Why UChicago Impact

By coupling rigorous education research and fundamental education practices, UChicago Impact® works to empower educators to use research and actionable data to improve practices that promote positive student outcomes.

To see that all students have educators who support and develop them to realize their fullest potential and become contributing members of society.

People are Our Greatest Asset

Respect, gratitude, and integrity guide our interactions with colleagues and partners. We embrace the diversity of our staff and partners as key to meeting our greatest potential. We support one another and encourage work-life balance in order to establish a positive, collaborative, and productive work environment.

Improvement is a Continuous Process

As a learning organization, we strive to be reflective, using data to help us improve and a sense of optimism and positivity to persevere. We believe success and failure have the potential to be great teachers and when thoughtfully reviewed, will help us continuously grow and improve.

Collaboration Helps Enhance Our Work

Working as a team, within Impact and across UEI, produces our most impactful work. We assume best intentions in all interactions and strive for constructive, clear communication. We embrace an empathetic, humble stance in order to foster trusting, supportive relationships.

Passion and Purpose Produce Results

We are passionately dedicated to improving educational outcomes for students. Our partners and other educators across the country share in this common purpose. In return, we support professional development and elevate practices through our ongoing efforts and interactions.

At UChicago Impact, we are committed to creating a work environment that is supportive, safe, and meets the diverse needs of our team members. Read our statement on fostering a supportive environment here.

 UChicago Impact is a not-for-profit organization within the University of Chicago’s Urban Education Institute that develops diagnostic tools and supports for school leaders and educators grounded in decades of rigorous, foundational education research on what matters most for school improvement and student success. We then partner with schools and school leaders to implement these systems of support designed to drive school improvement and student success.

Our systems of support are designed to help close the gap between common beliefs about what drives school improvement and student success and the knowledge and preparation that research shows matters most for achieving improved school and student outcomes. UChicago Impact has reached more than 5 million students, parents, and teachers across 36 states and 6,000 schools, including some of the highest performing school districts and networks nationwide.
 

Our Supports Include:

The 5Essentials® System:
Typically, school improvement efforts prioritize the technical aspects of schooling such as grades and test scores, while neglecting the social components of a school's culture, such as trust and commitment. However, research shows sustainable school improvement requires investments in both the technical and social factors of a school's environment.

Our school improvement system, The 5Essentials® System, expands the conversation beyond just technical components of school improvement and digs beneath the surface of school culture and climate challenges. The system helps schools organize, prioritize, and evaluate what education research shows matters most in achieving sustainable school improvement. Research shows schools strong on at least three of the five essentials for school improvement were 10 times more likely to show substantial gains in student learning.

Through The 5Essentials System, over 5 million students, parents, and teachers have contributed to school improvement processes nationwide.

95% of nearly 900 leadership team members stated that their 5Essentials Survey results were useful for improving student outcomes.

Learn more about how The 5Essentials System supports school leaders in creating sustainable school improvement.


The Cultivate® System:
Building on the theory of school improvement that undergirds The 5Essentials, The Cultivate System draws on research that shows that in order to improve student outcomes educators must first improve the daily experiences students are having in their classrooms. 

Cultivate provides students with the opportunity to give feedback on the aspect of their classrooms that research shows matter most for their learning — dimensions of effective instruction called learning conditions. These learning conditions have profound implications for students’ development—they shape students’ daily experiences, learning beliefs, learning and academic success, and well-being. 

But these data are just the starting point. The Cultivate System also includes resources for educators to engage in conversations with colleagues, and partner with students to begin acting on the feedback and embark on cycles of continuous improvement. By elevating student voice, Cultivate equips educators with the information and tools they need to make meaningful changes that strengthen learning and relationships.