Instructional Coherence with Dr. Gene Kerns

Gene Kerns, Vice President and Chief Academic Officer at Renaissance Learning, joins the show to discuss instructional coherence—a trending concept in education that asks whether all the programs, assessments, and interventions schools purchase actually work together as a system. Notes: - Instructional Coherence. - Connecting in appropriate ways. - How do you know if there is instructional coherence? - Each part we add has the potential to become a silo. - Incoherence vs. coherence. - Our students who are struggling the most have to carry the most cognitive load. - 1 vendor vs. multi-vendor situations. - Article pairing of assessment and instruction. - Power of aligning to textbooks/curriculum - Just because we are giving kids more time doesn't mean they are getting the learning they need. - Emphasis on grade level content. - Review only what is absolutely necessary and immediately relevant to what you're doing right now. - Lesson Creator with AI for the teachable moment. - Check out Renaissance Learning Webinars - Renaissance Intelligence About Dr. Gene Kerns Gene Kerns is a third-generation educator with teaching experience from elementary through the university level and K-12 administrative experience. He currently serves as Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of Renaissance Learning . With nearly 20 years of experience of leading staff development and speaking at national and international conferences, his former clients include administrators’ associations across the country and the Ministry of Education of Singapore. Gene received his Bachelor's degree and Master's degree from Longwood College in Virginia, and also holds a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Delaware with an emphasis in Education Leadership. He is the author of 3 books on educational topics. As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com . Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks, IXL, and Renaissance Learning: As a global leader in education technology operating in more than 110 countries, Renaissance is committed to providing educators with insights and resources to accelerate growth and help all students build a strong foundation for success. We believe that technology can unlock a more effective learning experience, ensure that students get the personalized teaching they need to thrive, and help educators and administrators to truly, fully, See Every Student. Learn more at renaissance.com . We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks , a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation . We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL . IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more: Simplify and streamline technology Save teachers’ time Reliably meet Tier 1 standards Improve student performance on state assessments 🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

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Instructional Coherence with Dr. Gene Kerns is an episode from Transformative Principal by Jethro Jones.

This episode is 29:37 long.

This episode was published on Mar 29, 2026.

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