We are delighted to share the next issue of Statistics Teacher with you as we start 2026. As you begin the new year, we want 2026 to be full of statistical adventures and hope this issue can support you in that endeavor, providing ideas, activities, and resources to engage you throughout your statistics teaching journey.
In this issue, we share two articles and one lesson plan. The articles span middle grades, high school levels, and beyond, but they also provide ideas for elementary instruction. The lesson plan incorporates simulation and probability concepts with historical events from the 1969 Vietnam War draft.
In the first article, “Data Biographies: A Tool for Integrating Real-World Data into Classrooms,” Leticia Perez, Freida Reichsman, and Cynthia McIntyre share a collection of data biographies that range from roller coasters to the height of eighth graders to provide teachers with an opportunity to explore statistics and create activities for their students. Each data biography includes a rich data set along with its origin, questions to investigate, links to the data set, and statistical concepts that could be addressed. In the article, you will find a detailed example and a link to many more.
In the second article, “‘Perfect’ Regression: A Device for Demonstrating Spuriousness and P-Hacking,” Joseph G. Eisenhauer discusses a common pitfall in statistics: spurious correlations. He explains what they are and why they are important to examine and provides examples of extreme cases that can be used in the classroom to support student understanding.
This issue also includes a great lesson plan about the 1969 Vietnam War draft, “Vietnam War Draft Probability Exploration” by Heather Barker. It involves an investigation into whether the draft was truly a random way to choose who would serve in the war. The lesson plan is appropriate for middle school-, high school- and college-level students. Students explore concepts of simulation, probability, and expected value using technology such as CODAP.
Catherine Case, senior lecturer at the University of Georgia and STEW/Statistics Teacher lesson plan co-editor for the past six years, ends her tenure with this issue. We appreciate all Catherine has done for the ASA, Statistics Teacher, and statistics education.
We are grateful to join you in this journey of teaching statistics and look forward to hearing about your data adventures in 2026!
Trena L. Wilkerson
Statistics Teacher Article Co-Editor
Baylor University
Jennifer L. Green
Statistics Teacher Article Co-Editor
Michigan State University
Catherine Case
Statistics Teacher Lesson Plan Co-Editor
University of Georgia
Charlotte Bolch Walsh
Statistics Teacher Lesson Plan Co-Editor
Midwestern University
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