Statistics & data science are growing, rapidly evolving, and increasingly important for an informed citizenry in a data-saturated world. In this dissertation, I address two central questions: (1) who is taking statistics? and (2) what are statistics courses teaching? I estimate that 920,000 US students take statistics in high school each year,…

In the 2018 legislative session, the General Assembly appropriated $28.4 million to increase production of degree awards in the areas of data science and technology, education, healthcare, and science and engineering. The funding, targeted toward 14 public four-year institutions (University of Virginia's College at Wise was excluded), included…

This dissertation comprises three chapters. The first two address issues within the education system, focusing on strategies to attract and retain high-quality teachers in the public sector. The third chapter, a collaborative effort with Martin Martinez and Miguel Saldarriaga, explores the application of machine learning tools for nowcasting…