing feedback on planned and past lessons.

See

Corliss educators offered these reflections:

“Students that seem 'uninterested’ in school may just be intimidated…one-on-one time goes a long way."
"Students flourish when given the opportunity to share their feelings and become the experts."
"Getting to know students better as people translates to knowing them better  as learners."

Succeed

As a result of these and other network efforts, Corliss educators saw a:

22% increase in the number of 9th grade students on track from week 25 to the end of SY24.
100% Freshman OnTrack rate for Latino males at the end of SY24.

Uplift Community High School

Play Brings Students Together

Plan

During empathy interviews with students, Uplift educators learned their students:

Define success as receiving an “A.”
Lack time to think about goals or success.
Feel disconnected from each other and their “group.”

To nurture authentic relationships and connection, Uplift educators:

Included team building competitions into the student advisory curriculum.
Asked students to share details about themselves that revealed similarities between them.

See

Uplift educators offered these reflections:

“Students formed meaningful connections and interactions with their peers through team building activities and competitions.”
“Teachers don’t always incorporate SEL into instruction, and connections aren’t being made in all classrooms.”
“We may be a small school, but it’s still important to make sure we’re building relationships and working on our community."

Succeed

As a result of these and other network efforts, Uplift educators saw a:

47% increase in the number of 9th grade students on track from week 25 to the end of SY24.
96% Freshman OnTrack rate for Black males at the end of SY24.

Social Justice High School

A Change In Routine Breaks Through the Monotony

Plan

During empathy interviews with students, Social Justice educators learned their students:

With a range of opinions about the typical school day looked forward to school assemblies.
Felt assemblies were a relief to the monotony of their schedules.

To nurture unity and a sense of community, Social Justice educators:

Set aside a half-period once a week  for a “Fun Friday Initiative.”
Allowed students to use this  time to socialize and play cards  across classrooms.
Encouraged connections between students enrolling after the start school year and the rest of the 9th grade.
Began creating a routine Freshman experience with regularly spaced field trips and unit activities.

See

Social Justice educators offered these reflections:

“Despite their best efforts  to hide it, our students enjoy,  look forward to, and count  on shared fun experiences together.”
“Sometimes, several classes partnered up in the same room to facilitate greater unity.”
“More needs to be done to keep the school day interesting, aside from curriculum.”

Succeed

As a result of these and other network efforts, Social Justice educators saw:

the highest 3.0+ GPA rate for Latinx male students that they've seen in 3 years.

“I definitely learned more about what students need and the value of asking students directly what we can do to support them. It really made us intentional about setting aside time to get to know our students as people and not just as students and as learners.”

Brooklyn Narvaez, English Teacher, Corliss High School

Build A Path Every Student Can Excel In