CourseKata Fellowship for High School Statistics and Data Science
Individual teachers are encouraged to apply to bring a modern stats + data science course to your students — for FREE.
District math leads are encouraged to contact christa@coursekata.org
CourseKata is offering fellowships for individual statistics teachers and district cohorts of teachers during the 2025-2026 school year. If you expect to teach (non-AP) statistics, fourth-year math, or a data science course next year, apply today— it will take less than 15 minutes!
An Online Modern Approach to Statistics + Data Science
CourseKata Statistics & Data Science is designed using a modern approach that emphasizes modeling, making connections, and computational thinking to help students build in-demand skills and knowledge. Students learn core statistical concepts and how to do data analysis using R (a statistical programming language). They gain skills that are valued by college, workforce, and society — setting them up for success across industries.
CourseKata Statistics & Data Science is aligned to Common Core Math Statistics and Probability State Standards and supports a variety of math pathways: it can be used as a statistics course curriculum, be the basis for a two-year data science pathway, provide the curriculum for a dual-enrollment college-level course, and/or create a great fourth year math option for students who don’t intend to take calculus.
The program includes:
- An online textbook with more than 1,500 formative assessment questions and embedded coding exercises
- An extensive library of in-class materials (presented as cloud-hosted Jupyter notebooks) that are used to support lesson implementation, authentic assessment, and student projects
- Top-notch professional development to support your journey into data science, even if you’ve had no previous experience with R or any coding language
- Student independent reading is a core component of the curriculum. Some teachers assign this reading for homework, or assign the reading as classroom work. We provide and are continually improving direct instruction materials to support a wide range of classroom environment
Qualifications for the CourseKata Fellowship
Applicants must be new to CourseKata and ready to jump in!
✅ Plan to teach high school statistics or another comparable class in the 2025-2026 school year where the CourseKata curriculum is relevant (this necessitates that you are already scheduled to teach a class that can potentially use CourseKata materials)
✅ Your administration is likely to approve your use of CourseKata in the classroom
✅ You have never previously used the CourseKata materials to teach statistics and data science
✅ No teachers in your district have previously used the CourseKata materials
✅ Will participate in a study group — nine one-hour sessions held via Zoom (various dates are available to fit your schedule)
✅ Available to participate in fellowship cohort activities throughout the school year with peers across the country (~2-3 hours each semester)
✅ Access to a compatible LMS:
- Currently compatible with Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L
- We expect to support additional LMSs (e.g., Google Classroom and PowerSchool’s Schoology) in the 2025-26 school year
- If your school does not use one of the above LMS platforms, you may sign up for a Canvas Free For Teachers account as an alternative LMS (check with your district guidelines for usage of this LMS)
Value of the CourseKata Fellowship
All teachers and students participating in the Fellowship will get access to a robust teaching and learning program throughout the 2025-2026 year — all for FREE.
Access for all students (Valued at $24/student):
- One-year of access to CourseKata online and in-class materials for all students enrolled in your class(es)
A comprehensive curriculum plus a PD and support package (Valued at $800):
- A complete statistics and data science course, including access to all online and offline materials
- Unlimited access to Zoom study groups and professional development workshops
- Tech support for LMS integration
- Support for local guidance counselors
Teacher Application
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and priority is given to those who apply early.
The deadlines to apply are:
January 5, 2025
March 2, 2025
April 20, 2025
Questions? Check out the FAQs below and email Christa Luft to schedule time to speak with us.
FAQs
What is the application process?
Teachers and districts will submit a short application that includes:
- Name, contact info and location
- Short answer questions about interest in teaching generally and CourseKata specifically
- Questions related to eligibility — classes taught, LMS, previous experience with CourseKata/study groups, availability for Fellowship requirements
Teachers will be notified on a rolling basis.
What will the Fellowship experience look like?
- Teachers will attend a study group in the spring or summer of 2025, which will provide comprehensive training on using the CourseKata curriculum.
- Teachers will receive tech support and set-up support as needed.
- Teachers will have access to ongoing tech support to ensure successful usage of the curriculum throughout the school year.
- Teachers will be invited to light programming throughout the year designed to gain data science content knowledge, network with and learn from professionals (data scientists, learning scientists, etc.), and connect with other instructors using CourseKata in high schools and on college campuses.
When will I know if I’ve been selected?
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis and we encourage interested teachers and districts to submit applications early. There are three deadlines:
- January 5, 2025
- March 2, 2025
- April 20, 2025
What is the cost of the Fellowship?
The Fellowship is free for the districts/teachers who are accepted for the 2025-26 school year — and for their students. If teachers want to continue using the curriculum beyond the Fellowship year, the cost is $800 per teacher for professional development and tech support (for the second year; however there is no PD cost for third year or beyond) and $24 per student per year for all years of use.
Why was the Fellowship created?
We are eager to get CourseKata into more high school classrooms in the 2025-26 school year so we can continue to adapt and improve the curriculum to meet the needs of an increasing number of high school students. We are looking for student-centered teachers who are motivated to teach with modern materials that lead students to apply math in the real world.
How can I learn more about CourseKata?
Visit our website where you can preview the textbook, watch our 3-min overview video, sign up for an instructor account, and more. You can also email Christa Luft (christa@coursekata.org) to sign up for a 20-minute introductory meeting with one of our staff members.
Do I have to teach students in the fall?
You have to commit to teach students during the 2025-26 school year with the CourseKata materials.
What else is expected of me during the Fellowship?
In addition to attending a summer study group and teaching in 2025-26, awardees will be asked to provide feedback to the CourseKata research and development team (e.g., participate in focus groups centered on your teaching experiences). Our goal is that you’ll help us better understand your implementation needs so that we can address them for our full cadre of instructors, and ultimately bring data science to more high school students across the country!
What if I have never coded before and don't know R?
No worries! Most of the teachers who use CourseKata have no experience with coding or R. They learn alongside their students, and we are always here to help.
Who created CourseKata?
Developed at the cutting-edge of learning science by professors from UCLA and Cal State LA, CourseKata started in 2017 as a project to modernize the teaching of introductory statistics in California's public institutions of higher education. The approach was originally borne out of theories in learning and improvement sciences: the course materials — designed to foster flexible and applicable learning of statistics concepts and skills — are continuously improved based on teacher implementation and data. High schools joined the CourseKata community in 2020.
Where has CourseKata been used?
The curriculum is used in more than 60 high schools in 11 states, as well as in more than 50 colleges and universities in 20 states. Internationally it has been used in Canada, UK, EU, and China.
What if I still have questions?
Email us with your questions at christa@coursekata.org.