A place to think through what comes next
Education never stands still. A new tool appears, a familiar practice gets a fresh name, or a leadership decision raises a question that cannot be answered by a quick checklist. When I talk with educators and leaders, I keep coming back to the same need: space to think clearly about what we are trying to accomplish and what might help us get there.
That is why I, Dr. Matt Rhoads, am starting Navigating Education, a free newsletter I write for educators and leaders. It arrives every Monday, starting Monday, October 19, 2026.
Helping educators and leaders navigate what’s next in teaching and learning.
I want this to be a useful place to pause, ask better questions, and consider practical next steps. You do not need another message that treats every new idea as a breakthrough. You need room to connect ideas to the work in front of you. That is the spirit I am bringing to this newsletter.
What I will bring to the conversation
My consulting work takes me into conversations with schools, districts, and colleges about instruction, edtech, AI integration, co-teaching, instructional coaching, and leadership. Those topics can sound separate on a list. In practice, they often meet in the same decision: What are we trying to improve, and how will we know whether an approach fits?
I am also the author or co-author of 12 books. Each writing project has pushed me to make an idea clear enough for someone to use, question, or adapt. That is the standard I want to bring to Navigating Education. I will write in plain language and keep the focus on choices educators and leaders can actually make.
If you know my books, you may have come to my work through different doors. I co-authored Crush It from the Start: 50 Tips for New Teachers with Samantha Fecich, Ph.D., Casey Jakubowski, Ph.D., and Kevin Leichtman, Ph.D. I wrote Crush It from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders, and I co-authored Co-Teaching Evolved with Dr. Belinda Dunnick Karge. The subjects differ, but the question behind them is familiar to me: How do we turn a promising idea into something useful in a real educational setting?
There is more writing ahead. Our leadership book (with Stephens and Karge) comes out in 2027, and a book I wrote on the science of learning and AI is coming within the next year. Navigating Education gives me another way to share ideas and invite reflection as those conversations continue.
A practical example: AI and retrieval practice
Issue 2 will look at using AI to build retrieval practice that actually makes learners pull from memory. That distinction matters to me. It is easy to ask a tool to make something that looks like practice. The more useful question is whether the activity asks a person to recall what they know, rather than simply recognize an answer or read it again.
In the newsletter, I want to make room for questions like that. What is the purpose of the activity? What does the tool help us create? What should we check before using it? Those questions are useful whether you are planning instruction, supporting a colleague, or making a larger decision about technology. They keep attention on the learning goal instead of the novelty of the tool. One simple check: a week later, can learners answer the questions without notes?
The same habit applies beyond AI. A coaching conversation needs a clear purpose. A co-teaching plan needs a shared understanding of the work. A leadership choice needs more than a compelling slogan. Navigating Education will be a place to examine these choices in practical terms, without pretending that one answer fits every setting.
Join me in Navigating Education
If these are the kinds of questions you are working through, I hope you will subscribe. Navigating Education is free, and new subscribers get a free sample. That gives you a chance to see the approach for yourself and decide whether it is useful for your work.
I am writing for educators and leaders who want to stay curious while being thoughtful about the next step. You may be exploring AI, strengthening instruction, supporting coaching, or thinking about how people work together. Whatever brought you here, I hope the newsletter helps you slow down long enough to choose with intention and then move forward.
Subscribe to the free Navigating Education newsletter here: matthewrhoads.com/subscribe. I look forward to continuing the conversation.