Since the mid-1980s, the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI, www.mathunion.org/ICMI/) has investigated issues of particular significance to the theory or practice of mathematics education by organising specific ICMI studies on these themes. The 18 Study in this series has been organised in collaboration with the International Association for Statistical Education (IASE; www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/) and addresses some of the most important aspects of the teaching of statistics in schools by focussing on the education and professional development of teachers for teaching statistics. The Study included an IASE Roundtable Conference and is fully reported in the Proceedings of the Study Conference (www.ugr.es/~icmi/iase_study/) and in the Study book now published in the ICMI Study series by Springer.