In this episode, I chat with Dr. Gene Kerns, Chief Academic Officer at Renaissance, about instructional coherence and how AI can help connect the assessment, curriculum, and practice tools that too often live in separate places. You’ll also hear why having more data isn’t the same as having useful data, what to look for when evaluating an AI-powered tool, and how Renaissance Intelligence aims to make personalized learning doable at scale while keeping teachers at the center. If you want to rethink how your tools and data work together so you can spend less time wrangling reports and more time with students, this episode has you covered!
Listen to the podcast episode on your favorite platform:
Tips for How AI Can Create Instructional Coherence for Districts
- Recognize that fragmented tools and disconnected data create noise that costs teachers time and clarity.
- Understand instructional coherence as whether all the pieces you use with a student actually fit together.
- Aim for data that is immediately relevant to the unit you are teaching, not long lists of every possible skill.
- When evaluating an AI tool, ask what it is pre-trained on, since the data behind it shapes the quality of what comes out.
SPONSORED BY Renaissance
Renaissance is proud to introduce Renaissance Intelligence, a connected system that brings assessment, instruction, practice, curriculum, and trustworthy AI together to help educators make confident decisions faster about student learning. This intelligence system is built on forty years of learning science and edtech expertise. It keeps the teacher at the center of instruction and is designed for how K–12 classrooms actually work.
Learn more at renaissance.com/intelligence.
FOLLOW & REVIEW ON APPLE PODCASTS
Have you subscribed to the podcast yet? I don’t want you to miss an episode and hope you’ll keep following along with me on this podcast journey. When you follow along on Apple Podcasts the new episodes will appear in the app so you don’t have to remember to go looking for them… Click here to follow on Apple Podcasts! And if you have a minute for a BIG favor, add a rating and review to the podcast, too — I would certainly appreciate it!
Click to see the transcript
EPISODE RESOURCES
- Connect with Dr. Gene Kerns on LinkedIn
- Learn more about Renaissance’s approach to AI on its website
- Explore Renaissance Intelligence
- Check out Renaissance webinars
- Follow Renaissance on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, & LinkedIn
- Blog articles:
- Solving education’s coherence problem: Insights for school and district leaders
- In education, what’s the real difference between one AI-based tool and another?
- Practical AI Literacy Tips for Educators and Families (Podcast Episode)
- How to Keep Educators at the Forefront of Classroom Decisions (Podcast Episode)
