By Josh Recio and Lindsey Henderson

Recognizing misinformation, modeling trends and phenomena—and interpreting and making sense of data—are vital skills for everyone. For our most vulnerable population—our students—data literacy is not only important for general citizenship but also fundamental for career opportunities.

According to the 2020 Emerging Jobs Report by LinkedIn, data scientist and data engineer roles are expanding steadily, reflecting a 33–37 percent average annual growth. The Burning Glass Institute’s analysis of job postings states that, “In 2011, for instance, there were 294,000 job posts seeking people with data analysis skills in only 17 occupations; 10 years later, 1.2 million such jobs were posted in 81 occupations.” 

Students are increasingly aware of the importance of understanding and working with data. As they steadily seek educational opportunities in data science, and as the workforce is expecting data literate applicants, we as educators need to work within the system to build a structure that provides all students with the opportunities needed to better understand data and successfully navigate a data-rich education. 

Where does data science fit?

Of course, this doesn’t come easy. Many questions still linger in the education community about the role of data science courses and the teaching of data literacy skills. Does data science fit squarely in the math curriculum? Should data science be integrated into other content areas? Are teachers well equipped to build data acumen in our students? 

Despite the lack of clarity in the answers to these questions, it’s abundantly clear that we need to do our part to ensure that all students have the opportunities and successful outcomes associated with the understanding of working with data. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics recently put out a position statement on teaching data science in high school, emphasizing that, “It is essential that students understand data so that they can comprehend the massive amounts of information that they encounter on a regular basis, and is available at their fingertips.”

Data science in Utah

Many states have added standards to their core curricula to address statistical reasoning and data literacy. One state where this work has really taken shape is Utah. Last September, a convening was held as an opportunity to expand the work related to data science education. With the help of Data Science 4 Everyone, Utah Tech Leads, and Utah’s Women Tech Council, the Utah State Board of Education handpicked and welcomed approximately 75 people, including half of its state school board members, representatives from the Governor’s office, staff and appointed board members of the Utah System of Higher Education, Utah’s leadership team for the Launch Years Initiative, Utah’s STEM Action Center, local tech startup CEOs/executives, and members of the state legislature.

In addition to keeping the conversation alive about the importance of data-rich experiences for Utah’s students, this convening showcased data science and data literacy as “the common ground” among Utah’s stakeholders. Technology leaders spoke to the importance of being able to tell data stories, government officials spoke about the need to keep Utah’s students on the cutting edge of innovation through data-rich experiences, and teachers and students of the first ever Data Science pilot course spoke enthusiastically about experiencing a mathematics course that is useful, relevant, and (most surprisingly) joyful!

In their own words:

“I am a first-generation college student and the first to go in my family. I enrolled in the course to earn a required math credit, but it’s been unlike any other math course I have taken… it is actually fun.”

— Lona Manase (high school student panelist)

“I had a prior coding background, and I know data science is clearly the future… I want to be a part of that and begin learning it now.”

— Miles Fuqua (high school student panelist)

“I like NOT getting the question of, ‘when am I going to use this?”

— Ashley Salisbury (mathematics teacher, Davis School District)

“We have a broad range of students engaging in our data science courses. We have students enrolled who took Calculus, and we have those who are working with an IEP (Instructional Education Plan)… these courses create a level playing field in the math education space where every student can engage and learn.”

— Nicole Berg (secondary mathematics specialist, Nebo School District)

A relevant and engaging mathematics education has the potential to provide remarkable opportunities for students, both in their future learning and careers. Students want to see the relevance in what they learn. As Julius Cervantes so beautifully wrote in an op-ed for the San Antonio Express News, “We cannot simply be told that math is valuable. Math has to feel valuable. It has to be valuable.”

If we cherish our position as math educators, helping students grow in their own data literacy and teaching critical skills from data science should be a priority. 

Josh Recio is the systemic transformation lead at the Charles A. Dana Center, working with states and systems on the policies and standards that help students succeed in mathematics. He also supports the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative, which seeks to usher in a new paradigm to support students for college preparation and guide them through pathways for degree attainment.

Lindsey Henderson is the policy director of mathematics at ExcelinEd and the former secondary mathematics specialist at the Utah State Board of Education. She works to ensure equitable access to mathematical rigor for all K–12 students through data-driven methods and research-based processes.