William W. Davis, Chief Mathematical Statistician, Social Security Administration discusses the Social Security program and how the data produced by statisticians and others in the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics are used by policymakers to evaluate how well the current program meets the needs of beneficiaries. He also examines the effects of possible changes to the program on individuals, the economy, and the solvency of the program.

The American Statistical Association and Population Association of America are bringing the Census at School program to the United States beginning this summer. This international program began in the United Kingdom in 2000 to promote statistical literacy in schoolchildren by using real data. The program is now fully operative in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, South Africa, Ireland, and Japan. With the decennial census being conducted this year, the U.S. Census at School program will build awareness as students learn how it provides essential information for planning education, health, …

As statisticians, we make decisions based on data. Of course, that implies we do have to collect good data. This is the year of the Census 2010: Please make sure that you complete your census form.

The March 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Statistical Association features a diverse set of articles. Here are the highlights.

Here are the highlights to the February 2010 issue of The American Statistician which opens with a discussion of the article “Desired and Feared—What Do We Do Now and Over the Next 50 Years?” by Xiao‐Li Meng, which appeared in the August 2009 issue.