Boston Public Schools bus scheduling algorithm accused of discrimination

An algorithmic system for scheduling school buses in Boston was seen to ignore the needs and requirements of its students and their families and unfairly discriminate against lower-income stakeholders. Developed by a Massachusets Institute of Technology (MIT) team in response to a public competition and intended to benefit students whilst keeping costs at bay , the algorithm recommended times at which students would be picked up in the morning and dropped off later in the day on the basis of a variety of factors such as student equity, economic, health and academic performance issues. But some mostly-white, middle-class parents and students reacted strongly against the proposed changes, that saw an earlier pick-up of 7.15 am selected, despite the majority of parents choosing a later time of 8-8.30am. Under presssure, Boston Public Schools withdrew the algorithm for a year. Updated and reintroduced, the algorithm is said to have saved Boston Public Schools USD 5 million. System 🤖 Quantum Documents 📃 INFORMS (2019). Optimized School Bus Routing Helps School Districts Design Better Policies Ito J. (2018) What the Boston schools schedule can teach us about AI Ito J., Crockford K. (2017). Don't blame the algorithm for doing what Boston school officials want Boston Public Schools (2017). 2018-2019 School Bell Times Equity Impact (pdf) Boston Public Schools (2017). Important letter from Inspector Chang on start and end times Boston Public Schools (2017). MIT's Quantum team wins first-ever BPS transportation challenge with revolutionary new computer model Operator: Boston Public Schools Developer: Boston Public Schools; Sébastien Martin; Arthur Delarue Country: USA Sector: Education Purpose: Improve student academic performance; Reduce costs Technology: Scheduling algorithm Issue: Bias/discrimination

Date it happened

2017-12-01

Organisation involved

Boston Public Schools

This is a record of what was reported, not a finding that anyone broke the law. If it names your organisation and you believe it is wrong, the corrections process is free and open to everyone.