According to a 2023 Pew Research Center , U.S. teachers’ opinions on the use of AI tools in K-12 education remain divided, with 32% believing there’s an equal mix of benefit and harm, 35% indicating they’re not sure, and 25% citing more harm than benefit. Just last month, the federal government for K-12 schools to navigate the emerging technology.

Whether you support it, fear it, or just don’t quite understand it, AI is poised to fundamentally shape how we learn and consume information — and sooner than one might think. Students must be ready to meet this moment.

Understanding the basic processes that fuel AI require data literacy. That is as fundamental to navigating society as traditional reading and writing skills. Parents need to understand that this isn’t just a technological “wave of the future.” Equipping students with these skills now is critical for their future success and for maintaining a well-informed society.

A foundation in data literacy goes beyond preparing students for future jobs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which alone are to grow twice as fast as other careers over the next decade. We experience data literacy every day in many routine ways — from understanding our electric bill, to managing personal finances, or evaluating a nutrition label. 

Data literacy is everywhere, which means that everyone benefits from data science education. 

While data science refers to a subject that can be integrated into common curricula like math, science, and computer programming, data literacy refers to the collection of technical, critical thinking, and communication skills needed to make data useful and understood in the real world. 

Together, they give students the tools to comprehend data, think thoughtfully and analytically as they engage with AI technologies, and form their own informed perspectives on the world — all of which contribute to their lifelong learning potential.

In Ashley Hinton’s second grade classroom at in North Carolina, start on the first day of school.

As their first assignment, Hinton asks students to draw a response to the question, “How are you feeling?” Students then split into groups to analyze responses — discussing how they could group similar answers, label commonalities, and visualize the results to share with peers and parents. Long before these learners will enter an AP Statistics classroom, this simple exercise is helping them gather, sort, display, and discuss data.

According to , a national initiative that strives to make data science a fundamental part of K-12 education, data literacy is an excellent way to connect concepts across disciplines. This makes for a perfect introduction in early grades where integrated learning is the standard.

Doing so does not come at the expense of prioritizing the fundamentals — something that’s very much on the minds of district leaders as they seek to recover from pandemic learning. Rather, setting this foundation in data fluency tees students up to succeed in later courses that integrate the more technical aspects of data science, such as algebra, chemistry, or statistics.

Of course, this isn’t just for STEM students. Parents need to understand how schools are equipping all students with the data literacy and communications skills they’ll need to navigate the increasingly complex, interconnected world that awaits. This is true for theater kids, future journalists, and artists just as much as it is for students primarily interested in STEM. As Ms. Hinton’s class proves, the concepts behind data science can be applied across all subjects and grades.

We need to make sure parents know why this is important and how to advocate for these opportunities for their child. That’s why , the nation’s leading nonprofit school information site, partnered with Data Science 4 Everyone to bridge this gap. Together, we’re helping parents understand and creating opportunities for school leaders to share their data science offerings on their GreatSchools profile.

Providing parents with this kind of information not only allows them to make better educational decisions for their family, but also can increase interest and demand for data science education within their schools.

Just as reading proficiency is critical for understanding the world, data literacy skills are the next foundational competencies required to thrive in today’s economy. When students are not exposed to data science or data literacy, they are excluded from a fundamental, lifelong skill set, much like if they weren’t taught to read.

We can — and should — still push foundational learning, but we ought to adapt to the needs of modern learners while we’re at it.

Some have modified graduation requirements or retooled stalwart courses — particularly Algebra II — to include data science, statistics and probability, topics of great interest to a wide swath of students headed to college or the workforce. 

No longer are they steering everyone toward calculus, a course that is not universally available — nor pertinent to all students’ academic and professional lives. 

And high schools are not making these critical decisions in isolation: Many are working with college administrators — post-secondary math is also being reconsidered — to better align their coursework. 

Many member states also pledge to train high school teachers to help make the switch.

“Everyone agrees that different college students need different math — quantitative literacy for humanities, stats for most social sciences, calculus for STEM and economics,” said David Kung, the Center’s policy director. “Everyone also agrees that all K-12 students should be in the same math through at least algebra. The big question is where and how to branch [after that], with different students getting different math — and how to do that equitably.”

The , which seeks to ensure all children — particularly the underserved — have equitable access to high-quality mathematics and science instruction, began operating out of the University of Texas at Austin in 1991. It has helped shape math for students in that state and has also worked with dozens of districts outside Texas, its efforts funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The revamping of mathematics comes at a critical time: Math proficiency tanked nationwide during and after COVID, prompting educators to seize the opportunity to overhaul the subject with the hope of improving student engagement and outcomes. 

Josh Recio, the Center’s course program specialist, said change of this magnitude takes time: It often requires agreement from several entities, including mathematics teachers’ organizations, the legislature, and parent and community groups. Then, every district in the state has to change its graduation requirements, while also incorporating new course material.

“Each step of this process takes coordinated actions that are not easy to achieve,” Recio said. “And yet, states are persevering because they can see the benefit to students.”

The Center requires those participating in its to make a three-year commitment: Washington and Georgia are on their second cycle. 

Utah started working with the Center around that same time, though it wasn’t officially a member state when the program began. Still, the partnership proved fruitful: In its first three years, the state accomplished three essential goals — and has already seen remarkable academic gains. 

First, it brought K-12 educators and state college leaders together to identify three entry-level college math courses: statistics, quantitative reasoning and college algebra. 

“It really helped to solidify that progression of math content that gets taught all the way through from high school to early college,” said Lindsey Henderson, secondary mathematics specialist with the Utah State Board of Education. 

Then, it made sure to offer these classes to high school students so they could earn college credit for them prior to graduation. 

Finally, Henderson said, the state changed its mathematics offerings so that not all students would be pushed toward calculus: Through pamphlets and online literature, Utah encourages families and students to pick classes aligned with their goals. 

“If you want to be a STEM major or work in business, you should consider college algebra,” she said. “If you’re interested in humanities or performing and language arts, you should take quantitative reasoning. If you’re interested in nursing or psychology, you should take statistics.” 

Like many other participating states, Washington also reworked Algebra II: It identified the elements of the subject it believes all students need and added data science, quantitative reasoning and mathematical modeling, said Arlene Crum, director of mathematics for the state education department. The new course was piloted in the 2022-23 school year.

“We have multiple graduation pathways within Washington where we support and value students heading in many different directions, not only to a four-year university, but many to two-year colleges, the military or into industry,” Crum said. “So, Algebra II should not just be a course that prepares students for the calculus pathway, but it should help students in their thinking for wherever they’re going.”

Washington also reworked its eight-year-old “transition to college” math class, often taken in the 12th grade, bolstering the course’s social-emotional learning elements while also emphasizing statistics. 

Oregon also has changed its high school math standards with the goal of increasing student engagement and participation while improving outcomes for all. 

It now requires two years of foundational algebra, geometry, and data/statistics and a third year that allows students to choose courses from a variety of options, including quantitative reasoning, data science or advanced mathematics. Students can continue into a fourth year through advanced courses in these pathways, including calculus.

“Increasing the number and percentage of students who excel in math and meet high school mathematics graduation requirements is critical to ensuring future post-secondary success — and keeping career options open to students in a variety of CTE and STEM-based fields,” said Oregon Department of Education spokesman Peter J. Rudy. “This is important for all students, most especially for students who are farthest away from mathematics learning opportunities that bring math to life.”

Henderson, of Utah, said these changes have helped more students meet and exceed state mathematics requirements: Just 28% of students completed four years of high school mathematics in 2012 compared to 87% in 2020, after the new initiatives were implemented. 

And, she said, children with disabilities are faring much better in the subject: While only 43% were earning grade-level mathematics credit in 9^th grade in 2012, the figure shot up to 85% in 2020. 

“The pandemic has forced us to recognize that student interest in mathematics is really important,” Henderson said. “It helps us to reach really great outcomes. We want to show kids that math is useful. It’s not just a set of procedures that can only be used by a few.”

Disclosure: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provides financial support to The 74.