Faculty members at the University of Memphis are fighting any partnership between the university and the Relay “Graduate School of Education.”
The student newspaper writes:
“Can Relay Graduate School of Education produce quality educators after a one-year teaching residency in one of Memphis’ charter schools?
“The University of Memphis is reconsidering this question after faculty senate members have asked university president David M. Rudd to reevaluate the potential impact of a proposed partnership between the university, Relay, and Shelby County Schools/ Achievement School District.
“The proposed program is drawing concern from faculty members and people in the community, where charter schools already use young teachers who obtain teaching certification from other non-traditional programs such as Teach for America or Memphis Teacher Residency.
“The faculty senate unanimously voted to independently investigate any risks that Relay might pose to current university programs. Additionally, a task force likely to include Provost Karen Weddle-West, College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences Dean Ernest Rakow, and Professor of Educational Leadership Reginald Green will be established to offer recommendations for a university partnership with SCS/ASD.
“Relay is a one-year teaching residency program available to undergraduates from any major, and while their training period is substantially longer than other alternative certification programs, some feel that it is still inadequate.
“With what they are doing, it is impossible to become a good teacher — especially if you do not have an educational background in areas like the psychology of education,” said Mate Wierdl, a U of M professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences and a faculty senate member.
“Relay’s official website outlines of their curriculum, that includes reviewing recorded classroom footage of student’s teaching interactions, as well as online tutorials. Wierdl, however, is perturbed by other concerns.
“We don’t exactly know what Relay is doing. We know that Relay is a company based in New York. We know that it is four years old. Otherwise, it has no track record whatsoever,” said Wierdl. “It’s just the strangest thing — that somehow charter school teachers can train other charter school teachers, and in New York and now in Tennessee, they can give out master’s degrees.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
GREAT!
Reblogged this on Exceptional Delaware and commented:
Delaware DOE, are you reading this? How much of the $505,000 have you paid Relay?
⚠️ https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y3-aAx4SOn0
cheap imitation of the real thing
Yes. The leaders and enablers and enforcers of the “new civil rights of our time” want to get world-class luxury education at the Rheephorm 99¢ Store. That’s when they’re shopping for us and OTHER PEOPLE’S CHILDREN.
For themselves and THEIR OWN CHILDREN, there always Lakeside School and Exeter Academy and Crankbrook and Delbarton School and Harpeth Hall and Deerfield Academy and Spence School and such. When it comes to what they’ll pony up, the sky’s the limit—or rather no limit. Whatever it takes. However much it takes.
Of course, that’s not what they peddle in public. But the type is not particular to the 21st century.
Very old. Very dead. Very Greek. Nailed them to the wall long long ago.
“Hateful to me as are the gates of hell, Is he who, hiding one thing in his heart, Utters another.” Homer
😎
Read Peggy Robertson’s blogs to see the real horror this is doing on kids. While the idea that it’s a graduate school is bad, what is being forced on the kids is unacceptable.
So it begins …
Maybe this will wake up the high ed stoners now …
And now the attack on college faculty in Connecticut- from Jon Pelto
http://jonathanpelto.com/2015/09/18/uconn-hires-gov-chris-christie-connected-law-firm-to-negotiate-contract-with-faculty-union/
In New Jersey the requirements for university based teacher education programs keep getting jacked up while approval for outfits like Relay suggests that Trenton doesn’t think that anyone needs us anyway:
http://danielskatz.net/2015/03/27/does-anyone-in-education-reform-care-if-teaching-is-a-profession/
We don’t exactly know what Relay is doing.”
If so, then you are part of the problem along with others who are engaged in this overthrow of academic freedom at your university. You seem to be giving that freedom away as if that is a trivial matter. It is not.
Weirdl is one of those fighting Relay. It’s true that he doesn’t know exactly what they are doing. They are secretive. He’s done all the research possible on the subject, however. He’s fought hard against Relay, and those in our city who are paying attention are very grateful to him!
Can’t speak for the faculty, but the President might be a good target for a no confidence vote if details of conversations are not made public.
On the other hand, the priorities on the website, especially numbers 1 and 4 look like a good fit for a Relay “relationship.” Then the question becomes, who set these priorities and how and when? Maybe that the era of faculty having any say in decisions is crashing into the same walls as in K-12 education.
Highest Priorities
1. Increase enrollment, retention and graduation rates for all students.
2. Continue to incorporate innovation and technology into instruction to enhance student success across all domains.
3. Increase research and scholarly/creative activity, along with external funding.
4. Grow and advance entrepreneurial and commercialization activity.
5. Employ appropriate support to enhance the academic experience for students through coaching, mentoring, tutoring and advising.
In Newark Cami Anderson endorsed ONLY Relay. It is a small incestuous circle where Masters Degrees are given in a weekend. All of it is meant to undermine not only public schools and public school traditionally trained veteran experienced (even novices at MSU in Montclair do Clinal 1 and 2 for a period of 2 semesters) but it also spits in the face of those who actually want to be teachers and the colleges at which they train to be teachers.
If Kopp and Rhee had their way, TNTP and TFA would be the only places producing teachers — and perhaps then the salaries and rights of teachers would escalate — for it would be a perpetual reviving door of fresh meat, no pensions, no ongoing benefits and more monies for administrators of charters and the “non-profits” that produce the fresh meat.
I’m glad there is pushback. Wasn’t there another university that was planning to partner with TFA, undermining its own education program? Didn’t that get fought as well? I wonder how that turned out.
Diploma mills like Relay are the reason we need independent college accreditation – those ppl who are qualified to say whether the degree you are getting matches the education you are receiving.