EdRedesign

09/01/2026

In the September issue of AASA, The School Superintendents Association's School Administrator Magazine, our Executive Director Rob Watson examines why the challenges facing high-poverty school districts require more than school-based solutions.

In “Cross-Sector Collaboration: Meeting Problems of Scale with Solutions of Scale,” Rob makes a compelling case for aligning education, healthcare, housing, higher education, workforce, philanthropy, government, and community organizations around shared outcomes for children and families.

When students spend only 20% of their K–12 years in school—and 80% in their communities—we cannot expect schools to address the effects of housing instability, community violence, limited healthcare access, and economic inequity alone.

Cross-sector collaboration offers a path forward: building the civic infrastructure, relationships, opportunities, and supports that help every child thrive from cradle to career.

🔗 Read his article in the flip edition on page 22: https://bit.ly/AASA-Cross-Sector-Collaboration

Harvard Alumni for Education
Harvard's Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Graduate School of Education

08/25/2026

We’re thrilled to announce Sonali Nijhawan as EdRedesign's inaugural Chief Program Officer!

Sonali brings more than two decades of experience building service leadership and place-based initiatives in communities across the country, including leading the Stockton Service Corps and serving as Director of AmeriCorps under the Biden-Harris Administration. She has been a valued partner to EdRedesign since 2019, first through the By All Means Community of Practice and, most recently, as a By All Means Senior Fellow.

In this new role, Sonali will provide strategic leadership and oversight for EdRedesign's Program Team, guiding flagship talent development and field-building initiatives, including the Institute for Success Planning, the EdRedesign Fellowship for Cradle-to-Career Partnership Leaders, and the By All Means Senior Fellowship Program. Her appointment reflects EdRedesign's continued commitment to strengthening cross-sector, community-driven leadership as the organization enters its next phase of growth.

📰 Read the press release https://edredesign.org/news/edredesign-lab-appoints-sonali-nijhawan-chief-program-officer

The EdRedesign Lab serves as a catalyst advancing the cradle-to-career field by promoting cross-sector community-based systems of support and opportunity for all children, especially those affected by racism and poverty.

07/24/2026

Good news alert 🚨

More babies are born in Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas each year than are born in 10 states and DC, respectively.

That’s why it was a big deal when a recent study at Parkland showed a simple way to reduce postpartum blood transfusions, a leading indicator of severe maternal morbidity in the US.

It’s also why a recent initiative developed by the Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) with Parkland and other local partners to spread this fix is making headlines.

Watch the short DREAM ON video below to see how this surprisingly simple fix is helping reimagine preventive care for pregnant women in Dallas.

The latest DREAM ON episode goes in-depth on maternal health in Dallas and the work of CPAL.

Full episode linked in the comments below. 🎬


Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard Alumni for Education
Harvard University
Harvard Graduate School of Education

07/15/2026

Day 3 of our Institute for Success Planning Workshop is off to a powerful start.

We began with Julie Allen (EdRedesign), who introduced the Creator Journalism Project and showed the series premiere of DREAM ON, highlighting the work of Communities In Schools of San Antonio. The story out of San Antonio captures what’s possible when cross-sector partners align around a shared vision—schools, organizations, and community partners working together to improve outcomes for children and youth.

From there, Andrea Ricotta (EdRedesign) led us into “But How Do We Know? Using Data to Understand and Grow Your Community’s Impact.” She introduced a “Rate Your Data Disposition” scale that sparked rich conversations around: How do we feel about the role of data in our work? What does success look like in our communities? How do we know we’re making real progress?

Communities explored multiple entry points for impact grounded in holistic student domains:
⚖️ Equitable access
💬 Social-emotional learning
🩺 Health and wellbeing
📚 Academic growth and success
🤝 Belonging, identity, and voice
🚀 Postsecondary and future pathways

We then moved into Access Your Throughline and Workbook Plan, where participants began drafting community vision and outcome statements—clarifying the throughline from shared aspirations to concrete, trackable results.

07/14/2026

“All means all” asks a simple but profound question: What would it take for every young person to have a trusted adult in their corner, from cradle to career?

In our "All Means All: Building Navigation Supports Cradle-to-Career" panel, leaders and youth from Orlando, FL brought this vision to life. Abraham Morris (City of Orlando - Government) and Raysean Brown (Advance Peace) were joined by young people who shared how Navigator relationships reshaped their futures.

They described meeting Navigators from Advance Peace and the City’s Children, Youth, and Families Division—feeling uncomfortable and even annoyed at first—until trust was built and a real bond formed. Through Life Maps and consistent support, Navigators helped them imagine new possibilities, set meaningful goals, and see a path toward something bigger for themselves and their communities.

Their message to us was clear: this work is hard—for mentors and for youth—but perfection isn’t the requirement. What matters is a committed, consistent relationship.

We’re grateful to the Orlando team and youth leaders for centering lived experience, challenging us to remove barriers, and reminding us that Navigators are not just a program—they are a lifeline.

07/13/2026

Thrilled to welcome our Institute for Success Planning communities to the 2026 Summer Workshop at the Harvard Graduate School of Education!

We’re kicking off the day by asking: Who’s in the room? Our Community Builder session, led by Christan Shelton, created space to build authentic connections and foster the cross-sector relationships that power this work.

We then moved into our Welcome & Opening, “Realizing the Impact of Relationship-Based Personalized Supports,” with Julie Allen, Tauheedah Jackson, Ed.M., Paul Reville, and Rob Watson, that spotlighted the impact of personalized supports and reflected on our collective progress.

To all the communities joining us: welcome. We’re honored to learn with you and inspired by the work you lead every day.

07/07/2026

TODAY AT 11AM ET:

Join us for the premiere of the newest DREAM ON episode, spotlighting Dallas, TX to learn why Dallas just had the biggest drop in child poverty among America’s 10 largest cities, according to the most recent Census data.

DREAM ON goes inside Child Poverty Action Lab's maternal health efforts to better understand how CPAL works and how Dallas can be a model for other communities nationwide.

📅 TODAY: Tuesday, July 7, 2026
🕛 11:00–12:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

You’ll be among the first to see the new episode and hear directly from national and local leaders during a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson with:

✔️ Alan Cohen (Founder and CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL); EdRedesign Data Innovation Fellow)
✔️ Kate McCollum (Senior Director, Maternal Health, CPAL)
✔️ Elizabeth Wattley (President and CEO, Forest Forward, a Purpose Built Communities affiliate)
✔️ Amber Weiseth (Director, Delivery Decisions Initiative, Ariadne Labs)

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

🔗 Register here:

The EdRedesign Lab serves as a catalyst advancing the cradle-to-career field by promoting cross-sector community-based systems of support and opportunity for all children, especially those affected by racism and poverty.

07/06/2026

In Dallas, something remarkable is happening: the city has seen the largest drop in child poverty of any of America’s 10 biggest cities—and the story behind that progress starts before birth.

Tomorrow, you’re invited to go inside that story.

Join us for the premiere of the newest DREAM ON episode, spotlighting Dallas’s maternal health work and the leaders, strategies, and systems transforming outcomes for children and families. You’ll see how Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) and partners are building a model other communities can learn from—then stay for a live conversation with the people driving this change.

📅 Tomorrow – Tuesday, July 7, 2026
🕛 11:00–12:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

The episode screening will be followed by a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson (Executive Director, EdRedesign) with:

Alan Cohen – Founder & CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL); EdRedesign Data Innovation Fellow
Kate McCollum – Senior Director, Maternal Health, CPAL
Elizabeth Wattley – President & CEO, Forest Forward (a Purpose Built Communities affiliate)
Amber Weiseth – Director, Delivery Decisions Initiative, Ariadne Labs

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

🔗 Register: https://edredesign.org/events/dream-dallas-tx

07/02/2026

In Dallas, something remarkable is happening: the city had the biggest drop in child poverty than any other major American city—and the story behind that progress begins before birth.

The newest DREAM ON episode, airing July 7th, goes inside promising local efforts like Dallas’s, lifting up the leaders, strategies, and systems that are changing outcomes for children and families.

Take a peek at the teaser and sign up to attend our upcoming webinar and screening.

The episode screening will be followed by a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson (Executive Director of EdRedesign) with Alan Cohen (Child Poverty Action Lab), Kate McCollum (CPAL), Elizabeth Wattley (Forest Forward), and Amber Weiseth (Ariadne Labs).

📅 Tuesday, July 7, 2026
🕛 11:00–12:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

🔗 Register: https://edredesign.org/events/dream-dallas-tx

Harvard University
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Harvard Alumni for Education
Harvard's Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance

07/01/2026

COMING NEXT WEEK 🚨

Join us for the premiere of the newest DREAM ON episode, spotlighting Dallas, TX to learn why Dallas just had the biggest drop in child poverty among America’s 10 largest cities, according to the most recent Census data.

DREAM ON goes inside Child Poverty Action Lab's maternal health efforts to better understand how CPAL works and how Dallas can be a model for other communities nationwide.

📅 Tuesday, July 7, 2026
🕛 11:00–12:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

You’ll be among the first to see the new episode and hear directly from national and local leaders during a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson with:

✔️ Alan Cohen (Founder and CEO, Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL); EdRedesign Data Innovation Fellow)
✔️ Kate McCollum (Senior Director, Maternal Health, CPAL)
✔️ Elizabeth Wattley (President and CEO, Forest Forward, a Purpose Built Communities affiliate)
✔️ Amber Weiseth (Director, Delivery Decisions Initiative, Ariadne Labs)

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

🔗 Register here: https://edredesign.org/events/dream-dallas-tx

The EdRedesign Lab serves as a catalyst advancing the cradle-to-career field by promoting cross-sector community-based systems of support and opportunity for all children, especially those affected by racism and poverty.