Bringing Curriculum to Life to Maximize Impact: A Case Study of New York City Public Schools and Relay GSE
One of the most promising shifts in education today is the growing investment in rigorous curricula and high-quality instructional materials (HQIM). These tools are designed to help teachers focus on what matters most: delivering meaningful, high-level learning experiences for every student.
But strong materials and initial training aren’t enough. To truly bring a curriculum to life—and make it work for all learners—educators need time, support, and smart systems for planning, practicing, and refining instruction.
That’s exactly what’s happening at P.S. 268, The Emma Lazarus Elementary School in Brooklyn, NY. Working with Relay to implement Wit & Wisdom, a rigorous new reading curriculum, the school made a dramatic leap—from one of the lowest-performing to one of the highest-performing schools in District 18.
High Leverage Strategies to Deepen Impact
Now, the district is partnering with Relay to expand this work across all of its elementary and middle schools. At the heart of this effort are five high-leverage strategies:
- Internalizing modules and lessons to understand the bar for mastery and how each part of the curriculum builds towards it
- Annotating lessons to craft specific, actionable plans for bringing instruction to life
- Structured collaboration to identify, plan for, and practice addressing student misconceptions
- Observation and feedback cycles centered on lesson alignment and student learning
- Engaged school leadership—leaders become curriculum experts, plan alongside teachers, provide ongoing support, and align professional learning to teacher needs.
You can see these strategies in action in our case study, Bringing Curriculum to Life to Maximize Impact. Principal Rick Romain, a graduate of Relay’s National Principal Academy Fellowship, demonstrates how this work gives teachers the clarity and confidence to make informed decisions—staying true to the curriculum while meeting the needs of their students.