ABOUT US

Welcome to Teaching Data Literacy for Social Studies—a dedicated resource hub for elementary and secondary social studies educators seeking to integrate data literacy into their classrooms. Here, you will discover a wealth of curated materials, including primary source and secondary source data visualizations, data literacy-centered lesson plans, guides for using data visualization tools, and a variety of other resources.

Our goal is to empower teachers and students to navigate today's data-rich environment, while also supporting deep learning in history and other social studies subjects, where data and data visualizations are important modes of information. Our initiative is strengthened by collaborations with teams of undergraduate and graduate students, as well as other academic and community partners, whose diverse expertise in history, computer and data science, statistics, education, and other academic disciplines fuels our commitment to innovation. By blending academic research with practical teaching applications and strategies, we strive to enhance classroom instruction and foster critical data analysis skills among young learners.

Join us on this journey to bridge the gap between data and social studies, transforming traditional education into a dynamic learning experience.

Meet The Team

Tamara Shreiner

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Tamara Shreiner is an associate professor of history and social studies education at Grand Valley State University. She was a middle school and high school social studies teacher for nine years, primarily teaching civics and world history. Shreiner earned a Ph.D. in Teaching and Teacher Education and an M.A. in Social Studies Education from the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on disciplinary literacy in social studies with a special emphasis on data literacy. She has published in Cognition & Instruction, Theory & Research in Social Education, the Journal of Social Studies Research, Social Education, The History Teacher, and the British Journal of Educational Technology. In 2024, Shreiner published a book with Teachers College Press, Teaching Data Literacy in Social Studies: Principles and Practices to Support Historical Thinking and Civic Engagement. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, skiing, and spending time on Lake Michigan with her husband and three children.

Bradford Dykes

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Bradford Dykes is an Associate Professor at Grand Valley State University and teaches a variety of statistical methodologies courses in the Department of Statistics and the Data Science & Analytics graduate program that use the R programming language. Bradford’s research interests include enhancing learners’ statistical and data literacy, and has collaborated on projects in the Social Sciences, the Digital Humanities, and K-12 teacher development. Outside of work, Bradford enjoys board games, coffee, and hiking with his two Great Danes

Graduate Assistants

Lauryn Davis

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Lauryn Davis is a dedicated graduate student at Grand Valley State University, specializing in data science and analytics. She enjoys solving complex, data-driven challenges by harnessing advanced machine learning techniques and statistical modeling. Beyond her academic pursuits, Lauryn tutors K-12 students in mathematics and mentorship topics. Her technical interests extend to website development, deep learning, and time series forecasting. With her graduation slated for April 2025, Lauryn looks forward to leveraging her expertise to drive innovative solutions in the world of data science.

Louis Cousino

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Louis Cousino is a graduate student in the applied statistics program at Grand Valley State University. He joined the Data Literacy for Social Science project as he was finishing his undergraduate degree in sociology from GVSU in 2024. He enjoys using statistics to explore complex social issues and is passionate about how data literacy and education contributes to the project of democracy. In the future, Louis hopes to work in social science research. His interests outside of school include photography and reading.

Sydney Meyer

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Sydney Meyer is an alumna of Grand Valley State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Statistics with a minor in Mathematics. She later completed her Master of Science in Applied Statistics at the same institution. Currently, she works as a Business Intelligence Analyst at Service Express in Grand Rapids. Sydney has thoroughly enjoyed her time working on this project, with a primary focus on website development. In the future, she hopes to become a professor. In her free time, Sydney enjoys exercising, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Alex Gichucki

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Alex Gichuki graduated with a Masters Degree in Data Science and Analytics from Grand Valley State University in 2023. He currently works as a Data Analyst at SpartanNash.

Jae Mwangi

Jae Mwangi is a data scientist passionate about using technology to solve real-world problems. With experience in data analytics, web development, and research data science, Jae has worked on projects spanning educational tools, healthcare data analysis, and environmental data processing.

As a Front-End Web Development Graduate Assistant at Grand Valley State University, Jae helped create a slow-reveal tool to make classroom learning more interactive. This experience ignited a passion for building user-centered, data-driven solutions that have a tangible impact. Jae then applied these skills as a Data Science Research Intern at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. Jae is committed to using technology to tackle pressing societal challenges—whether in education, healthcare, or climate science.

Carley Dziewicki

Carley Dziewicki is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a master's in data science and analytics. During her time at GVSU she appreciated getting to use classroom knowledge in a practical setting while working on the slow reveal project. After graduation Carley started working for Dematic, a warehouse automation company, as an Analytics Engineer. In her free time, she loves to hike the shores of Michigan!

Research Assistants

Ellie Zimmerman

Ellie Zimmermann worked on the data visualization aspect of the slow reveal project during her time at Grand Valley State University. Her experience working with slow reveal graphs allowed her to develop and strengthen her coding skills in R. This project ignited her passion for research, and that passion has carried into her present studies. Ellie is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Michigan Technological University where she is conducting in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) research at the Planetary Surface Technology Development Lab. Once she completes her bachelor’s degree, Ellie intends to continue her involvement in ISRU research while she pursues a PhD in aerospace engineering

Robert Bilyk

Robert Bilyk graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2024 with a BS in Statistics and an MS in Applied Statistics. He currently works at Auto Owners Insurance within their actuarial division as a Predictive Modeler. Robert enjoys reading and playing video games. He's been spending a lot of time with his puppy Comet.

Ethan Briones

Ethan Briones is an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State University, majoring in Group Social Studies with a focus on Secondary Education. He has played a key role in this project, conducting extensive research on data visualization and creating graphs from various data sets. Passionate about integrating data literacy into the classroom, he strives to equip teachers with tools to enhance students’ analytical skills and prepare them for the future. After graduation, Ethan plans to teach high school social studies, with the long-term goal of teaching abroad in Europe.

Khai Li

Khai Li was a group social studies and secondary education major from Grand Valley State University. Khai graduated from East Kentwood High School. Since high school, he knew that he wanted to be a social studies teacher because it was his favorite subject. Additionally, his social studies and history teachers always greatly impacted me growing up. Khai's goal is to teach 7th-grade world history. Ultimately, he wants to instill a sense of wonder about the world in his future students. Some of Khai's hobbies include playing videos, being outdoors, reading, traveling, and photography

Hannah Metz

Hannah Metz is an undergraduate student at Grand Valley State university, majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in teaching English as a Second Language. As a research assistant for this project, she has worked extensively on writing descriptions for the various data visualizations featured on the website. Hannah is particularly interested in how data literacy continues to evolve, and how best to prepare her future students to understand and interpret data. While her primary focus is on English education, she has always had a deep appreciation for social studies and enjoys learning about the world around her. She has long been passionate about teaching, and her experiences at GVSU have only strengthened that passion. After graduation, she looks forward to having a classroom of her own and hopes to make a meaningful impact on her future students.

Amanda Wilder

Amanda Wilder is a graduate of Grand Valley State University with a group social studies and elementary education bachelor's degree. During her time at GVSU she appreciated learning about the research process of how to find the graphs using the Library of Congress website. She was then able to apply the slow reveal graph process to graphs in the classroom setting during her student practicum. Amanda was also given the opportunity to present at a Math In Action Conference held by GVSU in the Winter of 2022 and displayed her knowledge of how to develop these slow reveal graphs using Google Slides. After graduation Amanda started working for Saugatuck Public Schools as a 5th grade teacher. In her free time, she loves to travel, read, and binge watch shows with her husband and three cats.

Shyanne Burpee Williams

Shyanne Burpee Williams was a group social studies major focused on creating easy-to-use resources for K12 educators. In a world where most people are inundated with data, she finds it important that students are well-versed in how data is presented and used before graduation. She finds it equally important to tell the story of the past using many perspectives representative of those impacted by historical events. Shyanne hopes her work can help educators develop a culturally responsive curriculum that promotes data literacy in students.