What it is

Data Science for Everyone (DS4E) is a national coalition advancing comprehensive data science education so that every K-12 student has the data literacy skills needed to succeed in our modern world. DS4E works to raise awareness of the importance of data science education, fills capacity gaps, centralizes resources, and supports research for different models and approaches for data science education. 

Created by The University of Chicago’s Center for Radical Innovation for Social Change (RISC), DS4E works with more than 1,000 stakeholders across the nation’s K-12 education system to ensure every student can read, analyze, and communicate effectively with data by the time they graduate high school.

The problem it addresses

The ability to understand and work with data has become a 21st century skill that touches almost every occupation and daily life. Nearly every interaction in today’s world — both personal and professional — requires basic fluency in interpreting and applying data. This includes making personal decisions around financial planning or healthcare, as well as working effectively in every role in the modern workforce — from customer success associate to machine-learning engineer.

Despite the fundamental need for data science education, few states and school districts have updated their standards, courses, or curricula to ensure that students graduate high school with a basic command of data. Only 1% of students complete a data science or data analytics course in high school, and very few districts have integrated data science into other subject areas such as social studies or humanities.

Additionally, the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results indicate that student achievement in foundational data science skills declined significantly compared to other content areas. Most notably, between 2019 and 2022, the average scores in data analysis, statistics, and probability fell by 10 points for eighth-grade students — representing what some experts consider a full grade level in progress.

There are also significant racial and socio-economic gaps in student outcomes related to data science education, and these gaps are the most glaring at the middle and high school levels. Eighth-grade Black students scored 34 points lower in Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability than their white peers on NAEP assessments. Along socio-economic lines, low-income fourth-grade students scored 23 points lower in Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability than their higher-income peers.

Why we believe in it

• DS4E plays a critically important role as a field catalyst, convener, and innovation hub. DS4E has proven the ability to gather and grow the community of leaders in K-12 education, higher education, state policy, and industry that understand and are committed to data science education; this in turn is fueling the adoption of data science education pilots, pathways, and standards nationwide. 
• In 2022, DS4E played a key role in developing a National Academies of Sciences Workshop, where researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders came together to explore the rapidly growing field of data science education and to identify what is needed for the future. As a follow-on to this workshop, DS4E has organized and is facilitating working groups that are driving critical research and development efforts, including learning progressions, assessments, educator training, and tools for K-12 data science.