feedback and citations A common misconception about statistics and quantitative data is that they prove hypotheses. Rather, it is important to note that statistics is unable to prove anything objectively (American College of Education, 2024). According to Keller (2016), statistics start with questions which, by nature, contain ambiguity; through research and statistics, ambiguity is not eliminated, but rather, quantified. Instead, researchers must be careful to use phrases like "the data suggest" (American College of Education, 2024). Even so, there are moments when those suggestions do not generalize to reality. For example, Fulton (2024) discusses future uncertainty demonstrated in the 2000 presidential elections where Al Gore was prematurely announced as the winner in Florida due to statistical analyses and faulty forecasting, only to then see Bush pull ahead in the election and concede the state, and then to see the popular vote even out and retract his concession. Another case of misinterpreted statistics and faulty correlation vs causation mentioned included the initial belief that ice cream caused polio due to the rise of both phenomena during the summer months (Fulton, 2024). For me personally, I struggle with statistics demonstrating reading proficiency rates in my current school district. According to Klahn Smith (2024), my school district reported that roughly 50% of students could not read proficiently after the 2022-2023 school year. That might lead an individu