Society is inundated with data and statistical claims every day and everywhere. Statistical literacy – the ability to interpret and question statistical claims in research, the news, and other communications – is increasingly a core life skill. Yet, understanding even basic statistical claims is difficult for many people, from an individual reading the news, to the reporters writing it, to policymakers and others in position to make impactful data-driven decisions. The more that society fosters statistical literacy, the better it can use data to drive positive change in the world.
At JMP, we enable our users with training and resources – not only for learning our software, but also for developing statistical literacy more generally. Events and resources such as the JMP Discovery Summit conference series and JMP’s free Statistical Thinking for Industrial Problem Solving course help our users hone their statistical thinking skills.
To help build statistical literacy more broadly, JMP proudly sponsors the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP), an educational effort by the International Association of Statistical Education (IASE, a section of the International Statistical Institute). The ISLP promotes statistical literacy year-round through a variety of programs, including a biannual poster competition for students in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education from dozens of countries around the globe. (The last competition drew more than 20,000 student participants!) JMP supports the poster competition and provides free access to the JMP Student Subscription for all student participants.
IASE has declared May 21 as the inaugural International Day of Statistical Literacy to promote awareness and education. A free, full-day online conference will be held to celebrate the day and promote statistical literacy for educators. If you are interested, consider registering for the conference.
Happily, statistical literacy education is a growing focus in higher education, with many universities now offering courses designed for students in the liberal arts and humanities. The focus of these courses is on conceptual understanding, reasoning, and consuming statistical information, in contrast with more typical statistics courses offered to science and engineering students.
But since the job is never done, ask yourself on May 21: “What can I do to help the people in my life build their statistical literacy?”
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