The ASA Statistical Education Section: An Updated History with Emphasis on Its Last 25 Years

• Activity Number: 239
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Monday, August 4, 2014 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Katherine Halvorsen*+ and John D. McKenzie Jr.
• Companies: Smith College and Babson College
• Keywords: Awards ; GAISE ; Guidelines ; Leadership ; Meetings ; Publications

Abstract

In 1990, Inman published a history of the Statistical Education Section from its inception in 1944 until 1989 in The American Statistician. This talk updates his narrative of the history with an emphasis on its last 25 years. Information about the section's leaders and committees will be presented, as well as the services provided by the section, such as meetings and publications. It describes its awards and its support to students and sister organizations. The talk summarizes the section's role in the creation of the ASA Division of Education, the appointment of an ASA Director of Education, and the establishment of committees that support the work of statistics educators in mathematics departments in four-year colleges and universities, in two-year colleges, and in schools. Additionally, the ASA has made recommendations on course requirements for undergraduate statistics majors and guidelines for assessment and instruction in statistics education in K-12 and in the first-year of college (the GAISE reports) with the section's support. The talk concludes with continuing and new challenges, along with future opportunities, for the Statistical Education Section.