Dive Brief:
- The vast majority of K-12 students in the U.S. are not receiving data science education, hindering a growing need for data literacy, according to a report released in December by nonprofit coalition Data Science 4 Everyone.
- Around 277 schools across 104 districts offered data science education, with at least 139,000 students enrolled in data science courses during the 2023-2024 academic year, based on student enrollment data from state education agencies and learning content providers. This is just a fraction of the nearly 55 million students enrolled in public, private or charter schools.
- A 2023 analysis from Data Science 4 Everyone showed students’ data literacy on the decline since the pandemic. That report suggested the slowdown may be in part due to a decline in teachers instructing data-related courses.
Dive Insight:
“Despite the significant rise in the need for data literacy, the U.S. K-12 education system struggles to keep up, further widening the gap in foundational skills crucial for our data-driven future,” Zarek Drozda, executive director of Data Science 4 Everyone, said in a press release on the new findings.
Data science is an interdisciplinary field that uses statistics, computer science and math concepts and tools to examine data for insights and solutions. Some specific courses taught at the K-12 level include Introduction to Data Science and Data Science Foundations, though practices such as data collection and statistical analysis can be incorporated in subjects across the curriculum.
For example, science classes can include projects that focus on collecting, analyzing and visualizing data. Advanced Placement teachers can also make the most of class time after students take the AP exam by offering an introductory unit on data science.
The demand for data scientists has jumped significantly across various industries, with jobs projected to grow 36% between 2021 and 2031, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Additionally, Data Science 4 Everyone’s report said data science skills and data literacy are transferable, preparing students for career success regardless of whether they become data scientists.
The report found that 29 states offer some sort of data science course in K-12.
Among them, six — Oregon, California, Minnesota, West Virginia, Virginia and New Jersey — have adopted data science learning standards or frameworks. Another 12 offer a course pilot, course sequence or teacher professional development, and the remaining 11 include data science in their state course catalog.
To bring data science education to more classrooms, K-12 educators will also need a roadmap of concepts that students need to learn, the report said. To address this, Data Science 4 Everyone is developing learning progressions for the field.
According to the report, these learning progressions describe the way students are expected to think about a topic or apply skills in successively more complex and advanced ways throughout their academic careers.
The organization’s future plans include developing grade-by-grade progressions for learning outcomes and tracking data to identify which states need the most resources. Data Science 4 Everyone is also working on a digital clearinghouse to share sample lesson plans, instructional videos and curriculum.