Week in Edtech 02/04/26: Brisk’s AI Curriculum Launch, Kira 2.0 LMS Expansion, Texas ESA Surge, UK $23M AI Pilot for SEND, Microsoft’s Teacher AI Push, Data Battles in Schools, and More! Feat. Karl Rectanus of Really Great Reading & Dan Meyer of Amplify

Feb 16, 2026

Karl Rectanus, CEO of Really Great Reading, champions evidence-driven K–3 literacy. Dan Meyer, VP of User Growth at Amplify and former math teacher, explores math instruction and classroom practice. They discuss AI-native curriculum moves, data ownership battles, Kira’s shift to an AI LMS, a UK AI pilot for SEND, Texas ESA voucher growth, and how AI fits real classrooms.

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INSIGHT

Integration Trumps Replacement

AI curriculum tools must integrate with existing high-quality instructional materials rather than replace them.
Whoever builds the smoothest teacher workflow and integration will capture outsized value.

INSIGHT

Data Is The New Battleground

Data ownership and unified data pipelines determine which AI insights are possible across tools.
Schools should decide where their data lake sits because that shapes future personalization power.

INSIGHT

AI Origins Scale Fast

AI-native companies can rapidly expand from a niche (like CS) into full LMS and curriculum suites.
That acceleration creates a land grab for national and international deals.

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Join hosts Alex Sarlin and Ben Kornell as they unpack a fast-moving week in education. From AI-native curriculum battles and literacy leadership shifts to voucher surges and national AI pilots reshaping special education.

✨ Episode Highlights:
[00:01:48] ASU+GSV preview and the expanding global EdTech ecosystem
[00:06:25] The 2026 EdTech AI Map launches with 240+ companies
[00:07:14] Brisk introduces AI-powered curriculum integration
[00:09:04] The race to own the AI layer in schools
[00:13:10] Data ownership becomes the key AI battleground
[00:16:59] Kira 2.0 expands into a full AI-native LMS
[00:21:16] Texas ESA applications surge past 61,000
[00:30:20] UK launches $23M AI pilot for special needs
[00:33:40] Microsoft invests in AI teacher training
[00:34:59] Google expands Gemini in education
[00:35:57] UX emerges as EdTech’s new advantage
[00:36:43] The AI grad profile prioritizes human skills

Plus, special guests:
[00:38:33] Karl Rectanus, CEO of Really Great Reading, on literacy outcomes, science of reading implementation, and scaling impact
[01:02:22] Dan Meyer, VP of User Growth of Amplify on AI skepticism, social AI in math classrooms, and keeping learning human-centered

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