DATA MINDS

Develop curious minds. Empower every learner. Shape the future.

How can we prepare students for a world where data-driven decision-making shapes nearly every aspect of life? Data Minds: How Today’s Teachers Can Prepare Students for Tomorrow’s World helps K–8 educators infuse data literacy into everyday lessons across disciplines, without overwhelming existing curricula. Data literacy is an ability and willingness to engage with and understand data in the world, and it can be incorporated throughout the school day to encourage student agency.

Legendary educators Jo Boaler and Cathy Williams inspire teachers to develop "data minds" in their students―fostering analytical, creative, and skeptical thinkers who can successfully navigate the data-rich world.

Aligned with current math, STEM, and GAISE II standards, this book

• Provides innovative, real-world stories from classrooms across the globe, offering inspiration and insight from other educators
• Highlights five key habits of mind that position students actively, giving them a role in seeking and investigating knowledge deeply
• Includes engaging and fascinating examples of data visualizations that demonstrate that data analysis goes way beyond charts and strings of numbers
• Offers flexible frameworks, including the Four-Part Data Cycle, that focus on asking questions, analyzing patterns, and developing multi-modal representations like graphs, maps, and even art pieces
• Presents extensive teacher "data moves," reflection questions, and examples in each chapter showing how to connect lessons to students’ interests, from oceanography to basketball
• Includes online access to free professional development resources and accompanying lessons through Stanford University’s youcubed

From forming data questions to cultivating creativity, Data Minds will help educators turn every lesson into an opportunity for meaningful discovery. By integrating data literacy into the curriculum, teachers can unlock new levels of student engagement at the same time they are preparing learners for the demands of tomorrow′s workforce.

Dr. Jo Boaler is the Nomellini Olivier Professor of Education at Stanford University. Previously she has served as the Marie Curie Professor of Mathematics Education in England and a maths teacher in London comprehensive schools. Her PhD won the national award for educational research in the UK. She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (Great Britain), and a former president of the International Organization for Women and Mathematics Education (IOWME). She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Early Career Award, the NCSM Kay Gilliland Equity Award (2014) and the CMC Walter Denham Mathematics Leadership award (2015). She is an elected fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (fRSA) and a White House presenter on women and girls. She co-founded www.youcubed.org, a free website that gives teachers, parents and students the resources and ideas they need to inspire and excite students about mathematics. She is the author of 20 books and numerous research articles; her work has been published in the New York Times, TIME magazine, The Telegraph, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and many other news outlets. She was one of the writing team for the 2023 California Mathematics Framework, is co-leading a K-12 Data Science Initiative, and was named as one of the 8 educators “changing the face of education” by the BBC.

Cathy Williams is a passionate mathematics educator, author, and advocate for innovative teaching. With more than 18 years as a high school mathematics teacher and AVID coordinator, followed by a decade as a mathematics administrator in San Diego County, Cathy has dedicated her career to transforming how students and teachers engage with mathematics. As the co-founder and Executive Director of youcubed at Stanford University, Cathy has played a pivotal role in developing research-based curricula, coaching educators, and delivering professional development worldwide. Her work fosters mathematical mindsets, visual learning, and deep conceptual understanding. Cathy is an advisor to mathematics education technology startups and a widely recognized speaker.