James Cantonwine
@jcantonw.bsky.social
District administrator located in Gig Harbor, WA.
Pinned
James Cantonwine
@jcantonw.bsky.social
· Jan 30
psd401.ai
Peninsula School District just launched psd401.ai to show AI guidance, real-world implementation stories, an archive of conference presentations and PD materials, and a growing collection of staff-contributed use cases for AI integration in both classroom instruction and administrative operations.
If anyone's interested in what one medium-sized district is doing around AI, take a look at Peninsula's AI Studio.
It's an open-source project to allow our users to interact with paid versions of AI models through an API, all within a district's cloud environment.
psd401.ai/aistudio
It's an open-source project to allow our users to interact with paid versions of AI models through an API, all within a district's cloud environment.
psd401.ai/aistudio
psd401.ai
November 19, 2025 at 6:37 PM
If anyone's interested in what one medium-sized district is doing around AI, take a look at Peninsula's AI Studio.
It's an open-source project to allow our users to interact with paid versions of AI models through an API, all within a district's cloud environment.
psd401.ai/aistudio
It's an open-source project to allow our users to interact with paid versions of AI models through an API, all within a district's cloud environment.
psd401.ai/aistudio
@mattbarnum.bsky.social nails it here.
What will AI actually mean for schools over the next several years? Here are my theories:
–The student cheating problem won't go away.
–AI will increasingly become a ubiquitous teaching assistant.
–AI will *not* be a super-tutor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/3-ways-ai-...
–The student cheating problem won't go away.
–AI will increasingly become a ubiquitous teaching assistant.
–AI will *not* be a super-tutor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/3-ways-ai-...
3 ways AI will (and won’t) change schools
The cheating problem isn’t going away. More teachers will use AI as an assistant. But AI won't be a supertutor.
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
November 4, 2025 at 9:54 PM
@mattbarnum.bsky.social nails it here.
This is a good structure for a piece on why AI is unlikely to replace teachers at scale any time soon.
Those claims always seem to be based on naive understandings of what people actually do in their jobs.
worksinprogress.co/issue/the-al...
Those claims always seem to be based on naive understandings of what people actually do in their jobs.
worksinprogress.co/issue/the-al...
The algorithm will see you now - Works in Progress Magazine
Radiology combines digital images, clear benchmarks, and repeatable tasks. But replacing humans with AI is harder than it seems.
worksinprogress.co
September 25, 2025 at 5:23 PM
This is a good structure for a piece on why AI is unlikely to replace teachers at scale any time soon.
Those claims always seem to be based on naive understandings of what people actually do in their jobs.
worksinprogress.co/issue/the-al...
Those claims always seem to be based on naive understandings of what people actually do in their jobs.
worksinprogress.co/issue/the-al...
It's hard to measure things with high school students than people realize or care to admit. We don't have evidence that levels of effort on NAEP itself are consistent over time, and we do have circumstantial evidence (attendance rates) that engagement with school overall has been declining.
American students are getting dumber, the trend started before Covid and has only gotten worse since the pandemic ended
September 22, 2025 at 8:38 PM
It's hard to measure things with high school students than people realize or care to admit. We don't have evidence that levels of effort on NAEP itself are consistent over time, and we do have circumstantial evidence (attendance rates) that engagement with school overall has been declining.
Reposted by James Cantonwine
Google’s New “Learn Your Way” Could Be Very Useful In Making Boring Textbooks More Accessible. larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2025/09/16/g...
Google’s New “Learn Your Way” Could Be Very Useful In Making Boring Textbooks More Accessible.
Google has had a very difficult time finding useful ways to use Artificial Intelligence. Their NotebookLM is somewhat useful, and their storybook application is genuinely great (see Google …
larryferlazzo.edublogs.org
September 16, 2025 at 6:34 PM
Google’s New “Learn Your Way” Could Be Very Useful In Making Boring Textbooks More Accessible. larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2025/09/16/g...
One of the best pieces of advice on teaching I ever received was to frequently ask the class, "Why would an intelligent person choose ___?"
Multiple-Choice Questioning as a Valuable Learning Opportunity
Can multiple-choice questions provide opportunities for learning superior to questions requiring recall of information?
theeffortfuleducator.com/2020/06/14/m...
Can multiple-choice questions provide opportunities for learning superior to questions requiring recall of information?
theeffortfuleducator.com/2020/06/14/m...
Multiple-Choice Questioning as a Valuable Learning Opportunity - The Effortful Educator
Can multiple-choice questions provide opportunities for learning superior to questions requiring recall of information?
theeffortfuleducator.com
September 10, 2025 at 5:43 PM
One of the best pieces of advice on teaching I ever received was to frequently ask the class, "Why would an intelligent person choose ___?"
I'm not optimistic about the odds of a national definition of AI literacy that is clear enough to actually assess. State level definitions have more promise, but I think this is something that districts likely need to be thinking about themselves.
hechingerreport.org/opinion-scho...
hechingerreport.org/opinion-scho...
OPINION: If we are going to build AI literacy into every level of learning, we must be able to measure it
Students and workers are being told to “learn AI.” But while definitions of AI literacy are starting to emerge, we still lack a consistent, measurable framework to know whether someone is truly ready ...
hechingerreport.org
September 8, 2025 at 4:31 PM
I'm not optimistic about the odds of a national definition of AI literacy that is clear enough to actually assess. State level definitions have more promise, but I think this is something that districts likely need to be thinking about themselves.
hechingerreport.org/opinion-scho...
hechingerreport.org/opinion-scho...
I'm finding that using GPT 5-Thinking for office tasks is a bit like collaborating with a colleague who doesn't like to process things out loud. You ask a question or pose an idea, wait through some silence, and then receive a complete thought.
September 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
I'm finding that using GPT 5-Thinking for office tasks is a bit like collaborating with a colleague who doesn't like to process things out loud. You ask a question or pose an idea, wait through some silence, and then receive a complete thought.
In the short term, more blue book-style assessment seems like the play in K-12. In the medium term, I'm more convinced by the ideas here.
Why I think we should not go back to blue book exams. open.substack.com/pub/joshuaga...
Blue books are a bad idea
How Universities want to solve their AI problems is misguided
open.substack.com
September 3, 2025 at 9:44 PM
In the short term, more blue book-style assessment seems like the play in K-12. In the medium term, I'm more convinced by the ideas here.
It's a fun place to watch the range of reactions people have!
Our family just had its collective mind blown at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon.
a cartoon of a woman sitting in a pile of books with the words " i want to read all the books "
ALT: a cartoon of a woman sitting in a pile of books with the words " i want to read all the books "
media.tenor.com
August 29, 2025 at 3:49 PM
It's a fun place to watch the range of reactions people have!
"[S]tudent expertise does not develop via osmosis or unstructured learning."
I'm so glad to see that show up in Educational Leadership @ascdofficial.bsky.social.
www.ascd.org/el/articles/...
I'm so glad to see that show up in Educational Leadership @ascdofficial.bsky.social.
www.ascd.org/el/articles/...
Expert-Ease: Making Learning Stick for Students
Expertise develops when students revisit and use learning in multiple ways and settings.
www.ascd.org
August 26, 2025 at 3:06 PM
"[S]tudent expertise does not develop via osmosis or unstructured learning."
I'm so glad to see that show up in Educational Leadership @ascdofficial.bsky.social.
www.ascd.org/el/articles/...
I'm so glad to see that show up in Educational Leadership @ascdofficial.bsky.social.
www.ascd.org/el/articles/...
"When districts say “no” to participating in research, the entire field misses out."
It's hard for researchers to know which districts can support participation. (We can!)
Schools Need Evidence-Based Curriculum. Researchers Need Schools to Help www.the74million.org/article/scho...
It's hard for researchers to know which districts can support participation. (We can!)
Schools Need Evidence-Based Curriculum. Researchers Need Schools to Help www.the74million.org/article/scho...
www.the74million.org
August 20, 2025 at 5:04 PM
"When districts say “no” to participating in research, the entire field misses out."
It's hard for researchers to know which districts can support participation. (We can!)
Schools Need Evidence-Based Curriculum. Researchers Need Schools to Help www.the74million.org/article/scho...
It's hard for researchers to know which districts can support participation. (We can!)
Schools Need Evidence-Based Curriculum. Researchers Need Schools to Help www.the74million.org/article/scho...
This is the first piece I've seen directly address the risks of AI on oral presentations. *Any* task that leaves the classroom can be compromised as a measure of student thinking. Good ideas here for adjusting in ways that help preserve assessment value.
sarahfindlater.substack.com/p/ai-and-ora...
sarahfindlater.substack.com/p/ai-and-ora...
AI and Oral Tasks - Structuring Authentic Discussion and Verbal Responses
Teaching Smarter: Designing Lessons for the Age of AI – Post 3 of 8
sarahfindlater.substack.com
August 8, 2025 at 4:36 PM
This is the first piece I've seen directly address the risks of AI on oral presentations. *Any* task that leaves the classroom can be compromised as a measure of student thinking. Good ideas here for adjusting in ways that help preserve assessment value.
sarahfindlater.substack.com/p/ai-and-ora...
sarahfindlater.substack.com/p/ai-and-ora...
Highly recommended!
August 6, 2025 at 7:42 PM
Highly recommended!
Anyone else have the experience of meeting with an EdTech vendor to tell them what they should start developing?
“I know what you’re selling, and it’s not what we’re going to need for much longer. I think you should work on building this other thing instead that no one else is doing…”
“I know what you’re selling, and it’s not what we’re going to need for much longer. I think you should work on building this other thing instead that no one else is doing…”
July 28, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Anyone else have the experience of meeting with an EdTech vendor to tell them what they should start developing?
“I know what you’re selling, and it’s not what we’re going to need for much longer. I think you should work on building this other thing instead that no one else is doing…”
“I know what you’re selling, and it’s not what we’re going to need for much longer. I think you should work on building this other thing instead that no one else is doing…”
It would be great to get this work (and @mrzachg.bsky.social specifically!) better known in the US. There are a lot of reasons that's going to be challenging, and not enough conversations *with districts* about why that is and how to move forward.
www.the74million.org/article/cogn...
www.the74million.org/article/cogn...
www.the74million.org
July 25, 2025 at 4:28 PM
It would be great to get this work (and @mrzachg.bsky.social specifically!) better known in the US. There are a lot of reasons that's going to be challenging, and not enough conversations *with districts* about why that is and how to move forward.
www.the74million.org/article/cogn...
www.the74million.org/article/cogn...
This is really interesting (and surprising!) work.
How much do earning change when people move into our out of public school teaching positions? The findings might surprise you (they did us)!
Here's our 1-page summary for @efpjournal.bsky.social's Takeaways (love this feature):
aefpweb.org/files/Takeaw...
PS - WA may be a special case.
Here's our 1-page summary for @efpjournal.bsky.social's Takeaways (love this feature):
aefpweb.org/files/Takeaw...
PS - WA may be a special case.
aefpweb.org
July 25, 2025 at 4:13 PM
This is really interesting (and surprising!) work.
This centering would be a welcome change!
At the Council of the Great City Schools conference, I heard from district leaders who want evidence to inform decisions and care deeply about serving students well. As the field of education research evolves, I hope we center the needs of those who want to use evidence to improve outcomes.
July 24, 2025 at 6:04 PM
This centering would be a welcome change!
I'm really excited to see this work. Work around the model-implementation gap is so important for improving both healthcare and education.
openai.com/index/ai-cli...
openai.com/index/ai-cli...
openai.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:27 PM
I'm really excited to see this work. Work around the model-implementation gap is so important for improving both healthcare and education.
openai.com/index/ai-cli...
openai.com/index/ai-cli...
"[I]f you only read work coming from one field, you’re sometimes going to get a skewed sense of the issues and the evidence."
I spend a lot of my professional time on this point. Different goals are sought in different fields, and a field's relative prestige can make a huge difference in awareness.
I spend a lot of my professional time on this point. Different goals are sought in different fields, and a field's relative prestige can make a huge difference in awareness.
Up on the education blog, I answer a question about how to get into reading research as a non-researcher. pershmail.substack.com/p/help-i-wan...
Help! I Want to Read Research, But the Landscape is Baffling
Answering a good question
pershmail.substack.com
July 17, 2025 at 7:19 PM
"[I]f you only read work coming from one field, you’re sometimes going to get a skewed sense of the issues and the evidence."
I spend a lot of my professional time on this point. Different goals are sought in different fields, and a field's relative prestige can make a huge difference in awareness.
I spend a lot of my professional time on this point. Different goals are sought in different fields, and a field's relative prestige can make a huge difference in awareness.
The point about extrapolating being a big guess is also true when folks attempt to turn effect sizes into "months of learning." When we try using dimensional analysis to make something more clear/impressive, we always lose something…
It's important to survey teachers and understand how they are and are not using GenAI. And if some are becoming more efficient, great. But, extrapolating self-reported time efficiencies per week to a year and all teachers is basically a big guess. And also...
www.gallup.com/analytics/65...
www.gallup.com/analytics/65...
Walton Family Foundation-Gallup K-12 Teacher Research
Exploring the K-12 teacher experience in America.
www.gallup.com
June 30, 2025 at 6:35 PM
The point about extrapolating being a big guess is also true when folks attempt to turn effect sizes into "months of learning." When we try using dimensional analysis to make something more clear/impressive, we always lose something…
Reposted by James Cantonwine
Latest from us - we've completed some more AI assessment projects and are yet to find an AI error.
All the big human-AI disagreements are human error.
Take a look at a couple of examples and see who you agree with...
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/can-you-fi...
All the big human-AI disagreements are human error.
Take a look at a couple of examples and see who you agree with...
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/can-you-fi...
June 29, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Latest from us - we've completed some more AI assessment projects and are yet to find an AI error.
All the big human-AI disagreements are human error.
Take a look at a couple of examples and see who you agree with...
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/can-you-fi...
All the big human-AI disagreements are human error.
Take a look at a couple of examples and see who you agree with...
substack.nomoremarking.com/p/can-you-fi...
Really interesting paper.
I think community sentiment re: collective bargaining is under-explored. People might love their teachers or school, but they rarely love district administration. When disagreements about compensation structures arise, there's a community bias in favor of current teachers.
I think community sentiment re: collective bargaining is under-explored. People might love their teachers or school, but they rarely love district administration. When disagreements about compensation structures arise, there's a community bias in favor of current teachers.
New from me: I was invited to submit something to the inaugural issue of the Journal of Education Finance and Law. So I put in one place a lot of my thoughts on how schools spend money on staff compensation.
We Need to Talk About How We Compensate School Staff
doi.org/10.5406/3067...
We Need to Talk About How We Compensate School Staff
doi.org/10.5406/3067...
June 27, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Really interesting paper.
I think community sentiment re: collective bargaining is under-explored. People might love their teachers or school, but they rarely love district administration. When disagreements about compensation structures arise, there's a community bias in favor of current teachers.
I think community sentiment re: collective bargaining is under-explored. People might love their teachers or school, but they rarely love district administration. When disagreements about compensation structures arise, there's a community bias in favor of current teachers.
Reposted by James Cantonwine
Systematic inclusion: Is literally everyone thinking, talking, practising, learning? How much does it matter to you?
teacherhead.com/2025/06/25/s...
teacherhead.com/2025/06/25/s...
Systematic inclusion: Is literally everyone thinking, talking, practising, learning? How much does it matter to you.
I’m often struck by just how deeply embedded some ineffective teacher habits are. I see it as a collective more than an individual problem. Faced with the inherent challenges that teac…
teacherhead.com
June 25, 2025 at 5:26 AM
Systematic inclusion: Is literally everyone thinking, talking, practising, learning? How much does it matter to you?
teacherhead.com/2025/06/25/s...
teacherhead.com/2025/06/25/s...
This will be useful as we look at a potential assessment audit in 2026!
"Zero-based assessment design involves starting from scratch and adding only those assessments necessary to support one’s learning and organizational goals." www.nciea.org/blog/zero-ba...
Zero-based Assessment System Design | Center for Assessment
How an idea from budget management can help school districts break the logjams they face when they try to get rid of unnecessary tests.
www.nciea.org
June 25, 2025 at 4:34 PM
This will be useful as we look at a potential assessment audit in 2026!