Relay Graduate School of Education Programs: Empowering Educators for Transformative Change

Relay Graduate School of Education offers a range of programs designed to equip teachers and leaders with the skills and knowledge necessary to drive positive change in education. These programs, grounded in practice and focused on student outcomes, cater to aspiring and experienced educators alike, fostering a national community of empowered professionals.

Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Program

Relay's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program provides teachers with the opportunity to earn their graduate degree and the credentials they need to launch or advance their careers. Aspiring teachers can enroll in a residency program that includes an apprentice year and opportunities to earn a teaching certification and an optional special education certification, while current teachers can opt to earn their master’s degree with or without special education certification. Enrollment is now open for Summer and Fall 2026.

The MAT program is designed to provide you with the opportunities for practice and individualized feedback you’ll need to nurture your skillset over time.

Program Overview

Relay’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program allows educators to expand their pedagogical knowledge and skills regardless of where they are in their careers. This program provides options for new teachers joining the profession for the first time and experienced educators who wish to expand their education and career.

“Relay is a hands-on program that aligns perfectly to teaching. I love attending Relay classes because I feel that they help me improve the way I teach, and my students benefit from it as a result.”- Kai Lee, MAT

Read also: Funding Your Graduate Education

Key Features of the MAT Program

Expert Faculty: Work with expert faculty who have vast experience in education practice and theory.
Dedicated Cohort: Be a part of a dedicated cohort where you can connect with peers on the same path.
Targeted Feedback: Get targeted, personal feedback from professors and peers.
Authentic Practice: Experience authentic practice to develop your skills and confidence in the classroom.
Proven Teaching Skills: Learn proven teaching skills to improve student outcomes.
Educator's Mindset: Further develop your educator’s mindset to build a vibrant, learning-filled classroom.
Pedagogical Expertise: Develop pedagogical expertise in your chosen subject area.
Whole Child Education: Learn strategies to support and educate the whole child.

Curriculum Highlights

Relay’s curriculum combines theory and experience, so you’ll not only have the foundational knowledge to transform your students’ lives, but also the practical skills you’ll need to build a strong classroom culture.

MAT Program Structure and Assignments

Assignments that leverage your current classroom to build authentic skills. Our MAT curriculum is delivered in a hybrid format. The majority of assignments consist of video submissions of your teaching in action and your work samples (e.g., lesson plans) to give your professors an authentic representation of your classroom. MAT candidates set ambitious and attainable academic and career growth goals for students, track their progress, and analyze student performance to inform and adapt instruction. This structure is designed to provide you with the opportunities for practice and individualized feedback you’ll need to nurture your skillset over time.

Educating All Students: Accommodations for Diverse Learners

At the heart of Relay’s culture and teaching is inclusivity. Throughout the two-year MAT program, you will learn to understand and respond to differences among your classroom learners. These intentional skills will help you identify and implement accommodations based on students’ needs and use the Universal Design for Learning to accommodate learner variability in group settings. Relay offers a Special Education Certification program for teachers who would like to develop their skills to support students with exceptional needs after completing the MAT program.

The Four Elements of Effective Instruction

Our MAT curriculum focuses on the Four Elements of Instruction:

Building subject knowledge (content)
Cultivating a fun and productive learning Environment (Classroom Culture)
Developing personal connections with students and families, cultivation of self-reflection, and increasing community awareness (Self & Other People)
Creating high-quality lessons (Teaching Cycle)

Year 1: Positive Culture, Foundational Skills, Supporting all learners, and State Certification

The first year in Relay’s MAT program focuses on fundamental skills every teacher needs, building positive classroom culture, and completing state certification (as needed). In your first year, you will learn:

Read also: Graduate Fees at CMU

To build relationships with students, their families, and your colleagues
To cultivate a positive classroom culture
Teaching strategies specific to your chosen grade level and subject area
Data-driven instruction techniques and methods to measure student progress and outcomes

Year 2: Culturally Responsive Teaching, Advanced Skills and Master’s Defense

The MAT program’s second year provides an in-depth exploration of lesson and unit planning and culminates in a capstone project and Masters’ Defense.

Relay Master's Defense

As a part of the MAT program, all students will complete a capstone project and master’s defense. This conclusion to the program allows you to reflect on your evolution as a teacher and your students’ progress. You’ll graduate confident and ready to ensure all students in your classroom learn and grow, both academically and as individuals.

Degree Programs

Relay Graduate School of Education offers MAT degrees in various specializations, each requiring a specific number of credits:

32 Credits

MAT in Early Childhood Education
MAT in Elementary Education
MAT in English Language Arts Education
MAT in Mathematics Education
MAT in Middle Grades Education
MAT in Science Education
MAT in Social Studies Education

39 Credits

MAT in Early Childhood Special Education
MAT in Special Education

Certification Endorsement Areas

Students in this program will pursue teacher certification in one of the following areas through the NYS Transitional B Program. Certification must correspond with the content of their degree program.

Biology (Grades 5-9)
Biology (Grades 7-12)
Chemistry (Grades 5-9)
Chemistry (Grades 7-12)
Childhood Education (Grades 1-6)
Early Childhood Education (Birth - 2)
Earth Science (Grades 5-9)
English Language Arts (Grades 5-9)
English Language Arts (Grades 7-12)
Generalist in Middle Childhood Education (Grades 5-9)
Mathematics (Grades 5-9)
Mathematics (Grades 7-12)
Physics (Grades 5-9)
Physics (Grades 7-12)
Social Studies (Grades 5-9)
Social Studies (Grades 7-12)

Students in the MAT in Early Childhood Special Education are required to pursue dual certification in the following two endorsement areas:

Students with Disabilities (Birth-Grade 2)
Early Childhood Education (Birth - 2)

Students in the MAT in Special Education have two choices. If they want to teach grades 1-6, they are required to pursue dual certification in the following two endorsement areas:

Students with Disabilities (Grades 1-6)
Childhood Education (Grades 1-6)

If they would like to teach grades 7-12, they are required to pursue the following endorsement area, and they will also choose a Relay-specific “Area of Study” (i.e. Programs for Teachers

Relay Professional Education

Relay Professional Education partners with schools, systems (traditional district and charter), peer organizations, and states to help bring their vision for their learning community to life.

The Relay Experience

Relay Professional Education partners with schools, systems (traditional district and charter), peer organizations, and states to help bring their vision for their learning community to life. Our approach is:

Actionable and practice-based: Educators learn and practice skills they can apply tomorrow.
Evidence-based and data-informed: We share strategies drawn from our faculty’s deep experience, and focus on how to use data to continuously improve.
Supportive and community-oriented: Our faculty intentionally create inclusive and affirming adult learning spaces, where participants are encouraged to create community and bring their full selves.
Relevant and responsive curriculum: We treat student centricity not as a separate unit, but as a fundamental part of all teaching and leading.
Flexible and accessible: Online coursework allows educators to fit their professional learning around their schedules - without sacrificing quality. We focus on keeping costs affordable for educators and our partners.
Evidence-based, practical curriculum: Our approach is based in current research and field experience.

Since 2013, Relay has facilitated:

Leadership Programs
Teacher Professional Education workshops since they began in 2019

According to participants:

90% of participants report that Relay training prepared them to strengthen teaching and learning systems and practices in their schools.

Leadership Programs

Relay Leadership Programs are designed to provide a space for leaders to learn together, inspire and empower each other, and return to their schools with the skills and clear vision on how to better serve students, teachers, and school communities.

Instructional Leadership Academies

In-depth leadership development programs that enable school and system-level leaders from across the country to become exceptional instructional leaders and transform their schools, districts, or networks. We strongly encourage districts to send teams of leaders to the programs that are right for them - this aligned approach creates the greatest impact.

Site-Based Leadership Support

Additional customized training, coaching, and development, specific to the needs of your instructional leadership teams.

Program Features

An experienced facilitator: All are highly-effective current or former school or system leaders.
Immediately actionable content: Our fellowship programs, targeted coaching, and job-embedded support provide educators with actionable development that can be implemented in their schools almost immediately.
A practice-based approach: At “Intersession” convenings, we provide ample time for small group discussion, practice, and synthesis of material.
A supportive community: Facilitators create a warm and productive adult learning environment for leaders, encouraging collaboration both with their district teams and with colleagues from different regions or contexts.

Relay’s Evolving Model Curriculum

As teachers of educators, we must evolve our approach to match the times as teaching and learning change. In recent years, Relay has refined and deepened our model in response to research and feedback from our faculty and students. Now, we are rolling out some exciting changes based on our findings.

Testimonials

“This was the best facilitated online session I have attended. What a great model for our teachers and for myself as a leader. I am blown away by how engaging, organized, and meaningful this session was.”-Heather Lee-Joy, Assistant Principal, KIPP Austin Brave
“I loved how intentional everything was. The questions and break-out groups felt super appropriate and really helped my understanding of the material.”-Liz Potosky, Teacher, Columbus Collegiate Academy
“Participating in Relay's Leadership Programs turned pedagogy into meaningful outcomes for our kids, which, in my opinion, ranks it among the best professional development opportunities for educators across the globe.”-Eddie Rangel, Executive Director of Adelante Schools
“Relay is the only professional learning in my twenty years of service in education that has made an impact on my practice, and as a result I am a better leader and coach. I can see how my work impacts my colleagues, school leaders, and students in the schools I serve.”-Renae Schreiner, Director of Turnaround Support Team, Jefferson County School District

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