February 14, 2023

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New report exposes steep declines in data science skills among fourth- and eighth-graders across America

NAEP grade 8 performance in Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability, by student race/ethnicity. Credit: Data Science Is Vital to Student Success. So Why Are Outcomes Going Down?, (2023).
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NAEP grade 8 performance in Data Analysis, Statistics, and Probability, by student race/ethnicity. Credit: Data Science Is Vital to Student Success. So Why Are Outcomes Going Down?, (2023).

A new report from the Data Science 4 Everyone coalition reveals that data literacy skills among fourth and eighth-grade students have declined significantly over the last decade even as these skills have become increasingly essential in our modern, data-driven society.

Based on data from the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress results, the report uncovered several trends that raise concerns about whether the nation's educational system is sufficiently preparing for a world reshaped by the rise of big data and artificial intelligence.

Key findings include:

"The ability to interpret, understand, and work with data is central to so many aspects of our lives and careers today. Data literacy is a must-have for every employee, every , and every participant in our democracy," said Zarek Drozda, the director of Data Science 4 Everyone, and author of the report.

"Schools that prioritize teaching these skills are setting their students up for success in the , opening doors to a wider variety of options post-graduation, and building confidence for students to pursue these disciplines in , including in STEM."

Beyond STEM, the report recommends that schools build data literacy connections within subjects across the curriculum, such as social studies or English. "Digital Humanities" is an emerging field that uses data to reveal new insights into literature and history, for example. Data Science 4 Everyone is similarly encouraging cross-disciplinary collaboration via their lesson plan challenge, which provides cash prizes to teachers working together to teach principles.

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