Dr. Matt Rhoads
@matthewrhoads.com
11-time author | AI, Instructional Leadership & Cognitive Science | Consultant for K-12, Adult Ed & Higher Ed | matthewrhoads.com
The model is the access point. If your co-teaching model defaults to one teacher talking and the other managing, you are not co-teaching. You are staffing. The model you run decides what your students learn. What model is actually doing the teaching?
September 19, 2026 at 2:30 PM
The model is the access point. If your co-teaching model defaults to one teacher talking and the other managing, you are not co-teaching. You are staffing. The model you run decides what your students learn. What model is actually doing the teaching?
The question is not whether students use AI. It is when. Timed access beat unrestricted access in the study I keep citing. The norm you set in week one sets the year. When will you set the AI norm in your classroom?
September 17, 2026 at 2:30 PM
The question is not whether students use AI. It is when. Timed access beat unrestricted access in the study I keep citing. The norm you set in week one sets the year. When will you set the AI norm in your classroom?
New instructional coaches start the year with a portfolio full of frameworks and no clear first move. I keep telling them the framework is not the plan. The plan is the relationship, then the observation, then the feedback. What is your first move as a coach this year?
September 15, 2026 at 8:15 PM
New instructional coaches start the year with a portfolio full of frameworks and no clear first move. I keep telling them the framework is not the plan. The plan is the relationship, then the observation, then the feedback. What is your first move as a coach this year?
The most common co-teaching model in American schools is one teach, one observe. It is the safest model and the least useful one. We built Co-Teaching Evolved to move past it. The model you default to is the one that decides what your students learn. What model are you actually running?
September 12, 2026 at 2:30 PM
The most common co-teaching model in American schools is one teach, one observe. It is the safest model and the least useful one. We built Co-Teaching Evolved to move past it. The model you default to is the one that decides what your students learn. What model are you actually running?
A superintendent told me her AI dashboard showed login frequency up 40 percent this year. That is a good number. It is also the wrong number. I keep asking what the 40 percent bought in learning. The dashboard does not say. What would your district measure if it could only pick one learning outcome?
September 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
A superintendent told me her AI dashboard showed login frequency up 40 percent this year. That is a good number. It is also the wrong number. I keep asking what the 40 percent bought in learning. The dashboard does not say. What would your district measure if it could only pick one learning outcome?
New post: one focus for instructional coaching this year. Four words, grounded in cognitive science: Cut. Match. Show. Again.
Cut what students must hold. Match words to a visual that carries meaning. Show a fully worked example first. Return to it again, spaced and on purpose.
Cut what students must hold. Match words to a visual that carries meaning. Show a fully worked example first. Return to it again, spaced and on purpose.
September 10, 2026 at 12:39 AM
New post: one focus for instructional coaching this year. Four words, grounded in cognitive science: Cut. Match. Show. Again.
Cut what students must hold. Match words to a visual that carries meaning. Show a fully worked example first. Return to it again, spaced and on purpose.
Cut what students must hold. Match words to a visual that carries meaning. Show a fully worked example first. Return to it again, spaced and on purpose.
Before teachers pick up a new tool, they should ask: what does the science say this tool actually does for learning? The demo is not the evidence. What is the evidence behind your next tool?
September 9, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Before teachers pick up a new tool, they should ask: what does the science say this tool actually does for learning? The demo is not the evidence. What is the evidence behind your next tool?
Most school systems measure AI adoption by login counts. Logins tell you students are there. They do not tell you students are learning. I keep asking leaders for the learning evidence and keep getting the engagement dashboard. What would it look like to measure learning instead of access?
September 9, 2026 at 7:35 PM
Most school systems measure AI adoption by login counts. Logins tell you students are there. They do not tell you students are learning. I keep asking leaders for the learning evidence and keep getting the engagement dashboard. What would it look like to measure learning instead of access?
New coaches don't need more frameworks. They need a sequence: trust first, then instructional range, then systemic impact. My 25 Tips gives first-year coaches a 90-day plan from listening to leading change.
amazon.com/dp/B0DZQRL7YC?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
amazon.com/dp/B0DZQRL7YC?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
September 5, 2026 at 4:00 PM
New coaches don't need more frameworks. They need a sequence: trust first, then instructional range, then systemic impact. My 25 Tips gives first-year coaches a 90-day plan from listening to leading change.
amazon.com/dp/B0DZQRL7YC?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
amazon.com/dp/B0DZQRL7YC?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
We wrote 50 Tips for New Teachers with Dr. Fecich, Dr. Jakubowski, and Dr. Leichtman because the first year needs a sequence, not more theory. First 50 days, first grading period, first parent conference. Five min to read, one class period to apply.
amazon.com/dp/1737864347?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
amazon.com/dp/1737864347?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
September 4, 2026 at 4:00 PM
We wrote 50 Tips for New Teachers with Dr. Fecich, Dr. Jakubowski, and Dr. Leichtman because the first year needs a sequence, not more theory. First 50 days, first grading period, first parent conference. Five min to read, one class period to apply.
amazon.com/dp/1737864347?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
amazon.com/dp/1737864347?tag=drrhoadseduca-20 #ad
44% of new teachers leave within five years. The first year is the highest-risk period (Ingersoll et al., 2018).
Our tips won't fix the structural problems behind that number. They help a new teacher stay long enough to benefit from the policy work above them.
50teachertips.com
Our tips won't fix the structural problems behind that number. They help a new teacher stay long enough to benefit from the policy work above them.
50teachertips.com
August 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM
44% of new teachers leave within five years. The first year is the highest-risk period (Ingersoll et al., 2018).
Our tips won't fix the structural problems behind that number. They help a new teacher stay long enough to benefit from the policy work above them.
50teachertips.com
Our tips won't fix the structural problems behind that number. They help a new teacher stay long enough to benefit from the policy work above them.
50teachertips.com
New paper: AI safety alignment is often superficial. Adversarial framing (creative writing, role play) bypasses refusal mechanisms by hiding harmful intent in benign contexts. For K-12: surface refusal is not a safety policy.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20378
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20378
August 28, 2026 at 4:01 PM
New paper: AI safety alignment is often superficial. Adversarial framing (creative writing, role play) bypasses refusal mechanisms by hiding harmful intent in benign contexts. For K-12: surface refusal is not a safety policy.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20378
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20378
The first year of teaching is overwhelming because no one gives you a sequence.
50 Tips for New Teachers: 50 short, specific tips from four authors (Rhoads, Fecich, Jakubowski, Leichtman). Five minutes to read, apply the next day.
50teachertips.com
50 Tips for New Teachers: 50 short, specific tips from four authors (Rhoads, Fecich, Jakubowski, Leichtman). Five minutes to read, apply the next day.
50teachertips.com
August 28, 2026 at 4:01 PM
The first year of teaching is overwhelming because no one gives you a sequence.
50 Tips for New Teachers: 50 short, specific tips from four authors (Rhoads, Fecich, Jakubowski, Leichtman). Five minutes to read, apply the next day.
50teachertips.com
50 Tips for New Teachers: 50 short, specific tips from four authors (Rhoads, Fecich, Jakubowski, Leichtman). Five minutes to read, apply the next day.
50teachertips.com
New paper proposes 'Slow AI' design principles (slower, lower-throughput, more durable) as a counterweight to maximalist generative AI. For districts: slow AI is a defensible procurement category. Ask vendors per-task energy cost.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20398
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20398
August 27, 2026 at 4:00 PM
New paper proposes 'Slow AI' design principles (slower, lower-throughput, more durable) as a counterweight to maximalist generative AI. For districts: slow AI is a defensible procurement category. Ask vendors per-task energy cost.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20398
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20398
New paper: TTS dialogue lesson formats interact with learner style. No universally best format, concrete-experience and active-experimentation learners respond differently. AI as a portfolio of formats per lesson, not one format per learner.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20822
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20822
August 26, 2026 at 4:00 PM
New paper: TTS dialogue lesson formats interact with learner style. No universally best format, concrete-experience and active-experimentation learners respond differently. AI as a portfolio of formats per lesson, not one format per learner.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20822
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20822
New paper: a diagnostic taxonomy of six LLM misconceptions teachers carry into AI classrooms. Deflationary vs. anthropomorphic folk theories. Useful for AI professional development.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20421
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20421
August 25, 2026 at 4:00 PM
New paper: a diagnostic taxonomy of six LLM misconceptions teachers carry into AI classrooms. Deflationary vs. anthropomorphic folk theories. Useful for AI professional development.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20421
https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.20421
The transition from teacher to coach is harder than most districts admit. You move from a classroom where you control outcomes to a role where you influence them through other adults.
If you are onboarding new coaches this fall, start with the relationship domain. Everything else depends on it.
If you are onboarding new coaches this fall, start with the relationship domain. Everything else depends on it.
August 22, 2026 at 4:05 PM
The transition from teacher to coach is harder than most districts admit. You move from a classroom where you control outcomes to a role where you influence them through other adults.
If you are onboarding new coaches this fall, start with the relationship domain. Everything else depends on it.
If you are onboarding new coaches this fall, start with the relationship domain. Everything else depends on it.
New instructional coaches start the year with frameworks and no clear sequence for what to do first.
25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders is organized into four domains: relationships, coaching cycle, technology integration, and professional learning.
matthewrhoads.com/books
25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders is organized into four domains: relationships, coaching cycle, technology integration, and professional learning.
matthewrhoads.com/books
August 21, 2026 at 4:00 PM
New instructional coaches start the year with frameworks and no clear sequence for what to do first.
25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders is organized into four domains: relationships, coaching cycle, technology integration, and professional learning.
matthewrhoads.com/books
25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders is organized into four domains: relationships, coaching cycle, technology integration, and professional learning.
matthewrhoads.com/books
Before August ends, every co-teaching pair should answer: which model are we using, and why?
"One teach, one assist" underuses the second teacher (Friend & Cook, 2017).
Dr. Karge and I lay out a three-stage progression matched to lesson type and student needs.
coteachingevolved.com
"One teach, one assist" underuses the second teacher (Friend & Cook, 2017).
Dr. Karge and I lay out a three-stage progression matched to lesson type and student needs.
coteachingevolved.com
August 14, 2026 at 4:03 PM
Before August ends, every co-teaching pair should answer: which model are we using, and why?
"One teach, one assist" underuses the second teacher (Friend & Cook, 2017).
Dr. Karge and I lay out a three-stage progression matched to lesson type and student needs.
coteachingevolved.com
"One teach, one assist" underuses the second teacher (Friend & Cook, 2017).
Dr. Karge and I lay out a three-stage progression matched to lesson type and student needs.
coteachingevolved.com
Cognitive offloading supports the teacher's thinking. Cognitive outsourcing replaces it. The tool is the same. The professional judgment is the difference. A four-check audit (cognitive science, curriculum, pacing, slop detection) is what separates the two.
matthewrhoads.com
matthewrhoads.com
August 13, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Cognitive offloading supports the teacher's thinking. Cognitive outsourcing replaces it. The tool is the same. The professional judgment is the difference. A four-check audit (cognitive science, curriculum, pacing, slop detection) is what separates the two.
matthewrhoads.com
matthewrhoads.com
134 bills in 31 states regulate AI in education because data leaves the device. Local inference changes that. Models can run on school laptops, free, with zero data transmission. The privacy compliance problem disappears.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
August 8, 2026 at 12:45 AM
134 bills in 31 states regulate AI in education because data leaves the device. Local inference changes that. Models can run on school laptops, free, with zero data transmission. The privacy compliance problem disappears.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
Katy ISD near Houston unveiled one of the most detailed grade-by-grade AI frameworks from any large US district. Nearly 100,000 students.
K-6: AI chatbots banned. 7th: supervised district-approved tools only. 8th-12th: AI for specific purposes with teacher authorization, must cite AI use.
K-6: AI chatbots banned. 7th: supervised district-approved tools only. 8th-12th: AI for specific purposes with teacher authorization, must cite AI use.
August 6, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Katy ISD near Houston unveiled one of the most detailed grade-by-grade AI frameworks from any large US district. Nearly 100,000 students.
K-6: AI chatbots banned. 7th: supervised district-approved tools only. 8th-12th: AI for specific purposes with teacher authorization, must cite AI use.
K-6: AI chatbots banned. 7th: supervised district-approved tools only. 8th-12th: AI for specific purposes with teacher authorization, must cite AI use.
200 laptops. One afternoon. Zero vendor calls.
LM Studio + an open-source model, pushed through MDM. No contracts, no licensing, no servers. The laptops are the infrastructure.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
LM Studio + an open-source model, pushed through MDM. No contracts, no licensing, no servers. The laptops are the infrastructure.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
July 29, 2026 at 11:00 PM
200 laptops. One afternoon. Zero vendor calls.
LM Studio + an open-source model, pushed through MDM. No contracts, no licensing, no servers. The laptops are the infrastructure.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
LM Studio + an open-source model, pushed through MDM. No contracts, no licensing, no servers. The laptops are the infrastructure.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
Claude for Teachers can build personalized instruction overnight. But every AI-generated material should pass four checks before it reaches students: cognitive science, curriculum, pacing, and slop detection.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/24/the-offloading-trap-audit-ai-instructional-output/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/24/the-offloading-trap-audit-ai-instructional-output/
July 27, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Claude for Teachers can build personalized instruction overnight. But every AI-generated material should pass four checks before it reaches students: cognitive science, curriculum, pacing, and slop detection.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/24/the-offloading-trap-audit-ai-instructional-output/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/24/the-offloading-trap-audit-ai-instructional-output/
A school pays $14,400/year for AI tools. The open-weight equivalent is free, runs on laptops they already own, and offers better privacy by design. A 500-teacher district spends six figures for what's available at no cost.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
July 25, 2026 at 11:00 PM
A school pays $14,400/year for AI tools. The open-weight equivalent is free, runs on laptops they already own, and offers better privacy by design. A 500-teacher district spends six figures for what's available at no cost.
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/
https://matthewrhoads.com/2026/07/18/local-llms-school-districts-lm-studio/