While data science isn’t a new subject, there’s been growing interest recently in helping students—in both K-12 and higher education—gain data science skills.

One reason is the shifting job market, says Zarek Drozda, director of Data Science 4 Everyone, a national initiative based at the University of Chicago. “The top skills in demand today are data analysis, data interpretation, being able to communicate about data,” says Drozda. “It’s hard to find a career or a sector of the economy where data skills are not important.”

With the rise of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT that rely on data sets, students also need to understand how to use AI in a responsible way, he says.

 …