STAY SAFE OUT THERE ON THE
ROADWAYS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU.
>>> TURNING TO EDUCATION,
SOPHISTICATED ALGORITHM CALLED
DROP OUT EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS
DO'S USED BY WISCONSIN ONLY A
FEW LIKE IT.
SYSTEM TRIES TO PREDICT WHETHER
A STUDENT EXITING MIDDLE SCHOOL
IS LIKELY TO GRADUATE FROM HIGH
SCHOOL.
ACCORDING TO THE REPORT FROM
MARK UP.
PUBLICATION THAT LOOKS AT USE OF
BIG TECH.
NUMBER OF DATA POINTS, TEST
SCORES, DISCIPLINARY RECORDS AND
FAMILY INCOME.
UNIQUE AND CONTROVERSIAL DATA
POINT IS RACE.
DPI SAYS DO'S USES WHAT HAS
ALREADY HAPPENED IN THE PAST
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
ALL IN ORDER TO CHANGE COURSE
AND HELP INSURE STUDENTS
IDENTIFIED AS AT-RISK DOING IN
FACT GRADUATE ON TIME BY
DIRECTING RESOURCES, SUPPORT AND
INTERVENTIONS TO STUDENTS THAT
MAY NEED THEM.
WE TURN TO REPORT'S AUTHOR TODD
FEATHERS, THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
>> YOU SEEM TO HAVE UNCOVERED
PREDICTION FOR HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATION MOST OF US HAVE NEVER
HEARD OF.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
>> IT IS A SYSTEM BUILT IN 2012
TO PREDICT WHETHER STUDENTS WILL
GRADUATE ON TIME.
GENERATES PREDICTION EVERY
STUDENT 6-9TH, MILD, MODERATE OR
LOW RISK OF DROPPING OUT.
SUPPOSED TO HELP STOOLS AND
DIRECT RESOURCES, SUPPORT FOR
STUDENTS THAT NEED IT MOST.
WHAT WE FOUND SYSTEM IS WRONG
NEARLY THREE QUARTERS OF THE
TIME A STUDENT WON'T GRADUATE.
LACK OF HISPANIC, THAN WHITE
STUDENTS.
ON TOP OF THAT, ACADEMIC
RESEARCH BASED OUT OF UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY CONDUCTED
STUDY LARGEST OF ITS KIND ON
DO'S.
NOT ACHIEVED PRIMARY GOAL.
>> SO THIS QUESTION IF IT IS
WRONG ACCORDING TO YOUR
REPORTING, THREE QUARTERS OF THE
TIME, WHY IS THAT?
>> SO BY SOME STANDARDS, DO'S IS
VERY ACCURATE.
IT IS CORRECT 97% OF THE TIME A
STUDENT WILL GRADUATE.
WHAT DPI DID IS CALL --
CALIBRATE IT.
SO THEY ARE SAYING, WE ARE
WILLING TO LABEL A LOT OF
STUDENTS LIKELY NON GRADUATES IN
ORDER TO CAPTURE ALL OF THE
ONES.
>> COULD IT BE ERROR AS A RESULT
OF RESOURCE AND INPUTS GIVEN TO
THE STUDENTS THAT MIGHT BE
PREDICTED NOT TO GRADUATE?
>> THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
BERKELEY RESEARCHES TESTED FOR.
THEY WERE GOING TO STUDENTS
LABELED HIGH RISK, YOU WOULD
EXPECT TEN YEARS OF DATA FOR
IMPROVED GRADUATION RATES.
DATA SHOWED NO IMPACT ON
GRADUATION RATES AND IDENTIFIED.
>> TURNING TO ANOTHER DATA POINT
LOADED INTO THIS ALGORITHM, THAT
IS RACE.
SOMETHING YOU CALL IN YOUR
ARTICLE QUOTE A RACIALLY
INEQUITABLE ALGORITHM BUILT BY
THE STATE OF WISCONSIN.
WHAT DID YOU LEARN WHY RACE IS
USED AS A PREDICTOR?
>> IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THIS
ALGORITHM DESIGNED BACK IN 2012.
WE HAVE COME A LONG WAY HOW WE
UNDERSTAND ALGORITHMS AND BIASES
IN THE WAY, THINGS LIKE RACE CAN
FACTOR INTO THESE PREDICTIONS.
THIS ALGORITHM HASN'T CHANGED
MUCH.
BACK AT THAT TIME, EVEN STILL
CURRENTLY, RESEARCHERS IN THIS
FIELD OF EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS,
USING DATA POINTS LIKE RACE
IMPROVES ACCURACY.
BETTER AT PREDICTING WHO WILL
AND WON'T GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL.
YOU CAN SEE WHY THAT WOULD BE
THE CASE.
WISCONSIN STARK RACIAL
DISPARITIES, WHITE STUDENTS
GRADUATING AT A MUCH HIGHER RATE
THAN BLACK STUDENTS.
GROWING BODY OF RESEARCH AND
ACADEMIC ARGUMENT SAY A SMALL
ACCURACY IS NOT ENCODING
HISTORICAL BIASES.
>> I WANT TO GET TO SOMETHING
THE DPI TOLD US, YOU QUOTED A
SPOKES PERSON SAID EDUCATION
SYSTEM IS SYSTEMATICALLY RACIST.
SHE TOLD US, WHEN IT COMES TO
LABELLING STUDENTS, I AGREE WE
SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
IMPACT THE WORDS HAVE ON OUR
LEARNERS.
YET INTENTION OF THE LABEL IS TO
PROVIDE ACCESS TO THE
INTERVENTIONS THESE STUDENTS
NEED.
I WISH WE DIDN'T NEED A LABEL.
IT IS AN ATTEMPT TO PROVIDE
RESOURCES TO THE LEARNERS THAT
NEED IT MOST AND SCHOOLS NEED TO
IDENTIFY FOR THEM.
HOW DID THE STUDENTS LIKE
LABELED HIGH-RISK AND RACE WAS
PUT INTO THE ALGORITHM?
>> YOU KNOW, FIRST THING NONE OF
THE STUDENTS SPOKE TO KNEW THE
ALGORITHM EXISTED OR SCHOOL WAS
LOOKING AT THIS INFORMATION AND
MAKING DECISIONS HOW THEY TREAT
THEM.
SHOCKED A LOT OF THE STUDENTS.
SHOCKED ME WHEN I FIRST HEARD.
BLACK AND HISPANIC STUDENTS
OFTEN FELT LIKE SECONDARY SCHOOL
SYSTEMS WITHIN THEIR OWN
SCHOOLS.
THEY WERE TREATED DIFFERENTLY
THAN WHITE STUDENTS.
THEY FEARED HAVING THE BEHIND
THE SCENES LABELS WOULD
PERPETUATE KIND OF THE CONSCIOUS
BIASES.
YOU CAN IMAGINE FOR INCOMING 9TH
GRADERS, FIRST THING YOU SEE
ABOUT A STUDENT I AM MODERATELY
LOW RISK.
>> ALL RIGHT.
TODD FEATHERS, REALLY
COMPLICATED AND INTERESTING
REPORTING.
THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN.
>> FOR MORE ON THIS AND OTHER
ISSUES FACING WISCONSIN VISIT