The role of statistics in improving education

Abstract

The goal of teaching statistics is to foster an adult population capable of reasoning from and about data and making informed decisions based on quantitative information in the workplace, in their personal lives and as citizens. This paper describes examples of data available to those involved in the design and delivery of education and some of the statistical skills and reasoning necessary to understand, interpret and use that information about schools, teachers, and students to improve their educational systems. Educators in the United States increasingly have access to data such as achievement trends over time, item analyses from high stakes tests, or comparison data for states and comparable systems that can help them develop ways to improve student learning. Unfortunately, few educators have sufficient understanding of statistics to make use of this data to help prevent errors in decision-making.