When George School’s Diversity Oversight Committee (DOC) conducted a survey to study the diversity of the school community earlier this year, two students in George School’s Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics class gained real-world experience in statistical analysis. As the DOC worked to develop questions that would gather baseline feedback from parents, students, faculty, and staff about how diversity is defined at George School, DOC Clerk Marion Wells, a George School librarian, approached math teacher Valerie Folk to ask if she and some of her students could offer guidance on how to make the survey statistically sound. Valerie offered her students the opportunity to volunteer for the project, and Justin Kim ’11 and Sam Zorowitz ’10 stepped forward.

“It was a chance to do statistics for something that was really happening, as opposed to the artificial situations I organize in class,” observed Valerie, who has taught statistical modeling and analysis at three universities and conducted applied statistical analysis during her eleven years working for ETS (Educational Testing Service).

Distributed in February, the survey was designed to help guide the George School Committee (the school’s governing board) in its long-term strategic planning objectives, inform the school’s process for reaccreditation, and inspire all members of the school community to consider new ways for George School to continue its long tradition of inclusiveness.

“I’m so proud of George School,” said Marion. “We have a long tradition of being a diverse community, but as a community we always look for ways to improve our understanding of diversity.”

Before the survey could be distributed, important decisions had to be made. Valerie, Justin, and Sam met with Marion to decide how the survey data should be collected and who would be asked to respond to the survey. The group of respondents, known in statistics as the “sample,” needed to be defined properly so that the responses could be studied to draw statistically valid conclusions about the school community as a whole.

Sam recalled, “Initially, we were not sure which form of sampling was appropriate, or how we would ensure we would have enough responses, or even if we would procure unbiased results. It was certainly a challenge.”

The group took into consideration the spirit of the survey. In keeping with Quaker values, the survey was intended to include the voice of anyone who wanted to speak. As a result, in addition to obtaining three random samples of school community members (one of students, one of faculty and staff, and one of parents), the group made the unusual decision to pursue three comprehensive samples of the same groups by making the survey available to all students, faculty and staff, and parents.

“They were very actively involved in the decisions we made,” Valerie said of Justin and Sam. According to her, the decision-making set the project apart from a classroom exercise. “It gave the students the sense of what it’s like to think about the needs of an outside constituent, and the purpose of what you’re trying to accomplish,” she noted.

Once the survey data had been collected, Valerie, Justin, and Sam divided up the 226 total responses and analyzed them during March and April. They compared the random and comprehensive samples to discern whether or not the responses from both groups conveyed the same information. They determined that the groups’ responses were similar enough to be combined for an analysis that Marion presented to the George School Committee in April.

Justin commented that for him, the project felt like “what a real statistician would do.” It also allowed him to develop a greater focus on the topic of sampling, which he had learned about through one of the fourteen chapters covered in AP Statistics. Justin said he came into the project thinking there was one set way to conduct a survey. Through the decisions he took part in, he said, he discovered that various aspects of a survey’s outcome “depend on the statistician who makes decisions.” Currently a rising senior, Justin thinks he might pursue a career field that would involve applied statistics, such as marketing.

Sam stated, “I gained a lot of real-world experience from working on this project. It really provided insight into how complex real-world data collection and interpretation can be.” Having graduated from George School in May, Sam will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall, where he intends to major in biology and possibly pursue a second major in statistics. “My ultimate goal is to eventually work as an epidemiologist,” Sam said.

Of both students, Valerie said, “Their diligence impressed me immensely. They put in a lot of hours and were incredibly thoughtful.”

Marion echoed Valerie’s appreciation. “I was glad to involve students,” she remarked. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”

The analysis of the survey responses is an ongoing project. Marion’s next step has been to assemble a working group of students, faculty, and staff to review the answers to the survey’s free-response questions and distill from them several definitions of diversity at George School.

“I’m really happy with the momentum we gained,” said Marion. “Reexamining our definition of diversity gives all of us the opportunity to reflect on the world today and see if our understanding and practices are aligned with the mission and curricular objectives of the school.”