Relay Graduate School of Education

Relay Graduate School of Education
Name	Relay Graduate School of Education
Established	2011
Type	Graduate school
Headquarters	New York City
Country	United States

Relay Graduate School of Education

Relay Graduate School of Education is a private graduate institution focused on teacher preparation and professional development for educators across the United States. Founded in 2011, the institution grew through partnerships with urban school networks and philanthropic organizations to offer clinical, practice-based programs for teachers and school leaders. Relay emphasizes competency-based instruction and mentor-driven clinical practice in collaboration with charter networks, district agencies, and nonprofit partners.

History

Relay traces its origins to an initiative started by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NewSchools Venture Fund, and leaders associated with Teach For America and Uncommon Schools to design practice-focused preparation for urban educators. Early support and pilot programs involved partnerships with KIPP, Achievement First, and The New Teacher Project that experimented with residency models and competency-based assessments. Public figures and funders connected to Michael Bloomberg, Eli Broad, and Laurene Powell Jobs endorsed scaling alternative certification alongside traditional routes. Relay's founding leadership included professionals who had previously worked with Harvard University clinical programs, Columbia University teacher training, and Princeton University educational initiatives. Over the 2010s, Relay expanded into multiple cities, aligning with municipal agencies such as New York City Department of Education and collaborations involving Chicago Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District. The organization’s growth paralleled national conversations involving stakeholders like U.S. Department of Education, National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, and philanthropy-led reform movements including Annenberg Foundation-backed projects.

Programs and Curriculum

Relay offers master's degrees, certificate programs, and continuing professional development emphasizing clinical practice, coached instruction, and formative assessment. Coursework draws on instructional frameworks used by networks such as KIPP, Uncommon Schools, Success Academy Charter Schools, and Boston Public Schools, integrating coaching models inspired by School Leadership Practitioners and technical assistance from entities like The Broad Center and TNTP. Core curriculum components include lesson design, classroom routines, differentiated instruction, and school leadership practices influenced by research from John Hattie, Charlotte Danielson, and Dylan Wiliam. Relay’s teacher residency and principal preparation programs incorporate supervised practica similar to models at Bank Street College of Education and clinical partnerships comparable to Teachers College, Columbia University programs. Elective modules address special populations and literacy strategies drawn from work by Marie Clay, Louise Spear-Swerling, and P. David Pearson.

Accreditation and Governance

Relay’s degree offerings are accredited through regional and state accreditors and involve oversight from bodies analogous to Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation and state boards like New York State Education Department and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Governance includes a board with members drawn from nonprofit leadership, philanthropic organizations, and corporate partners with connections to Carnegie Corporation of New York, Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation, and private sector executives formerly affiliated with Goldman Sachs and McKinsey & Company. Institutional leaders have engaged with federal initiatives run by Office of Special Education Programs and policy dialogues involving National Governors Association and Council of the Great City Schools.

Admissions and Student Body

Admissions prioritize candidates pursuing clinical residency routes, lateral-entry programs, and experienced educators seeking advancement to leadership roles. The student body includes recent college graduates, Teach For America alumni, career changers from organizations such as Peace Corps and AmeriCorps, and veteran teachers from districts like Chicago Public Schools and Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Recruitment is supported by scholarship partnerships with foundations including The Walton Family Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, and regional philanthropic arms of institutions like Silicon Valley Community Foundation. Demographic and enrollment data reflect a concentration of candidates committed to urban schooling contexts and to networks such as Achievement First and Green Dot Public Schools.

Campus Locations and Facilities

Relay operates multiple regional hubs and satellite sites, with major centers established in New York City, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and Washington, D.C.. Facilities typically include seminar rooms, observation studios, and coaching centers inspired by clinical lab spaces found at Bank Street College of Education and Teachers College, Columbia University. Relay has used shared spaces and partnerships with charter networks like KIPP and nonprofit organizations such as New Leaders to host internships, practicums, and residency cohorts. Online and hybrid modalities leverage learning management systems similar to those used by Coursera and edX for asynchronous coursework, while synchronous coaching sessions draw on videoconferencing technologies popularized by companies like Zoom Video Communications.

Partnerships and Impact

Relay’s partnerships span charter networks, district offices, philanthropic funders, and research organizations. Major collaborations include KIPP, Uncommon Schools, Success Academy Charter Schools, Chicago Public Schools, and New York City Department of Education, with philanthropic support from entities such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Walton Family Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Research partnerships and program evaluations have involved universities and think tanks including Urban Institute, RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, and American Institutes for Research to study teacher effectiveness, retention, and student outcomes. Graduates have taken roles in networks and schools associated with Teach For America, Green Dot Public Schools, and district-run innovation zones, influencing instructional coaching models and principal pipelines.

Controversies and Criticism

Relay has been subject to debate and critique from scholars, teacher unions, and policy analysts. Critics affiliated with organizations like American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association have voiced concerns over alternative certification pathways and the role of philanthropy from groups such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Walton Family Foundation in shaping teacher preparation. Some researchers at institutions like Teachers College, Columbia University and University of California, Berkeley have questioned efficacy claims and cited mixed findings from evaluations conducted by RAND Corporation and Brookings Institution. Debates have also involved municipal leaders in New York City and Chicago over credentialing standards, compensation structures, and partnerships with charter networks such as KIPP and Uncommon Schools. Legal and regulatory scrutiny has intersected with state agencies including New York State Education Department and national policy discussions involving the U.S. Department of Education.

Category:Teacher training institutions