Four years ago, Boston Public Schools began using a computerized school assignment system. The algorithm was intended to reduce segregation in the city’s school system, and give more minority students access to higher quality schools. But a report released earlier this week found that didn’t happen.
The report, conducted by the Boston Area Research Initiative, found that Boston’s algorithm for assigning students to schools is restricting access to high-quality schools for many minority students, and that high-quality schools are disproportionately grouped in the city’s historically white neighborhoods. The findings are reflective of the racial and socioeconomic segregation evident in the city’s geography.