Teaching Lab

Meet the inaugural Robbins Fellows!

Twelve educators. Twelve perspectives. One shared opportunity to rethink what teaching and learning can look like in their schools.

The inaugural cohort of Teaching Lab Studio's Robbins Fellowship for School Innovation brings together school leaders and educators from across the country who will spend the next two years working with their teams to design, test, and refine new models of teaching and learning.

From principals and instructional leaders to educators leading innovation and AI initiatives, each Fellow will work alongside their school-based team at a designated pilot site, learning from evidence and iterating in real classrooms.

Their work will explore what becomes possible when educators have the time, support, and space to build something new.

We’re excited to introduce the 12 educators leading this work.
Learn more about them here:

Teaching Lab Studio Launches the Robbins Fellowship to Help Schools Redesign Teaching and Learning /PRNewswire/ -- With support from Relay Graduate School of Education, Teaching Lab Studio is launching the Robbins Fellowship for School Innovation, a highly...

AI is showing up everywhere in education. But can it actually help teachers do what they already do best?

On October 15, Sarah Johnson, CEO of Relay/Teaching Lab, is joining a conversation about what happens when AI supports strong curriculum, expert teaching, and student learning instead of getting in the way.

The conversation will explore what’s happening in real classrooms, what’s showing promise, and what questions we still need to answer.

Because when it comes to AI and teaching, the technology should follow the learning, not the other way around. Learn more here: https://teachinglab.info/4xWsK0i

Across District 9 in the Bronx, Teaching Lab coaches and D9 teachers spent the start of the school year digging into math structures, fluency, sense-making, and how to bring Illustrative Mathematics routines into their existing practice.

The work started with teachers stepping into the role of students while lessons were modeled with one goal in mind: students doing the heavy lifting and making sense of the mathematics.

One teacher put it simply:

“You made me think, and when I’m teaching, I don’t think. I just do.”

Another teacher reflected on the need to be more intentional about planning and scaffolds, especially when students encounter new material or unfamiliar ways of approaching a problem.

That’s the shift: moving from simply delivering a lesson to intentionally creating the conditions for students to think, reason, and make meaning.

A strong start to the school year begins with thoughtful planning, intentional ex*****on, and plenty of space for students to do the heavy lifting.

District 9 NYC Reads, Year 3, is officially LAUNCHED!

Last week our team joined District 9’s all-principals launch across the district. The gathering gave us space to connect with school and district leaders before the coaching work begins, align on the year ahead, and name the conditions that make strong partnerships possible.

Throughout the day, we worked alongside District leaders to explore MTSS and a new capacity-building approach to coaching. We also reflected on the systems, relationships, and shared commitments that help school partnerships move beyond activity toward meaningful, sustained progress.

It is an approach grounded in what we have learned through our work with districts nationwide: schools need aligned priorities, strong systems, and leadership capacity to build lasting change. Partnerships need the same clarity, trust, and shared ownership.

That was the throughline for the day: coherence in schools, coherence in partnership.

We are excited to continue this work alongside District 9 leaders, principals, and educators, and to see what Year 3 makes possible for students.

: Our coach held a dynamic professional learning session in Bronx’s District 9!

Partnering with passionate math teachers and school leaders, we explored units and lessons, dedicating much of the day to crafting meaningful summer curriculum plans together. With the school using IM, we focused on powerful math structures, fluency, sense-making, and student thinking protocols.

The strong relationships we've built continue to fuel this work, driving lasting impact and growth in New York City.

We believe AI should strengthen the work of teaching and learning in classrooms.
Help us bring this conversation to Austin.

A Teaching Lab + Relay session with Coursemojo and DREAM is up for SXSW EDU 2027 Community Voting, and we would love to see it on the stage.

Relay CEO Sarah Johnson will join educators and school-system leaders to discuss what happens as AI moves from the demo to middle-school literacy classrooms. The panel draws on work across two New York City school systems, including how teacher feedback shaped the tool and how educators used it with students.

Vote by August 23 for “Making Classroom AI Work for Teachers and Students”: https://teachinglab.info/4xMtpBf

What changes when multilingual learners can build new literacy skills while expanding on the language they already know? At Lowell Elementary, a schoolwide commitment to coaching, collaboration, and biliteracy helped multilingual learners strengthen their reading and writing while building on the language they already know.

The result? Students gained confidence, teachers aligned around shared instructional practices, and literacy outcomes began to change.

Read how Lowell Elementary partnered with Teaching Lab to create lasting change for multilingual learners:

Multilingual Learners Success Story — Lowell Elementary See how Lowell Elementary (SAUSD) built a coherent, coached approach to literacy for multilingual learners through PLCs, instructional walkthroughs, and biliteracy bridging with Teaching Lab.

Teachers, is your literacy curriculum ready?

A high-quality curriculum is only part of the equation. The real impact comes from how it's brought to life in classrooms.

Our FREE Elementary Literacy Curriculum Implementation Playbook is designed to help teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders start the school year with practical strategies. Whether you're welcoming students back this week or preparing for the weeks ahead, this playbook is a practical resource to help your team start strong.

Download today and set your literacy implementation up for success this school year:

Literacy Curriculum Implementation Playbook The Elementary Literacy Curriculum Implementation Playbook helps schools structure effective literacy blocks, leveraging data-driven practices to improve literacy outcomes for students while fostering professional growth for teachers.

Teachers are at the center of every conversation about strengthening the teaching profession.

Join the Overdeck Family Foundation on August 12 at 1 p.m. ET for a conversation on how schools are rethinking staffing models to create more opportunities for educators and increase access to great teaching for students.

Sarah Johnson, CEO of Relay GSE, will join education leaders and researchers to share insights on what these approaches mean for the future of teaching and learning.

Register here: https://teachinglab.info/4w1Brou

At the NYC Reads Vendor Summer Institute, our team joined district leaders and partners in meaningful conversations about planning for the year ahead, staying deeply engaged in the work of strengthening literacy across New York City schools.

One highlight was a presentation from Teaching Lab and District 13, showcasing how sustained alignment and coherence across stakeholders can build the conditions for long-term impact. It was a powerful reminder that lasting change happens through strong partnerships, shared vision, and a commitment to supporting educators every step of the way.

We're grateful to partner with NYC Reads and districts across the city as we work together to create better outcomes for teachers and students.