Agenda Item
a. Relay Graduate School of Education ~ Leverage Leadership 2.0 Professional Learning and Coaching Partnership (Not to exceed $210,400)
Summary: Presented by: Champion Michelle Dillard, Chief of Schools & Leadership Division of Schools & Leadership
Request: It is requested that the Board of Education approve the partnership with Relay Graduate School of Education to deliver School Improvement training, school-based coaching, instructional rounds, and executive leadership support for school leaders in DCSD’s Area 2, Area 3, and Horizon schools for FY26. The total amount requested for implementation and coaching support is $210,400.
Why: To accelerate school improvement and build leadership capacity in priority schools, the district seeks to invest in professional learning aligned with Leverage Leadership 2.0. Relay GSE will provide a high-quality, evidence-based model to build principal and school leadership team expertise in instructional leadership practices such as teacher feedback, student culture, data meetings, and leadership planning.
Key reasons for this investment include:
Building Leadership Capacity: Relay’s hands-on model develops instructional leadership muscles through side-by-side coaching and practice.
Supporting Priority Schools: This work will directly support Horizon, Sustained Support, and DCSD Prioritized schools within Area 2, Area 3, and Horizon Area.
Aligning with Strategic Improvement: The content and coaching reinforce the district’s focus on targeted feedback, data-informed decision-making, and instructional excellence.
Sustainable Change: A yearlong investment in coaching, coupled with summer training, ensures durable leadership practices that positively impact instruction and student outcomes.
Details: Relay’s scope of work includes:
Summer 2025 Leadership Institute: Four days of in-person training for up to 150 participants focused on:
Student culture
Observation and feedback
Weekly data meetings
Leadership planning (Strong Start Playbooks)
School-Based Coaching: Embedded coaching through:
Eight full days of on-site visits across four priority schools
64 hours of virtual coaching for selected leaders and PLCs
Instructional Rounds: Two days of walkthroughs and learning experiences for up to 15 leaders per site, conducted across 2-4 priority schools
Executive Coaching: 12 hours of virtual executive coaching for senior instructional leaders
Financial impact: The purchase amount not to exceed $210,400 will be paid using general funds budgeted by:
GL Account#
100.1000.511600.01211.8410.1031.8010.020.0000
Contact: Mrs. Michelle Dillard, Chief of Schools, Division of Schools & Leadership, 678-676-0542
Effective: July 30, 2025 - June 30, 2026
Status: Approved by the Office of Legal Affairs
RELAY: Leverage Leadership Impact Data
NAEP Math Grade Level Equivalent (GLE) NAEP Reading Grade Level Equivalent
Growth from 2022 to 2024 across 4 Urban (GLE) Growth from 2022 to 2024 across 3
School Districts Urban School Districts
District Math Growth District Reading Growth
Memphis-Shelby County
Atlanta Public Schools 0.1 0.01
Schools (MSCS)
Memphis-Shelby County Washington DC Public
0.34 0.26
Schools (MSCS) Schools (DCPS)
Philadelphia School Atlanta Public Schools 0.15
0.1
District (SDP) Source: Education Recovery Scorecard
(Harvard CEPR + Stanford SEDA)
Washington DC Public 0.73
Schools (DCPS)
Source: Education Recovery Scorecard
(Harvard CEPR + Stanford SEDA) Philadelphia School District (SDP)
In math, compared to the largest and poorest of the
participating urban Districts that take the NAEP test, School
Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) District of Philadelphia came the closest to pre-pandemic
Achieved Level 5 TVAAS (Tennessee Value-Added Assessment System) score for achievement levels.
three consecutive years, the highest measure of student growth, across all grade
levels and subjects.
In 2018 Shelby County’s school turnaround (iZone) team drew from Relay/Leverage
Leadership materials in creating a district “leadership playbook” for its priority
schools. iZone schools saw dramatic gains: one elementary school (Longview)
“nearly doubled” its reading proficiency and raised math proficiency from 8.8% to
35.5% over two years. Another (Woodson) increased its math-on-track rate (from
8.3% to 35.5%). iZone principals were using structured data meetings, frequent
classroom visits, and shared practices (all core to Leverage Leadership) to drive
instruction.
Washington DC Public Schools (DCPS)
NAEP scores improved or stayed consistent across all
4th and 8th grade Reading and Math
Atlanta Public Schools
Average score for 4th grade math +8 pts, 4th grade
Achieved an 88.4 % graduation rate reading +2pts
for cohort 2024, the highest all-time Average score for 8th grade math +2 pts, 8th grade
graduation rate for the district reading +2 pts
NAEP 4th grade reading +6.9 pts
Education Recovery Scorecard
School District of Philadelphia
Memphis-Shelby County Schools
Memphis-iZone
RELAY Leverage Leadership Program