EdRedesign

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.

“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.

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.

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:

DREAM ON: 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.

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

DREAM ON: 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.

This summer, our EdRedesign Lab team is reading books that help us reimagine justice, community, leadership, and history. 📚

Here are a few highlights from our 2026 Staff Summer Reading List:

✨ A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
Recommended by Paul Reville, Founder and Faculty Director
A sweeping, heart‑wrenching yet hopeful portrait of India during the Emergency — reminding us that struggles over dignity and democracy are universal.

🏛 Our World in Ten Buildings – Michael P. Murphy
Recommended by Rob Watson, Executive Director
How the spaces we build can entrench inequity or unlock our boldest community dreams — and how each of us can be an “architect” of the places we call home.

🧭 This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis & Clark – Craig Fehrman
Recommended by Julie Allen, Senior Director of Strategic Communications, Development, and Operations
Centers York, Sacagawea, and Indigenous nations, challenging the myths we learned in school as we approach America’s 250th birthday.

🌀 The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves – Shawn A. Ginwright
Recommended by Michelle Sedaca, M.A., Senior Research Manager
Four powerful shifts — from hustle to flow, problem to possibility — to make social change work more sustainable and human.

🧠 The Battle for the Black Mind – Karida L. Brown, Ph.D.
Recommended by Christan Shelton, Director of Education Strategy & Cross-Sector Community Impact
A gripping chronicle of the relentless fight for Black educational freedom—and how reclaiming story, history, and self‑determination is essential to liberating Black minds, classrooms, and communities.

✊ Para Power: How Paraprofessional Labor Changed Education – Nick Juravich
Recommended by Andrea Ricotta, Director of Applied Data and Community Insights
The story of largely working‑class women of color who organized to transform “aide” jobs into leadership — and, in doing so, reshaped public education.

For the full list, visit https://edredesign.org/resources/what-were-reading-summer

We are thrilled to celebrate our EdRedesign By All Means Senior Fellow, Sondra Samuels, on being named one of TIME’s inaugural Visionaries.

This recognition is a powerful testament to what Sondra has devoted her life to proving: that when a community comes together around its children—with high expectations, deep love, and aligned systems—extraordinary things become possible. Through her leadership at the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), Sondra has helped build a movement in North Minneapolis that puts kids and families at the center, tackles systemic barriers head-on, and insists that no child’s future be limited by their zip code.

We are honored to call Sondra a partner in our work to redesign systems and create hashtag pathways of opportunity for all young people. Her visionary leadership, grounded in hope and action, inspires our team and communities across the country.

Harvard University
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard Alumni for Education

We're proud to share that Northside Achievement Zone President & CEO Sondra Samuels has been named one of TIME's inaugural Visionaries.

Selected as one of 14 honorees nationwide, Sondra joins a remarkable group of leaders recognized for driving bold, systemic change to help children reach their full potential. According to TIME, the inaugural list highlights individuals working across education, mental health, economic opportunity, housing, and other critical areas to ensure young people have the support and resources they need to thrive.

For more than 15 years, Sondra has championed a vision rooted in the strengths, aspirations, and potential of North Minneapolis families. Under her leadership, NAZ has grown into a collaborative of more than 40 partner organizations and schools working together to support children and families from cradle to career.

In its profile, highlighted NAZ's innovative Wealth Builds Minneapolis initiative, in partnership with Harlem Children's Zone, which helps families build assets and opportunity through financial education and college savings accounts, as well as the organization's long-term commitment to improving outcomes for North Minneapolis children.

While this recognition bears Sondra's name, it reflects the visionary and collective efforts of countless scholars, families, staff, partners, and community members who have worked together to build a brighter future for North Minneapolis.

As Sondra shared with TIME, "It's about hope. We're here to power purpose and potential on the Northside."

Congratulations, Sondra. We are grateful for your leadership and proud to celebrate this well-deserved recognition.

See more here: https://time.com/collection/visionaries/2026/sondra-samuels/