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History

Northeastern Illinois University's Center for College Access and Success (CCAS) is an educational outreach center to

PreK-12 schools and their communities in the Chicago area.

Founding

 

Northeastern Illinois University's Center for College Access and Success (CCAS) is the largest school improvement organization in Chicago.

Founded in 1978 as the Chicago Teachers’ Center (CTC) of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU), CCAS initially provided research-supported professional development for educators and administrators. In response to the needs of Chicago’s schools and communities, our focus changed and CCAS became the University’s center for outreach to Pre K-12 students and their families as well as their teachers and administrators, guiding them through critical educational transitions. The Center has always been an innovator in creating model programs that translate visions for school improvement into concrete action. CCAS develops collaborative partnerships that engage the entire community to help students succeed academically and socially.

 

Within our River West campus, CCAS facilities include CenterSpace, an interactive maker space as well as offices

and meeting areas. Here for teachers and other community adults to build skills, learn best-practices for teaching and leading youth and young adults, and to develop materials to support learning in classrooms and out-of-school programs.

Our University Connection

 

Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois. NEIU serves approximately 9,000 students in the region and is a Hispanic Serving Institution. The main campus is located in the North Park community with three additional campuses in the metropolitan area.

Location

The CCAS facilities include office space for program staff and a Conference Center with space for educators to host workshops, meetings, retreats, and conferences. In addition, CCAS hosts the CenterSpace, an interactive workspace for teachers to meet, develop classroom materials and attend maker workshops. CCAS provides an environment in the heart of Chicago for teachers and other community adults to build skills, learn best-practices for teaching and leading youth and young adults, and to develop materials to support learning in classrooms and out-of-school programs.

 

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