Learning Resources

U.S. Census Bureau Releases Statistics Resources

• By Sri Ravipati
• 09/08/16

In an effort to boost statistical literacy and data analysis skills in K–12 students, the United States Census Bureau unveiled yesterday a website of free online activities, games and other resources for the classroom.

The Statistics in Schools program offers resources in geography, history, math and sociology. Resources are organized by subject and grade, and each outlines learning objectives for the activity. Educators can access more than 100 downloadable activities and resources created by other teachers and subject matter experts.

Teachers can access the following resources on the website:

• Activities and games;
• Maps;
• News Articles
• Videos;
• Data visualizations and infographics;
• Explanations of Census Bureau data; and
• Searchable data access tools.

Initially launched in 2000 with help from Scholastic, the program sought to “help students better understand the once-a-decade census and the importance of being counted,” according to a news release. In the last two years, the program has been significantly redesigned and now incorporates the expertise of teachers, education standards experts and other professionals “to meet changing classroom needs.”

"Understanding the value behind the numbers that measure our changing society will help the future leaders of tomorrow learn how to make data-driven decisions that shape communities for generations to come," said Nancy Potok, deputy director and chief operating officer of the Census Bureau, in a statement.

Further information about the Statistics in Schools program is available on the Census Bureau site.