Institute for Success Planning
Talent development, actionable research, and movement building come together in our Institute for Success Planning, which seeks to accelerate community-driven initiatives to design, expand, and improve systems of personalized, relationship-based opportunity and support for children and youth.
Our Institute for Success Planning, launched in 2022 and led by Director Tauheedah Jackson, supports cross-sector local leaders and their community teams as they create transformational change in the lives of children and youth in their communities through personalized, relationship-based Success Planning. Specifically, the Institute for Success Planning leads the Success Planning Community of Practice and a Success Planning Virtual Learning Community. Through publications, presentations at national convenings, and collaboration with leaders, practitioners, policymakers, and funders, EdRedesign works to build the movement for personalization.
What is Success Planning?
Success Planning is a relationship-based approach that connects each child or youth to an adult Navigator who co-creates a personalized plan for action in partnership with their families and other caring adults. The plan highlights the child’s needs and strengths and identifies supports, enrichments, and other resources to remove barriers, help them thrive, and support their goals. Through a whole-child approach, Success Planning provides a mechanism to ensure every child is known, seen, and heard, has a positive connection to a caring adult, and has agency over their pathway to success.
Success Planning, paired with a strong cross-sector place-based strategy, has particular power to support upward mobility for low-income children and children from often marginalized groups, including those with learning differences and those impacted by disinvestment.
Success Planning is a strategy with codified frameworks rather than a single model. This strategy is not meant to be an add-on program but rather to align with and complement existing support efforts. Recognizing that different communities have varying needs, capacities, and entry points for implementation, EdRedesign has developed core components and guiding principles of a successful support system.
The core components of Success Planning are:
- A Navigator—a caring adult who fosters a positive individual relationship with a child and their family, ensuring they are known, seen, and heard, and develops an understanding of the child’s needs, interests, and goals;
- A personalized plan for action, which acts as a dynamic tool to guide individualized support for children and youth and provides a process for supporting the needs, strengths, and goals outlined in the plan;
- A coordinated system of supports and opportunities is developed and leveraged with strategic vision, resources, and collaborative support offered by various stakeholders at all levels of the community ecosystem;
- A data platform documents plans over time, captures information to support referrals to services and opportunities, and provides a systems-level snapshot so the individual and aggregated needs of children and youth can be addressed; and
- Optimally, Success Planning is part of a community-wide strategy coordinated by a cross-sector body leading a place-based strategy.
The ten guiding principles are:
Our Success Planning framework distills key elements of several models for personalizing supports for children, emphasizing both the importance of healthy developmental relationships between adults and children, as well as integrated, comprehensive supports. Optimally, Success Planning should not be a standalone effort, but part of a broader community-wide strategy to support children that is coordinated by a cross-sector collaborative entity leading a place-based strategy, such as a Children's Cabinet, place-based partnership, or other community backbone coordinating organization. Success Planning is a complementary strategy to Promise Neighborhoods, StriveTogether, Communities in Schools, Purpose Built, and other cross-sector models.
EdRedesign’s Institute for Success Planning Community of Practice
In June 2022, we launched the inaugural Community of Practice with 12 teams of cross-sector leaders from urban, suburban, and rural communities throughout the country. Now, in 2025, we’re proud to welcome our fourth cohort. In total, 34 communities from across America have dedicated their time and energy to advancing Success Planning through the Community of Practice.
The Community of Practice supports districts, schools, community-based organizations, and other key partners in creating and implementing a personalized, relationship-based approach and/or scaling an initiative already underway. Members participating in the year-long Community of Practice are provided opportunities for networking, professional development, capacity building, coaching, consultations, technical assistance, opportunities to co-create tools and templates, and to make meaningful contributions toward creating transformational change for children and youth within their communities.
Success Planning Community of Practice
Success Planning Virtual Learning Series
Our Success Planning Virtual Learning Series highlights the work of national experts in the field and promising practices of exemplary leaders in local communities engaged in Success Planning or broader personalization strategies.
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Research and Resources
Explore our Success Planning, personalization, and collaborative action resources in our Resource Hub
How Can I Learn More?
If you have additional questions about the Institute for Success Planning, please contact Tauheedah Jackson.