Importance

The data science revolution has arrived in K-12 education. Fourteen states list data science programs in policy, with half developing standards or statewide courses. Numerous K-12 schools and teachers nationwide have begun implementing data science education programs.

To learn the foundations of data science, students must engage in rich data exploration of robust datasets beginning from the early grades onward. Supporting such experiences effectively demands dedicated technology tools. Our Common Online Data Analysis Platform (CODAP) addresses this need. CODAP’s visual approach and research-based affordances invite learners to immediately explore data and support them in deepening inquiry over time.

To secure a sustainable future for CODAP, we are developing a robust open-source ecosystem. We aim to engage and expand the CODAP community, including code contributors, plugin developers, educators, curriculum developers, translators, researchers, and others. This initiative is exploring CODAP’s potential for establishing new user communities within unexpected or currently undiscovered domains; testing distributed development infrastructure; and identifying and planning for appropriate organizational, governance, and coordination models.