NSTA and Tuva Expand Partnership to Advance Data Literacy in Science Education

Collaboration responds to National Academies’ call for coordinated, system-wide integration of data and computing across K–12 education

RICHMOND, Va. & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The National Science Teaching Association and Tuva today announced an expanded partnership to co-design and co-facilitate professional learning that strengthens data literacy as a core component of scientific sensemaking across science and related disciplines. Building on the success of their national conference-based professional learning institute, the collaboration will expand into district-based implementation while continuing to offer programming at NSTA's national conferences.

"Data has become an essential tool for making sense of the world, and students need opportunities to engage with authentic data as part of their science learning," said Tricia Shelton, Chief Learning Officer at NSTA. "Working with Tuva, we're expanding opportunities for educators to build the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills needed to integrate data literacy into everyday science instruction."

The expanded partnership comes as a recent consensus study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine highlights the need for a coordinated approach to integrating data and computing across K–12 education, calling for alignment across curriculum, assessment, teacher preparation, and professional learning rather than isolated efforts at the classroom or program level.

The report also highlights a persistent gap between rising expectations for students to engage in data analysis, modeling, and computational thinking and the uneven opportunities educators have had to build the instructional expertise needed to support those practices at scale.

"For students to develop essential data skills, teachers must first be backed by sustained professional support and resources," said Harshil Parikh, Founder and CEO of Tuva. "Our expanded partnership with NSTA focuses on building that long-term instructional capacity at the district level."

Echoing the call for systemic change, a joint statement from five national education associations, including the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA), the National Council for the Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS), urges schools to embed data literacy and data science across K–12 disciplines as essential components of student learning.

District Implementation as a Core Expansion

A central focus of the expanded partnership is new district-based professional learning designed to support sustained instructional practice.

The first offering, Sensemaking and Place-Based Data, engages educators in using authentic, local data to investigate anchoring phenomena. Participants pose instructional questions, use Tuva tools to analyze and visualize authentic datasets, and extend their work through a community science experience in which they collect and interpret their own data. The workshop emphasizes strategies for helping students use data to identify patterns, develop explanations, and engage in science and engineering practices grounded in local phenomena.

A second district workshop, focused on building teachers’ confidence in applying data practices to make sense of compelling phenomena, is in development and will debut following the NSTA National Conference in Indianapolis (NSTA Indy26).

NSTA will host informational webinars about their entire suite of new district offerings, including Sensemaking and Place-Based Data, on July 9 and July 23.

Continued National Professional Learning

In addition to expanding district-based offerings, NSTA and Tuva will continue to co-facilitate professional learning institutes at national conferences, including Fueling Sensemaking: How Data Ignites Student Use of the Science and Engineering Practices at NSTA Indy26 this coming November. The full-day session will explore how data can be integrated across all eight Science and Engineering Practices through hands-on instructional tasks and grade-band breakout sessions.

About NSTA

The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) is a vibrant community of 35,000 science educators and professionals committed to best practices in teaching science and its impact on student learning. NSTA offers high-quality science resources and continuous learning so that science educators grow professionally and excel in their careers. For new and experienced teachers alike, the NSTA community offers the opportunity to network with like-minded peers at the national level, connect with mentors and leading researchers, and learn from the best in the field. For more information, visit https://www.nsta.org or follow NSTA on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Bluesky.

About Tuva

Tuva is transforming math and science education with its next-generation data, graphing, and statistical tools, used by teachers and students around the world. With over 100 million datasets, graphs, and charts uploaded and created, the Tuva tools have become the digital tool of choice for students to learn how to explore, visualize, and analyze data and develop important data literacy skills. Over 5 million teachers and students use the Tuva Content Library and Instructional Program to bring authentic, powerful learning to the classroom. To learn more, visit tuvalabs.com or follow Tuva on LinkedIn.