Instructional Leadership Professional Development
A summer learning experience for school-based leaders to strengthen their foundational instructional leadership.
Program Participants
Instructional Leadership Professional Development (ILPD) is ideal for instructional leaders at the school level who are responsible for coaching and developing classroom teachers, and who assist in the design of schoolwide systems (e.g. assistant principals, deans, instructional coaches, and more). ILPD is designed to complement Relay’s National Principal Academy Fellowship. This aligned approach allows an entire leadership team to develop their skills in the same core instructional levers.
Program Focus
Research has shown that an aligned, focused school leadership team can have a powerful impact on their school community. ILPD is designed to strengthen the efficacy of school-based leaders by improving their knowledge, skills, and ability to implement instructional leadership practices that will have the greatest impact on student learning.
ILPD participants will learn, practice, and plan, ideally alongside their principal, to develop common student-centered instructional leadership skills. We delve deeply into areas such as:
- Centering Equity: Strengthening awareness and strategies to systematically increase opportunity and remove barriers for historically underserved students.
- Instructional Rigor: Building deep knowledge of the rigor required by grade level standards, and supporting teachers in aligned instructional planning that meets students’ needs.
- Coaching: Building skills in observation and coaching, to better support all teachers.
- Data-Informed Instruction: Leading teachers to analyze student work, identify gaps in their current understanding, and then plan effective instruction to close those gaps.
Program Experience
ILPD is a 4-day program (2 half-days of virtual orientation and 3 days in-person), held during the summer.
Participants will benefit from:
- Expert faculty: Learn from experienced practitioners who have demonstrated effectiveness in the field.
- A network of peers: Join a national network of instructional leaders who can help support each other through implementation of their Relay learning and problem-solve critical challenges.
About Partnership
Ready to get started? Check out The Partnership Process for next steps and the FAQs page for answers to common questions.
Program Schedule
Instructional Leadership Professional Development (ILPD) participants will have the option to attend Summer Intensive in either June or July. The time commitment and content are the same for each cohort.
Summer Intensive
Option 1: June Cohort | New Orleans, LA
June 17, 18, and 20, and 2025
Virtual Sessions
Note: Participants will attend two, half-day sessions in this date range
June 23-26, 2025
In-Person Sessions
Option 2: July Cohort | College Park, MD
July 9-11, 2025
Virtual Sessions
Note: Participants will attend two, half-day sessions in this date range
July 14-17, 2025
In-Person Sessions
Program Cost
$9,000 per participant
The program fee covers:
- High-quality professional development from experienced leaders
- All course materials, licensing fees, and online access to electronic versions of resources
- Hotel room on in-person session dates
- Breakfast, lunch, and snacks during in-person sessions
Deadlines
Partner organizations should request seats for their leaders by the following deadlines. Seats are filled on a first-come, first-served basis and may fill up quickly.
Seat Request Form Opens: January 15, 2025
June Cohort - Seat Request Deadline: May 23, 2025
July Cohort - Seat Request Deadline: June 13, 2025
New to Relay? Check out The Partnership Process page, FAQs, and contact us. We work closely with school systems to select the best program for their needs.
Ready to request seats for SY 2025-26? Fill out the Seat Request Form.
"I really appreciated the time to connect with people on my team as well as people from other places. The facilitation was great.”
—Maya Balakier, Assistant Principal, Highline Academy Charter Schools
Maya's Story
“One thing I learned at Relay was the importance of collaboration with your teachers. Planning together can ensure they see you as a partner and not just an evaluator. Using the meeting protocol I learned in ILPD can ensure everyone stays on topic and is focused not just on teacher moves but also student outcomes.”
Start the Conversation
Are you new to Relay? Or have partnered with Relay in the past, but have questions? We would love to discuss your team's needs and identify which programs would be a good fit. Submit the interest form below to schedule a conversation or pose a question.
Request Seats for ILPD
Ready to sign up your leaders? Complete the Seat Request Form for School Year 2025-2026 programs. (What's next? Read about the partnership process here)