Chapter 8: Preparing Teachers of Statistics: A Critical Read of Standards, Review of Past Research, and Future Directions

In this chapter we consider the past, present, and future of the statistics education of K–12 mathematics teachers. We consider the past and present in terms of what we know about the preparation and support of K–12 mathematics teachers for teaching statistics from research and current policies. We consider the future in terms of important directions of research and mathematics teacher education aimed at improving the preparation and support of K–12 mathematics teachers for teaching statistics. Based on our review of the literature, we found a dearth of research on how to prepare teachers of statistics. In particular, we documented a lack of research on the social contexts of statistics teaching and learning and students as learners of statistics. Based on these findings, we provide questions to drive future research in this area. We further implore mathematics teacher educators (MTEs), mathematics and statistics education researchers, and teacher education organizations to prioritize attention, professional development, and scholarship in this area.