A First Look at the 5Essentials in Illinois Schools - Research Report June 2015

Oct 15, 2026

Research investigates how student and teacher responses to the 5Essentials survey relate to the framework’s five essential supports across nearly 4,000 Illinois schools. Conducted statewide in 2013 with students in grades 6–12 and all teachers, the survey covers leadership, professional community, family involvement, school environment, and instruction. The report analyzes variation by urbanicity, school size, and socioeconomic characteristics, and examines associations with attendance, test scores, and graduation rates, while limiting conclusions about causal effects due to one-year data.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages52

Reading Time2 h 11 min

AccessFree to download

Executive Summary

Introduction

Exploring the Five Essential Supports in Illinois Schools

How the Essential Supports Vary across Communities, School Types

How the Essential Supports Relate to Student Outcomes

Interpretive Summary

References

Appendices A–B

RESEARCH REPORT JUNE 2015 A First Look at the 5Essentials in Illinois Schools Joshua Klugman, Molly F. Gordon, Penny Bender Sebring, Susan E. Sporte TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 Executive Summary 3 Introduction Chapter 1 5 Exploring the Five Essential Supports in Illinois Schools Chapter 2 13 How the Essential Supports Vary across Communities, School Types Chapter 3 19 How the Essential Supports Relate to Student Outcomes Chapter 4 27 Interpretive Summary 31 References 34 Appendices A–B ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), and in particular Peter Godard, for his insight and thoughtful comments on the potential policy implications of this work. In addition, we would like to acknowledge Julie Evans and Shuwan Chiu at ISBE for providing us the data that allowed us to do this work. We also thank the Steering Committee members of the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research, especially Arie van der Ploeg, Mathew Stagner, Luisiana Melendez, Dennis Lacewell, and Luis Soria for their thorough examination and insightful comments. In addition, we would like to acknowledge our colleagues at UChicago Impact for reviewing our report, including Elliot Ransom, Alex Seeskin, Molly Quish, and John Gasko. They helped us think about the ways in which this research would be most useful to practitioners. We are indebted to our colleagues at UChicago CCSR, who gave us encouragement and advice throughout, especially Elaine Allensworth, Jenny Nagaoka, Marisa de la Torre, and Rachel Levenstein. In addition, we would like to thank Todd Rosenkranz for preparing the data for analysis and Stuart Luppescu for his assistance with survey measures and his close read of the report. Special thanks to research assistant Anastasia Ovtcharova for her help, as well as Valerie Michelman and Matthew Holsapple for their valuable feedback as technical readers. Our communications team—Emily Krone, Bronwyn McDaniel, and Jessica Puller—were instrumental in carrying this work forward. This report was made possible through the generous support of Priscilla and Steve Kersten, Patricia O. Cox, and the Lewis-Sebring Family Foundation. We also gratefully recognize the Spencer Foundation, whose operating grants support the work of UChicago CCSR. Finally, we would like to thank the district-and school-level administrators who facilitated the survey and the teachers and students throughout Illinois who have taken the time to share their thoughts through the 5Essentials surveys. | This report was produced by UChicago CCSR’s publications and communications staff: Emily Krone, Director for Outreach and Communication; Bronwyn McDaniel, Senior Manager for Outreach and Communication; and Jessica Puller, Communications Specialist. | Graphic Design: Jeff Hall Design
Photography: Cover: Shutterstock; Cynthia Howe
Editing: Ann Lindner | | --- | --- | [06.2015/pdf/jh.design@rcn.com](06.2015/pdf/jh.design@rcn.com) Executive Summary During the spring of 2013, teachers and students in nearly 4,000 Illinois schools participated in the 5Essentials survey, a confidential survey administered statewide. Students in grades 6–12 and all teachers had the opportunity to share their perspectives about their school; teachers provided their perspectives about their school’s leadership, professional community, and family involvement, while students responded to questions about the school environment and instruction. Ninety percent of Illinois schools participated in the survey; 85 percent of schools had data on at least three of five essential supports. In this report, we investigate student and teacher responses to this survey. We use the framework of the five essential supports1 to guide these analyses. These constructs are effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction. Studies undertaken in schools and districts a

FAQs

What is the 5Essentials survey and who participated in the study?

In spring 2013, nearly 4,000 Illinois schools participated in a confidential statewide survey. Students in grades 6–12 and all teachers shared perspectives on leadership, community, family involvement, and aspects of the school environment and instruction.

Which five essential supports are used to guide the analyses?

The report uses five essential supports: effective leaders, collaborative teachers, involved families, supportive environment, and ambitious instruction, which are described as related to improving student outcomes.

How does the report address the relationship between the essentials and student outcomes?

It examines whether strength and weakness across the five essentials are related to attendance rates, test scores, and graduation rates. It also cautions that causal conclusions are not possible because only one year of survey data and near-simultaneous outcomes were used.

Oct 15, 2026

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