Relay Graduate School of Education

YI’s investment is leveraged by Ed Forward’s investment of $1 million, and the $1 million investment from another funder, for a total of $3 million in start-up capital to establish the Relay Graduate School of Education (Relay) in Washington, D.C. Relay is a nationally accredited alternative school of education that offers graduate degrees and credentials in teacher education and school leadership. Relay is recognized for its unique emphasis on demonstrating teacher effectiveness by requiring their Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) candidates to document improved student outcomes as a graduation requirement of the program.

YI’s strategic assistance will help Relay evaluate the long-term effect of its alumni on student outcomes and support the implementation of strategic initiatives, including family engagement, that produce culturally competent teachers who can successfully educate students from diverse backgrounds.

CHALLENGE

In the District of Columbia, there has been a shortage of teachers, which is reflective of the national “teacher pipeline” crisis of quality teachers stemming from both fewer new entrants to the field and the alarming decline of current teacher retention. Teacher shortages have resulted in vacancies of highly qualified teaching positions for classrooms of all sizes.

GOALS

YI’s investment in Ed Forward as a co-investor in Relay will help the graduate school achieve its aspirations to:

• Build and scale the D.C. site to increase the number of high-quality teachers in the city in both the District of Columbia Public Schools and D.C. public charter schools.
• Launch its first D.C. cohort in the summer of 2017, scaling to enroll at least 230 new and experienced teachers annually within five years.
• Based on these projections, by year five, Relay’s D.C. campus will produce 110 new teachers each year.