Advocating for Data Access

Participants in the numeracy movement have long recognized that an understanding of the social construction of quantitative evidence holds a place in the center of critical thinking about quantitative reasoning. Often, social construction manifests itself in choices about what should be counted and how. But an equally important choice is what data should be made available and to whom. As the movement matures, numeracy advocates must take their place alongside librarians in lobbying for broad access to basic data related to public policy.