Student Re-Engagement

Back to Our Future (B2OF)

Women mentor works with a teen boy in a classroom
Photo: Breakthrough

Back to Our Future (B2OF) is a state-funded, district-led, evidence-informed effort to re-engage disconnected students at an elevated risk for gun violence involvement.

Contact Dar’tavous Dorsey to learn more.

Challenge

Not completing high school increases young people’s likelihood of becoming involved in gun violence. In Chicago, the connection between disengagement from school and gun violence is clear: Analysis from the Crime Lab and Education Lab shows that as of March 2023, more than 90% of school-aged victims of gun violence were inactive at the time of their victimization. Existing violence prevention programs for youth have focused on those who still have some connection to school. Consequently, young people disconnected from school have historically been out of reach of crucial services and support.

Opportunity

In May 2022, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and the City of Chicago Mayor’s Office announced an $18 million investment to support the B2OF pilot program, aiming to re-engage 1,000 disconnected young people in school. To implement B2OF, CPS partners with three community-based organizations: Breakthrough, UCAN, and Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc.

The Plan

To support this ambitious effort, the Education Lab partnered with CPS throughout the pilot year of B2OF, which concluded in May 2023. In addition to analyzing referral, consent, and participation data, the Education Lab provided implementation support to UCAN, YAP, and Breakthrough staff and conducted focus groups to understand how youth experienced the program.

Related Resources
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Scaling Promising Practices in Youth Mentoring

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Seizing the Opportunity to Advance Education Equity
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