Science of learning, pedagogy, and technology and AI in education
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Dr. Matt Rhoads works at the intersection of cognitive science, instructional leadership, and AI. A 2025 CCAE Excellence in Support Services Award recipient and 2020 San Diego CUE Tech Innovator of the Year, he is an eleven-time author who brings years of applied experience spanning K-12, Adult Education, and Higher Ed — translating research into instructional strategies that teachers and leaders actually implement.
Whether you are looking to build instructional capacity, design a data-driven culture, implement AI with intention, or effectively scale EdTech, Dr. Rhoads provides the expert guidance needed to turn goals into reality. His accomplishments include being an eleven-time author, developing the first single sign-on system for an Adult Education consortium in California, expanding LMS adoption from 50% to over 90% across consortium schools, designing a systematic instructional coaching program, and developing curriculum for national organizations and collaborating with EdTech companies on product development. He is an active WASC Chair, a Solution Tree consultant, and a peer-reviewed researcher published in the COABE Journal.
Consulting ventures in partnership with Solution Tree and Sage Education and Business.
Districts with an existing Solution Tree purchase agreement can book through their portal.
Organizations Dr. Rhoads Has Worked With
Outcome-focused engagements organized around your priorities. Every package includes pre-assessment, deliverables, and post-engagement support.
From readiness assessment through policy and classroom practice — build a responsible, research-backed AI implementation across your school or district.
Build, launch, and sustain a co-teaching program grounded in the POP Cycle framework — from initial PD through long-term retention and coaching.
Build instructional coaching capacity, apply cognitive science to design, and create data cultures that drive real instructional decisions.
Navigate accreditation with confidence and bridge the gap between EdTech products and classroom reality with practitioner-informed strategy.
Need something different? Every engagement is customized. Let’s talk about your goals.
Tailored engagements for schools, universities, and organizations committed to instructional excellence.
Dr. Rhoads partners with K-12 schools and districts to build instructional capacity through research-backed coaching, AI integration, and co-teaching implementation. He designs and delivers professional development grounded in cognitive science and built around your specific curriculum and student population — from one-day workshops to multi-year partnerships.
Dr. Rhoads brings instructional design expertise and AI integration strategy to higher education institutions modernizing teacher preparation and faculty development. His work spans pre-service teacher education, instructional technology curriculum, faculty PD on AI tools, and doctoral dissertation mentorship — grounded in direct experience as a lecturer and doctoral chair at SDSU and Concordia University, Irvine.
Dr. Rhoads helps EdTech companies and education-adjacent organizations bridge the gap between product capabilities and classroom reality. He brings practitioner perspective to curriculum development, AI strategy, product advisory, and go-to-market positioning — with direct consulting experience alongside Paper Learning (EdTech product design and district implementation), Curriculum Genie (AI-powered curriculum tools), Wise Academy (AI professional development), Digital Promise, San Diego State University (AI and EdTech PD for faculty), East San Gabriel SELPA (co-teaching), Tulare Union High School District, Dayton Public Schools, LINCS (national curriculum development), and Array Global.
Dr. Rhoads brings rare ground-level expertise to adult education — having led instructional technology, professional development, and LMS integration across a multi-school consortium, including developing California’s first consortium-wide single sign-on system. He supports adult education programs in integrating AI tools into ESL, ABE, and ASE instruction, building digital literacy frameworks aligned to LINCS resources, navigating WIOA accountability structures, and scaling EdTech adoption across complex consortium environments — grounded in peer-reviewed research published in the COABE Journal and direct service as an active WASC Chair.
Every consulting engagement can be paired with the right book for your team — so participants have a shared implementation text they can reference long after the session ends.
For: Co-teaching pairs, special ed & gen ed teams, instructional coaches
Problem solved: Co-teaching pairs lack shared planning time, clear role boundaries, and evidence-based strategies that go beyond one-teach-one-assist.
Outcomes: Pairs leave with a co-teaching partnership plan, observation protocols, and the POP Cycle framework — ready to implement on Monday.
Format: Half-day, full-day, or multi-day with follow-up coaching
Book tie-in: Co-Teaching Evolved (Solution Tree, 2025) — each participant receives a copy
For: District leaders, principals, instructional coaches, teacher teams
Problem solved: AI adoption is fragmented — teachers experiment in silos while leaders lack a framework for responsible, instructionally grounded integration.
Outcomes: Leaders leave with an AI implementation roadmap, policy template, and hands-on experience with evidence-based AI classroom practices.
Format: Full-day PD or multi-session series with coaching follow-up
Book tie-in: AI companion resources and selected chapters from Learning Evolved
For: Instructional coaches, mentor teachers, admin coaching coordinators
Problem solved: Coaches lack structured frameworks for observing co-taught lessons and delivering feedback that actually changes practice.
Outcomes: Coaches gain observation rubrics, coaching conversation scripts, and a step-by-step process for building and sustaining co-teaching programs.
Format: 1-day intensive or 6-month coaching cycle
Book tie-in: Crush It from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders
For: WASC self-study coordinators, school leaders preparing for visits, accreditation chairs
Problem solved: The self-study process is document-heavy, evidence-scattered, and time-draining — leaving teams overwhelmed and underprepared for visits.
Outcomes: Teams leave with an AI-assisted evidence audit, synthesized findings, and a draft visit-ready report — plus hands-on NotebookLM workflows they can use immediately.
Format: 1-day workshop or ongoing retainer
Book tie-in: AI/WASC resources and Dr. Rhoads’ leadership & data frameworks
For: District and site administrators, instructional leadership teams, data coordinators
Problem solved: Schools collect mountains of data but lack practical routines for turning assessment results, walkthrough observations, and AI-generated insights into instructional decisions.
Outcomes: Leaders leave with a data culture framework, formative assessment system design, and AI-powered data routines ready for immediate implementation.
Format: 1-day workshop or 3-day engagement with ongoing support
Book tie-in: Learning Evolved data & leadership chapters
For: Instructional coaches, mentor teachers, admin coaching coordinators, teacher leaders
Problem solved: Coaches lack structured frameworks for observing lessons and delivering feedback that changes practice — leaving teachers stuck in cycles of well-intentioned but unfocused support.
Outcomes: Coaches gain observation rubrics, coaching conversation scripts, and a plan-observe-debrief cycle they can use starting day one — plus differentiated approaches for early-career and veteran teachers.
Format: 1–2 day PD, or multi-session series with coaching follow-up
Book tie-in: Crush It from the Start: 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders
For: K-12 teachers, instructional coaches, site administrators, curriculum teams
Problem solved: Most AI PD focuses on which tools to use — not on whether instruction actually improves. Teachers leave with new apps but no framework for using AI to strengthen retrieval practice, scaffolding, formative assessment, and the other strategies that research shows move learning outcomes.
Outcomes: Teachers leave with a cognitive science framework for AI integration, ready-to-use lesson templates that pair AI with evidence-based strategies, and a clear understanding of when AI helps instruction and when it replaces it.
Format: 1–2 day PD or multi-session series
Book tie-in: Learning Evolved cognitive science & AI chapters, plus Instruction Without Boundaries technology integration frameworks
Feedback from schools, districts, and organizations Dr. Rhoads has partnered with.
Matt is very helpful, interactive, and time flew in this PD by the interesting resources he introduced us to with examples on each.
Workshop Participant
Wise Academy
4.85 / 5 Rating • 27 Participants
Thank you for bringing your experience and energy to DPS today, they need you! Appreciated the role-playing strategies to make best use of the session.
Janta Rainey
Dayton Public Schools
Your teachers walk away with practical, research-backed instructional strategies they can implement the next day. Engaging, job-embedded PD, personalized coaching cycles, and observational feedback — designed to build lasting instructional capacity across your school or organization.
Supported by 25 Tips for Instructional Coaches and Leaders
Your staff moves from overwhelmed to confident with AI tools — with a sustainable implementation plan built around your curriculum and grounded in cognitive science principles. Hands-on guidance from tool selection through full instructional integration.
Supported by Instruction Without Boundaries and AI companion resources
Your students retain more, transfer learning further, and engage more deeply — because your instruction is built on how the brain actually learns, paired with the AI tools that make it scalable across your classrooms.
Supported by Learning Evolved
Built on firsthand experience leading a multi-school consortium — including WASC accreditation support (Dr. Rhoads serves as an active WASC Chair), LMS administration, curriculum integration with LINCS and North Star Digital Literacy, and data accountability systems.
Supported by AI/WASC resources and Dr. Rhoads’ accreditation frameworks
Establish practical instructional data routines so your teachers and leaders ask the right questions and act on the right answers. Includes AI-powered data tools, data literacy curriculum development, and leadership coaching on building sustainable data cultures.
Supported by Learning Evolved data & leadership chapters
Strengthen co-teaching partnerships with proven instructional strategies for planning, delivery, and assessment in equitable, tech-powered learning environments — grounded in the frameworks from Co-Teaching Evolved (Solution Tree, 2025).
Supported by Co-Teaching Evolved (Solution Tree, 2025)
We align on your goals, instructional context, and specific challenges.
I design a solution built specifically for your school, district, or organization — not a generic workshop.
We implement together, with instructional coaching and support built in throughout.
Energize your event with an inspiring and practical keynote on instruction, AI in education, or instructional leadership.
Dive deep with immersive, hands-on instructional workshops (in-person or virtual) designed for sustained professional growth.
Engage staff through custom online courses, webinar series, and virtual professional learning communities tailored to your instructional goals.
Accelerate instructional growth with targeted one-on-one or small group coaching for teachers, instructional coaches, and school leaders.
Providing tailored solutions for organizations committed to instructional growth and innovation.
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Let’s work together to build instructional capacity and drive meaningful growth. Reach out for a complimentary consultation to discuss your goals.
Email: Get Consulting Support