Relay Graduate School of Education–Illinois

Get to Know Relay

Relay serves 4,000+ teachers and 1,200+ school leaders across the country. Relay partners with multiple TFA regions to maximize alignment and to negotiate at scale a lower tuition rate.

Their approach:

• Blend theory alongside practice-based approached with real-world applications to your classroom

• Build supportive communities of adult learners for your cohort

Relay’s 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.

Relay focuses on four elements of effective instruction in your classroom:

1. Building subject knowledge (content)

2. Cultivating a fun and productive learning Environment (Classroom Culture)

3. Developing personal connections with students and families, cultivation of self-reflection, and increasing community awareness (Self & Other People)

4. Creating high-quality lessons (Teaching Cycle)

And Relay breaks up your content from Year 1 to Year 2 based on what skills you’ll need as a beginning teacher.

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:

• 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

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. Some highlights of your second year will include:

• Learning specific, proven techniques to build rigorous and joyful classrooms

• Exploring principles of culturally-responsive teaching

• Strategies for creating an inclusive environment for students of all backgrounds

• Completing your capstone project and Master’s Defense, where you will analyze students’ performance and growth

• Opportunities to reflect on your development as an educator.

Cost

• $10,000 total (pre-AmeriCorps award*).

• The AmeriCorps award is a federally funded grant that needs to be approved by Congress each year. We cannot guarantee the continued funding of AmeriCorps but TFA will continue to advocate for its existence. The AmeriCorps education award can be used to pay for grad school tuition, pay off other federally funded student loans, or pay for other educational expenses.

Application Process

• November-January: Read about Relay on the hub, ask TFA staff questions.

• January-May: The Relay Application will be released to you via email. The application process takes 1-2 hours and will include (but is not limited to) sending in transcripts, entering demographic information and a short essay response. Teach For America will send Letters of Recommendation on your behalf. You cannot begin the application process until you receive the official email from Relay GSE.

• May: Your Relay application is due. You will be assigned a specific due date when you receive your application email in March. You cannot attend Pre-Service if your application is incomplete.

• June-July: Complete Relay Summer Coursework (this will be built in to your Pre-Service experience).

• August: Fall semester begins (official first day of Fall classes will be released by Relay during your Orientation at Pre-Service).