Empowering Teachers to Integrate Statistical Thinking and Reasoning in High School Mathematics Classes

Oregon Convention Center 

The introduction of statistics and data science content in high school (HS) Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry courses continues to grow rapidly in the United States. HS teachers, however, do not have sufficient access to resources or support to effectively integrate statistics and data science in these classes. As a result, many HS students do not appreciate the relevance and importance of statistics in our data-driven world. To help address these gaps, the NSF-funded ESTARS project focuses on teacher professional development: to empower teachers with statistics knowledge and pedagogical practices that will serve them and others beyond the life of this project. In this project, approximately 25 HS math teachers are recruited yearly to collaborate with our team of experienced statistics educators and curriculum developers, and with each other in developing audience-specific GAISE-focused curricular materials that use recommended teaching practices with documented impact on student learning. To promote sustainability, upon "graduation," teachers are invited back to serve as mentors. This presentation will share findings from this project, on both teacher and student experiences.