Readings
Weekly Readings
Free, publicly available readings for each week — links only.
Module 1 — Research Questions & Excel Foundations
Week 1 — Analytical questions & why evidence matters
Week 2 — Working with real data in Excel
Module 2 — Distributions & Descriptive Statistics
Week 3 — Frequency tables, histograms, charts, reading distributions
Week 4 — Center, spread, skew & outliers
Module 3 — Normal Curve & Probability
Week 5 — The normal curve, z-scores, standardizing
- Texas students’ STAAR scores are out — see how your district did
[TX] - STAAR 100-Point Scale Tables
[TX]
Week 6 — Probability rules & applied probability in government
Module 4 — Sampling & Hypothesis Testing
Week 7 — Sampling distributions, CLT, confidence intervals
- Latest University of Texas / Texas Politics Project Poll
[TX] - Understanding the margin of error in election polls
Week 8 — Hypothesis-testing logic, p-values, significance
Week 9 — One-sample t-test (mean vs. a benchmark)
Module 5 — t-Tests, Part I
Week 10 — Independent-samples t-test (two separate groups)
Module 6 — t-Tests, Part II
Week 11 — Paired-samples t-test (before/after, matched)
Week 12 — Choosing the right test; statistical vs. practical significance
Module 7 — Regression
Week 13 — Correlation, scatterplots, simple regression; correlation ≠ causation
Week 14 — Multiple regression; coefficients; model fit
Module 8 — Final Project & Communicating Findings
Week 15 — Doing a full analysis (data prep → results)
- The Opportunity Gap: About the Data and Our Analysis
- Measuring the Texas economy with high-frequency data
[TX]