Using R on an embedded device might sound like a wacky thing to do but for "small scale data analytics" and for learning to analyze real-world data (e.g. using JAGS or STAN) it's a good match.
Yes, compared to a PC it's relatively slow - but consider this:
- it runs on small power budget (maybe 0.5W when idling)
- it has a hardware watchdog which makes it more likely that it can run for many months unattended
- Raspbian-lite is based on Debian and it comes with all kinds of well tested tools and applications