EdRedesign

06/03/2026

EdRedesign and Results for America are teaming up for a webinar, "Relationship-Based Personalized Supports as a Catalyst for Economic Mobility," that connects rigorous new research to real-world practice.

We'll be bringing together researchers and practitioners to unpack:

✅ The Evidence: Why "trusted adult relationships" are a quantifiable variable in student success.
✅ The Model: How relationship-based personalized support for young people works in practice across sectors.
✅ The Strategy: What local leaders can do to build these high-impact systems in their own jurisdictions.
✅ Your Questions: What do you want to know about the model?

Featured speakers:
🎙 Jamie Gracie, Postdoctoral Fellow, EdRedesign
🎙 Tauheedah Jackson, Ed.M., Deputy Director & Director of the Institute for Success Planning, EdRedesign
🎙 Rey Saldana, President & CEO, Communities In Schools National Office; EdRedesign By All Means Senior Fellow
🎙 Rob Watson, Executive Director, EdRedesign; Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Faculty Affiliate, Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University
🎙 Ellen Hur (moderator), SVP & Chief Products & Innovation Officer, Results for America

📅 Tuesday, June 9, 2026
🕒 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

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

🔗 Link to register: https://edredesign.org/events/evidence-relationship-based-personalized-supports-catalyst-economic-mobility

06/02/2026

Huge thank you to everyone who joined us today for the virtual premiere of DREAM ON’s newest episode – spotlighting the transformation of Spartanburg, SC’s Northside neighborhood. 🎉

We’re especially grateful to our panelists for sharing their time, insights, and leadership during the live Q&A:

Jennifer Blatz, President & CEO, StriveTogether
Dr. Russell Booker, CEO, Spartanburg Academic Movement
Carol Naughton, CEO, Purpose Built Communities
David Summers, CEO, Spartanburg Northside Development Group
Moderated by Rob Watson, Executive Director, EdRedesign

👍 Like the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0oKsRcRTPQ&t=1s
💬 Comment with your reflections or key takeaways
🔁 Share with your network
▶️ Subscribe to the DREAM ON channel, to catch future stories of communities driving change

Thank you for being part of this work and helping us spread what’s possible when communities dream — and act — together. 💫

Violent crime dropped 77% while 3rd-grade reading scores jumped 40 ...

06/01/2026

One more day to go! 🎊

Join us tomorrow for the virtual premiere of DREAM ON’s newest episode – spotlighting the transformation of Spartanburg, SC’s Northside neighborhood.

This powerful story shows how a cross-sector coalition of residents, local government, school district leaders, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member, and a Purpose Built Communities backbone organization helped:

🚓 Cut violent crime by 77%
📕 Raise 3rd-grade reading proficiency from 6% to 48%
🏘️ Build hundreds of units of new housing
🏫 Open a brand-new community center
🎒 Launch a state-of-the-art early learning center

📅 Tomorrow – Tuesday, June 2, 2026
🕛 10:00 – 11:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

You’ll be among the first to see the new episode and hear directly from leaders during a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson (Executive Director, EdRedesign) with:

Jennifer Blatz, President & CEO, StriveTogether
Dr. Russell Booker, CEO, Spartanburg Academic Movement
Carol Naughton, CEO, Purpose Built Communities
David Summers, CEO, Spartanburg Northside Development Group

There’s still time to join — this event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.

👉 Register now and log in at 10:00 AM ET: https://lnkd.in/dzEhBd57

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05/29/2026

Join us and EdRedesign Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for the virtual premiere of DREAM ON’s newest episode spotlighting the transformation of Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Northside neighborhood.

This powerful story highlights how a cross-sector coalition of residents, local government, school district leaders, a StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network member, and a Purpose Built Communities® Community Quarterback Organization came together to help:

• Reduce violent crime by 77%
• Increase 3rd-grade reading proficiency from 6% to 48%
• Build hundreds of units of new housing
• Open a brand-new community center
• Launch a state-of-the-art early learning center

📅 Tuesday, June 2, 2026
🕙 10:00–11:00 AM ET
💻 Virtual | Zoom Webinar

You’ll be among the first to see the new episode and hear directly from leaders during a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson, Executive Director of EdRedesign, featuring:

Jennifer Blatz, President and CEO, StriveTogether
Dr. Russell Booker, CEO, Spartanburg Academic Movement
Carol Naughton, President and CEO, Purpose Built Communities
David Summers, CEO, Spartanburg Northside Development Group

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

👉 Register now: https://edredesign.org/events/dream-spartanburg-sc

05/27/2026

Honored to see our colleague Denisse Arias of EdRedesign join KConnect’s Accountability Partners Council (APC) 2026 as a panelist on Cradle-to-Career Success in Kent County.

On the “Centering Prenatal to Career” panel, Denisse lifted up what it really takes to ensure that every child—regardless of race, zip code, or circumstance—has a clear path to a thriving career, including:

📌 Building ecosystems that braid together education, health, housing, and economic opportunity
📌 Using data alongside community voice to design supports that reflect families’ real experiences
📌 Aligning local innovation with state and national learning, so promising models become sustainable, equitable systems at scale

The panel also discussed KConnect’s work in the context of broader economic mobility efforts like Billi by 35 (Billion by 2035)—an ambitious vision for a Kent County where entrepreneurship and wealth-building are accessible and navigable for all.

We’re inspired by how KConnect’s APC brings 200+ organizations together to learn, align, and refine shared priorities for 2026–2027, turning ideas into actionable plans with measurable outcomes for children and families.

Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard University

Photo credit: Two A’s and a Pod Productions

05/26/2026

We’re excited to invite you to a powerful virtual event: the premiere of DREAM ON’s new episode on the transformation of Spartanburg, SC’s Northside neighborhood.

In this episode, you’ll see how a cross-sector coalition of residents, local government, school district leaders, and a backbone organization came together to:

• Cut violent crime by 77%
• Raise 3rd-grade reading proficiency from 6% to 48%
• Build hundreds of units of new housing
• Open a new community center
• Create a state-of-the-art early learning center

📅 Date: Tuesday, June 2, 2026
🕛 Time: 10:00–11:00 AM ET
💻 Location: Virtual | Zoom Webinar

At this special launch event, you’ll be among the first to watch the episode and hear directly from the leaders behind this work during a live Q&A moderated by Rob Watson (Executive Director, EdRedesign) with:

• Jennifer Blatz, President & CEO, StriveTogether
• Dr. Russell Booker, CEO, Spartanburg Academic Movement
• Carol Naughton, CEO, Purpose Built Communities
• David Summers, CEO, Spartanburg Northside Development Group

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

👉 Register here: https://edredesign.org/events/dream-spartanburg-sc

Please share this with your networks and join us to explore what’s possible when communities come together to rewrite a neighborhood story.

05/21/2026

Thrilled to kick off Day 2 of the Place-Based Education Institute at Harvard University with a powerful reminder of why this work matters.

Opening keynote speaker Christian Rhodes, Chief National Impact Officer at Harlem Children's Zone and By All Means Senior Fellow at EdRedesign, challenged participants to rethink the purpose of public education. Drawing on his personal experience and upbringing, his parents’ and grandparents’ deep belief in education as a pathway to economic mobility, Christian named a hard truth: we often talk about education as “the great equalizer,” but for too many children that remains a myth. Instead, he framed education as our most important engine of economic mobility. “You as educators are civic engineers,” he reminded us. “You are building the future you want for your communities.”

That theme continued in the “How to Fund Cradle-to-Career” session with Cecilia Gutierrez (Blue Meridian Partners) and Dreama Gentry (Partners for Rural Impact; EdRedesign By All Means Senior Fellow). Cecilia underscored the mismatch between the scale of our ambitions and the size of most grants—around $30,000—when we are trying to tackle big, complex, intergenerational challenges. Her early place-based work began with something as simple and tangible as a playground so kids had a safe place to play, while always holding a larger vision: every child going to college.
Both Cecilia and Dreama highlighted what it really takes to move communities from poverty to mobility: intentional partnerships with superintendents and local leaders, deep relationships, sustained conversations, and building trust with communities before the money arrives.

As Cecilia noted, Blue Meridian Partners aims to “find, fund, and scale” solutions that put kids on a path to social mobility—and to change the way philanthropy works by encouraging multi-billion dollar, long-term investments and unlocking the trillions of dollars in philanthropic capital, including donor-advised funds and foundation endowments, to fuel work.

At EdRedesign, we are leaving this session inspired and challenged:
to embrace our role as civic architects alongside educators and local leaders, to support communities to start small while advancing bold, comprehensive visions, and to push for funding and partnerships at the true scale of the work children and families deserve.


Harvard Graduate School of Education

05/20/2026

Welcome to Day One of our Place-Based Education Institute, co-hosted by EdRedesign and the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone.

Today’s Foundations of Place-Based Education theme features a deep dive into superintendents’ civic leadership and community-wide support for children and families.

Jennifer Cheatham, Senior Lecturer on Education; Faculty Chair, Field Engagement; and Co-Chair of the Collaborative on Political Leadership in the Superintendency at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, led a powerful case discussion of “The Toughest Challenge: School Closures,” exploring political leadership, equity, and community trust in moments of profound change.

The rest of the day, participants will also engage with:

📌Rob Watson and Tauheedah Jackson (EdRedesign), Rey Saldaña (Communities In Schools), and Almi Abeyta (Chelsea Public Schools) on personalization and leveling the playing field

📌Arti Doshi (HCZ), Taylor Toynes (For Oak Cliff), Rachel Ward (Omega Community Development Corporation-CDC), and Jill Gomez (Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet) on building sustainable community tables

📌Jorrit de Jong (Harvard Kennedy School and Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University) on changing systems at the speed of trust

📌Kwame Owusu-Kesse (HCZ), Saskia Brown (Promise Academy Charter Schools), and Russell Booker (Spartanburg Academic Movement), with Brittany Rabb, on pathways to economic mobility

In his opening remarks, our Founder and Faculty Director Paul Reville called for “the rest of the village” to come to the table—aligning schools with community partners so children and families receive comprehensive, personalized supports and educators can focus on teaching and learning.



Harvard University
Professional Education at Harvard Graduate School of Education

05/14/2026

We are excited to announce the release of "Building Evidence for an Emerging Field: A White Paper from the Data and Evaluation Working Group."

Developed by EdRedesign in collaboration with Partners for Rural Impact, Purpose Built Communities, StriveTogether, William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone, and a national Place-Based Partnerships Data and Evaluation Working Group, this white paper reflects the collective expertise of leaders from more than 100 place-based initiatives in over 35 states.

partnerships have demonstrated powerful potential to improve economic and social mobility for children and families. Yet, key questions remain: How do we know whether these efforts are disrupting intergenerational poverty at scale? What data practices, policies, and infrastructure are needed to support this work?

"Building Evidence for an Emerging Field" responds to this need. It synthesizes what we know and outlines what the field must do next, offering strategic recommendations for researchers, national intermediaries, practitioners, backbone organizations, policymakers, and funders.

Together with our partners, we are committed to helping lead this effort—supporting the field in moving from promising practice to proven impact, and ensuring all children and families are on a path to economic and social mobility.

Read the paper: https://edredesign.org/resources/building-evidence-emerging-field-white-paper-place-based-partnerships-data-and-evaluation

05/12/2026

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Russell Booker, CEO of Spartanburg Academic Movement and former Superintendent, has been appointed a Joint Senior Fellow with EdRedesign and the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader (ISCL) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

From July 2026–June 2028, Dr. Booker will work with the Harvard community to deepen understanding of how superintendents can lead as civic leaders—aligning schools, community partners, and public systems to support children and families from cradle to career. Building on his experience in Spartanburg, where cross-sector collaboration has advanced educational outcomes and economic mobility, Dr. Booker’s fellowship will help inform practice, policy, and public understanding of superintendent civic leadership in communities nationwide.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Booker to this new role!

🔗 Read the press release: https://edredesign.org/news/dr-russell-booker-appointed-joint-senior-fellow-harvard-graduate-school-education-initiatives