Designed for high school students to learn to apply data science and analytics concepts, develop their personal financial knowledge and well-being, and become familiar with the value of data science fundamentals in the job market, DataSetGo is the first program interactive digital educational program of its kind.

Seeking the consolidation of a diverse workforce with solid tools to face the future, this initiative, available at no cost, is supported by Principal Foundation and EVERFI.

Jo Christine Miles, Principal Foundation and Community Relations Director, stated:

Our goal is to empower students with education that pairs financial literacy with college and career readiness.

Premiere

The curriculum, intended to reach at least 70,000 students and teachers by 2025, will debut in 11 markets during the 2022-2023 school year. These are the selected communities:

New York; Charlotte; Washington D.C.; Raleigh; Atlanta; Wilmington; Seattle; Folson; Minneapolis; Dallas; and DesMoines.

According to the data literacy index, socialized by the organization, only 21% of young people between the ages of 16 and 24 know the data. And the National Assessment of Educational Progress says that about 75% of students have not taken a probability or statistics course before graduating from high school.

We also aim to inspire a diverse set of students across a diverse set of school districts to pursue long-term educational and career goals that are attainable, meaningful, and helpful in positioning students for economic mobility and financial security.

“We also aim to inspire a diverse set of students across a diverse set of school districts to pursue long-term educational and career goals that are attainable, meaningful, and helpful in positioning students for economic mobility and financial security,” added Miles.

Background

During the last decade the two organizations have worked on different financial education projects.

For the latest version of this program, Principal and EVERFI created an interactive simulation that provides students with hands-on experiences that demand problem-solving skills to investigate the triggers that cause young adults to make poor financial decisions, such as maxing out a credit card.

“Every day, in schools across the country, EVERFI works with teachers and students harnessing the power of technology to address the missing learning layer and teach critical life skills. We have seen through our years of experience providing innovative learning solutions that this type of programming introduces students to careers they may not have considered,” said Ray Martínez, president and co-founder of EVERFI.

DataSetGo was put to the test during the 2021-2022 school year, impacting more than 6,000 students in more than 160 schools. After completing the program, students showed a doubling in assessment scores related to knowledge of the types of skills and processes used by data scientists in their careers.

From the program they highlight LinkedIn's Emerging Jobs Report 2020, where "data scientist" topped the list of emerging jobs for three years in a row and has a projected annual growth rate of 37%. For their part, they also indicate that from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics they report that the occupations of data scientists and mathematical sciences have a projected growth rate of 31% between 2020 and 2030.

Community organizations serving youth can also sign up for free access to the curriculum.