NSF-Funded Research

Advancing Statistics Education Through Research & Technology

An NSF-funded initiative developing scalable instructional platforms that bring data science, computing, and statistical thinking to classrooms nationwide. Listed in the College Board's AP Statistics Course Description.

28,000+
Students
2,000+
Educators
5
NSF Awards
15+
Years of Research
Explore the Platform View Our Research

Where Learning Science Meets Classroom Practice

Stats4STEM is a research initiative dedicated to improving how students learn statistics, data science, and computational thinking. Through NSF-funded research, we develop evidence-based tools and curricula that make statistics education more engaging, accessible, and effective.

Our flagship platform, Key2Stats, is a free, open-access system featuring interactive lessons, auto-graded assessments, instant student feedback, real-time learning analytics, and an integrated R coding environment with 1,500+ real-world datasets. It enables differentiated instruction and supports equity-focused curriculum design.

We also develop experimental AI workflows using agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for generating and refining statistics assessment items, instructional materials, and formative feedback prompts.

Key2Stats — The Platform

Built from our research, Key2Stats brings statistics education to life with interactive tools used by thousands of educators and students nationwide.

Teacher Dashboard Student View R Environment Real-Time Charts
key2stats.com
Classes
AP Statistics 25/26
Regular Stats Sec 1
Regular Stats Sec 2
Assignments
Ch 1: Exploring Data
Ch 2: Normal Dist.
Ch 3: Regression
AP Statistics 25/26 — Assignment Overview
32 students enrolled · 8 assignments · Updated live every 10 seconds
Student completion rates by assignment

Interactive Problem Sets

Auto-graded with question-specific hints for struggling students

Integrated R Environment

RDojo — a beginner-friendly R coding environment built right in

1,500+ Real Datasets

Curated from research institutions, ready for classroom use

Real-Time Learning Charts

Live analytics updating every 10 seconds as students work

OER Integration

OpenStax, OpenIntro, and community-shared resources built in

LMS Integration

Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, Moodle — SSO & grade passback

NSF-Funded Research

Five National Science Foundation awards supporting over 15 years of innovation in statistics, data science, and STEM education.

STATS4STEM.ORG: Enriching STEM Education Through Real-World Data Sets, Computing, and Statistical Analysis

The foundational grant — building a central repository for learning materials that bring R, real-world data, and statistical computing into STEM classrooms.

NSDL Program

CodeR4STATS — Code R for AP Statistics

Integrating computing into high school statistics instruction through new features for teaching, learning, and assessment using RStudio on the Stats4STEM platform.

DUE / IUSE Program

Computing with R for Mathematical Modeling

Developing Key2Stats and CodeR4Math platforms — 11 curriculum modules supporting computational thinking in statistics and mathematics classes.

DRK-12 Program

CyberTraining: Data4Ecology — Computational and Data-Centric Ecology Training

A modular, scalable learning platform integrating R-based ecology datasets, assessment systems, and instructional building blocks for undergraduate ecology and data science education.

CyberTraining Program

Our Team

Educators, researchers, and developers working at the intersection of learning science and technology.

ES

Eric Simoneau

Principal Investigator

MS Statistics, UMass Amherst
MA Mathematical Finance, Boston University
BS Mechanical Eng., UIUC

13+ years teaching AP & regular statistics at Boston Latin School. Presented at USCOTS, ICOTS, AERA.

MS

Mark Simoneau

Curriculum Development Lead

15+ years teaching statistics, mathematics, and physics.

University of Illinois, Tufts University, Harvard University

MB

Marc Baneza

Lead Developer

Leads the development team. Platform architecture, security, server & database management, and performance optimization.