We know that great teachers are developed, not born. Relay provides students with structured support for aspiring teachers and a gradual on-ramp to teaching through the Relay Teaching Residency (RTR) and the New York Teacher Pathway. Both the Relay Teaching Residency and the NY Teacher Pathway programs are offered through partnerships with select partner schools, districts, and networks. They allow students to spend a full year embedded in the classroom of a school-based mentor prior to leading their own classroom. All students are supported through clinical practice courses where students are able to connect theory to school context by engaging in deliberate practice and focused reflection.

All students participating in the RTR or NY Teacher Pathway are enrolled in a Relay Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program or a non-degree teacher certification/licensure program. Students spend their first year working in a Birth–Grade 12 school as an apprentice, gradually taking on more responsibility throughout the year as they develop the knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to lead their own classrooms as full-time teachers.

*In accordance with an April 2022 amendment to Sections 52.21 and 80-5.24 of the New York Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, the terms New York Relay Teacher Pathway and New York Teacher Pathway participant will be used in lieu of Relay Teaching Residency and Relay Teaching Resident to describe this program offering and its participants in New York state for the 2023-2024 academic year.