Nearpod to Be Acquired by Renaissance

Renaissance is adding to its portfolio of ed tech companies with the acquisition of Nearpod.

Renaissance is known for its widely used Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math products and Star Assessments. In recent years the company also acquired several players in the ed tech space, including myON (2018), differentiated instruction provider Freckle (2019) and Schoolzilla (late 2019).

“In the past year, seismic shifts have changed education as we know it,” said Chris Bauleke, chief executive officer at Renaissance. “With the rise of COVID-19, this shift crossed a crucial threshold and created a demand for the edtech industry to provide solutions that don’t supplement or replace the teacher, but instead, pave the way for a new way to teach and learn. The combination of Renaissance and Nearpod will empower teachers to drive the full learner experience with a deep set of real-time data, content, and tools to accelerate learning and growth for all students.”

According to Renaissance: “Nearpod offers an interactive instructional platform that merges real-time formative assessment and dynamic media for live and self-paced learning experiences, both inside and outside of the classroom, giving educators the ability to adjust in real-time, while easily seeing how their students are progressing. Teachers can choose from more than 15,000 interactive lessons, videos, and activities created in partnership with leading organizations like Common Sense Education and Smithsonian to quickly enhance their existing content.”

The Nearpod acquisition is expected to be completed in March. Further details can be found at renaissance.com.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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