EdRedesign

10/16/2026

🎉 Congratulations to our Postdoctoral Fellow Jamie Gracie and Research Affiliate Benny Goldman (Cornell University) on their paper, “When Resources Meet Relationships: The Returns to Personalized Supports for Low-Income Students,” recently published in the National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series!

🏫 Their paper, co-authored with Sonya Porter (U.S. Census Bureau), evaluates how personalized supports through Communities In Schools (CIS), a program that places a "site coordinator" in high-poverty schools to connect students with both in-school and out-of-school resources, boosts test scores, high school completion, and adult earnings — improving long-term economic mobility for children from low-income families.

🔗 Read their paper: https://www.nber.org/papers/w35740

🔗 In case you missed it, read our policy brief here, a practical guide for policymakers, community leaders, and other experts that breaks down the research and highlights how to put it into action: https://edredesign.org/resources/benefits-when-resources-meet-relationships-children-high-poverty-communities

Communities In Schools of Texas
Communities In Schools
Harvard University
Harvard Alumni for Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

10/15/2026

Public service can be a powerful starting point for a career in educational leadership. At EdRedesign, we know that creating lasting change begins with dedicated leaders who understand the needs of the communities they serve.

📚 The new Public Service Priority Pathway at Harvard Graduate School of Education offers eligible individuals completing or preparing for a full-time service commitment through AmeriCorps , Teach For All, Peace Corps and other partner programs an opportunity to pursue a residential Ed.M. while planning for their next chapter. Applicants can apply during or before their service term, with the opportunity to secure admission and defer enrollment until after it concludes.

Our own Chief Program Officer, Sonali Nijhawan, is a proud AmeriCorps alumna and former Director of AmeriCorps, State and National. Her journey to becoming a national leader started at City Year in Chicago — exemplifying the valuable connections between education, civic engagement and systems-level change. 👉 Learn more here: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/admissions-and-aid/students-information/public-service-priority-pathway

10/14/2026

The power of place-based partnerships lies in the people, relationships, and shared purpose that make lasting change possible.

At “Power of Place: Rooted in Purpose,” hosted by Harlem Children's Zone, EdRedesign team members joined fellow leaders and practitioners in New York City to engage in conversations about partnerships, economic mobility, and the long-term sustainability of community-driven change.

We were especially proud to see members of our fellows community, current and alumni, contribute their expertise to the convening.

Christian Rhodes, Chief National Impact Officer, Harlem Children’s Zone, a 2025–27 By All Means Senior Fellow, delivered several keynotes and provided remarks that inspired the audience and set the stage for the event.

Rachel Ward, President of Omega Community Development Corporation-CDC, and Jill Roche Gomez, Executive Director of Poughkeepsie Children's Cabinet, both 2024–26 Cradle-to-Career Partnership Leader Fellows, joined Elson Nash, Senior Fellow at Blue Meridian Partners and a 2025–27 By All Means Senior Fellow, on “The Path to Sustainability” panel.

Their participation reflects the importance of bringing together leaders who are advancing community-driven, place-based approaches to creating stronger pathways for children, families, and communities. We’re grateful to Harlem Children’s Zone for convening this community and creating space for learning, connection, and collaboration around the work of building lasting change.

Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard University
Harvard Kennedy School
Harvard Alumni for Education

10/09/2026

📣 Welcome to the newest members of the EdRedesign team! Our 2026-2027 Student Associates and Fellows are currently pursuing degrees at Harvard College, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Medical School. We’re so excited to work with them as they contribute to projects that advance educational opportunities for children, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and support more equitable outcomes for young people across the country. We look forward to seeing their contributions this year!

• Mamfatou Baldeh, Data and Evaluation Associate
• Jonathan Briggs, Wendy D. Puriefoy Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow
• Siena Fleischer, Wendy D. Puriefoy Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow
• Anshawn M. Ivery, Wendy D. Puriefoy Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow
• Sara Jain Kumar, Undergraduate Leadership and Learning Associate
• Katelyn Pothakul, Communications Associate
• Jessica Ramos, Wendy D. Puriefoy Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow
• Prerna Srivastava, Wendy D. Puriefoy Cross-Sector Leadership Fellow
• Da’juantay Wynter, Graduate Leadership and Learning Associate

10/08/2026

What if every graduating high school senior in the US spent a week living in a community completely unlike their own?

As we mark America's 250th anniversary amid deep political division, one bold question is: what would it take to build a true civic rite of passage for young people?

Join us for a powerful conversation on reimagining civic engagement for the next generation—featuring the founder of the nation's first domestic exchange program and two young alumni whose lives were changed by the experience.

A Civic Rite of Passage for Every Young Person?
📅 Wednesday, October 28, 2026
🕔 5:00–6:30 p.m. ET
📍 Longfellow Hall, Harvard Graduate School of Education (or join virtually!)

Featuring:

🎙️ Danielle Allen — Harvard University, Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
🎙️ David McCullough III — Co-founder & CEO, American Exchange Project
🎙️ Allonah Ashworth — American Exchange Project alumna, Prairie View A&M '26
🎙️ Jessica Osei — American Exchange Project alumna, Towson University '27

Moderated by Rob Watson, Executive Director of The EdRedesign Lab, with welcome remarks from Dean Martin West.

This Askwith Education Forum will dig into what it really takes to help young people bridge divides, understand the full diversity of their country, and see themselves as active participants in our democracy—from early childhood through adulthood.

Free and open to the public. In-person and virtual options available.

👉 Register now: https://calendar.gse.harvard.edu/36YmkP6/5a5YUc2ieBt?source=edredesign

Harvard's Center for Public Leadership

09/29/2026

🎓 Join us in the Askwith Education Forum this fall at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for two conversations exploring cross-sector leadership and transformative civic experiences for young people.

OCTOBER 6TH EVENT:
Today's superintendents are navigating far more than academics—they're building cross-sector coalitions, engaging communities as true partners, and countering polarization while advancing equity.

🏫 The Modern Superintendent: School and Civic Leader
📅 Tuesday, October 6, 2026 | 4:30–6:00 PM ET
📍 Longfellow Hall, HGSE (and virtual)
🔗 Register: https://calendar.gse.harvard.edu/36YmkP6/5a5YUc2gOSz?source=edredesign

This conversation brings together leaders who've done it on the ground:

🔹 Russell Booker – CEO, Spartanburg Academic Movement; Joint Senior Fellow, EdRedesign, Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader; Former Superintendent, Spartanburg, SC.

🔹 Michael Matsuda – Executive in Residence, LMU School of Education; Former Superintendent, Anaheim, CA

🔹 Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell – CEO, Oakland Thrives; Joint Senior Fellow, EdRedesign, Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader, Harvard Graduate School of Education; Former Superintendent, Oakland, CA

Moderated by Jennifer Cheatham, Chair of the Initiative on Superintendent as Civic Leader, Harvard Graduate School of Education

OCTOBER 28TH EVENT:
As America marked its 250th anniversary, what if every high school senior spent a week immersed in a part of the country totally unlike their own? We'll explore how civic experiences can build connection, understanding, and lifelong civic agency.

🌎 A Civic Rite of Passage for Every Young Person?
📅 Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 5:00–6:30 PM ET
📍 Longfellow Hall, HGSE (and virtual)
🔗 Register: https://calendar.gse.harvard.edu/36YmkP6/5a5YUc2ieBt?source=edredesign

Featuring:
🔹 Danielle Allen – James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University

🔹 Allonah Ashworth – Alumna, American Exchange Project; Prairie View A&M University Class of 2026

🔹 David McCullough III – Co-founder & CEO, American Exchange Project

🔹 Jessica Osei – Alumna, American Exchange Project; Townson University Class of 2027

Moderated by Rob Watson, Executive Director, EdRedesign.

Both events are free and open to the public, available in person and virtually.

09/23/2026

⏰ Reminder: Applications for the EdRedesign Cradle-to-Career Fellowship for Partnership Leaders close Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET!

If you're a new or aspiring leader of a partnership, this is your moment to invest in your leadership—and in the children, youth, and families you serve.

Don't just take our word for it. Travis Williams, a former Fellow, expresses how the program shaped his leadership. Travis recently shared more about his journey and vision for cradle-to-career work in his TEDxJacksonville Talk.

🔗Watch the talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNCnh3LpXtc

This 18-month, tuition-free Fellowship helps leaders like Travis strengthen their ability to:

🌐 Lead across sectors, programs, and cradle-to-career models
📊 Use data while authentically centering youth and family voice 🧑‍🤝‍🧑
🤝 Align human, financial, and technical resources around shared goals
🧭 Lead partners without formal authority

Fellows engage in in-person cohort convenings, virtual learning sessions, peer learning groups, StriveTogether Training Hub modules, executive coaching, mentoring, and a community-based project—all grounded in real-world practice and created in partnership with Partners for Rural Impact, Purpose Built Communities, StriveTogether, and the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone.

🔗Apply at: https://edredesign.smapply.us/prog/2026-2028_cradle-to-career_fellowship_for_partnership_leaders_application/

09/08/2026

This summer, 14 The Commit Partnership Summer Fellows transformed ideas into practical solutions that advance educational and economic opportunity across Dallas County.

We’re proud to highlight former Mindich Fellow Natalie Luera, a Harvard College undergraduate and former Leadership and Learning Associate at EdRedesign at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Through the fellowship experience, Natalie brought a systems-oriented perspective to her work with Commit.

Her capstone focused on helping Commit move beyond metrics alone to tell the human stories behind its impact. Through a storytelling and social media campaign, Natalie helped shape content that engages future fellows and highlights the people and purpose driving education equity forward.

Natalie’s project is a powerful example of what can happen when fellows are invited to connect their interests, skills, and professional goals to meaningful organizational priorities.

Read more about Natalie: https://www.commitpartnership.org/insights/latest-learnings/from-capstone-to-real-world-impact-celebrating-the-2026-commit-partnership-summer-fellows

Harvard's Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard University
Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School

Over the past two months, our summer fellows have turned complex capstone projects into functional assets that directly drive our work.

09/03/2026

What does it take to prevent violence before it happens?

Join The EdRedesign Lab for a virtual screening of the latest documentary from DREAM ON and meet the people behind Orlando Kidz Zones and Peace Orlando — two efforts reducing community violence and improving the lives of children and families facing the greatest challenges.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A featuring experts in neighborhood transformation and community violence intervention, including representatives from the The University of Chicago Crime Lab, Harlem Children's Zone, and EdRedesign.

📅 September 11, 2026
⏰ 10:30–11:45 a.m. ET
💻 Virtual via Zoom

This event is free and open to the public. 🔗 Registration is required: https://harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jJeiuCbxQFWhv4-nxWeYfw

Harvard's Center for Public Leadership
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard University
Harvard Alumni for Education
Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School
City of Orlando - Government

09/02/2026

Applications are now open for the EdRedesign Fellowship for Cradle-to-Career Partnership Leaders!

This 18-month, tuition-free Fellowship is designed for new and aspiring leaders of cradle-to-career place-based partnerships who are committed to advancing equity and expanding opportunity for children, youth, and families.

Through immersive learning, executive coaching, peer networking, and real-world application, Fellows will strengthen their ability to:

🌐 Lead across sectors, programs, and cradle-to-career models
📊 Use data while authentically centering youth and family voice
🤝 Align human, financial, and technical resources around shared goals
🧭 Lead partners without formal authority

The Fellowship includes in-person cohort convenings, virtual learning sessions, peer learning groups, StriveTogether Training Hub modules, executive coaching, mentoring, and a community-based project.

The Fellowship is grounded in real-world practice and created in partnership with Partners for Rural Impact, Purpose Built Communities, StriveTogether, and the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone.

⏰ Applications are due Tuesday, October 6, 2026, by 11:59 p.m.

Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/C2C-Fellowship-Application-2026