School districts have large budgets but sometimes choose to spend that money in the wrong places. Across public schools, there are huge disparities in achievement, attendance, and discipline—especially with respect to race. And these can perpetuate cycles of poverty.
“Well-meaning government employees are often forced to fly blind,” says Omolara Fatiregun, the founder of Thrive, an organization that audits education systems to eliminate the gaps that disproportionately affect Black and brown students. “They don’t have access to the research and information they need to make better decisions.”
Thrive’s team developed software that uses an algorithm to compare a school district’s actual spending with an index of best practices that would produce the most equitable outcomes. Its Just Budget Algorithm is the winner of the social justice category for Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards.
School districts take an online survey, which comes back with scores and recommendations to improve budgeting. “Some people call it a follow-the-money audit,” Fatiregun says. It has provided insight for districts including Cambridge, Massachusetts, which spends $35,000 per student per year, more than double the average urban spend of $16,000, yet has one of the worst disparity levels in the state.
Thrive is helping Cambridge identify where it could better use its money. It found that while the district hires a high number of specialized staff such as tutors, behavioral health professionals, and after-school teachers, it is not investing in the resources those staff need to fully do their jobs. The district has now invested in consultation tools that carefully track the progress of each student, ensuring that every child gets the correct type and amount of support they need.
It’s also working with “bright ruby red Utah,” Fatiregun says. Park City School District teamed up with Thrive to adopt an educational equity policy and associated training module. In all the districts it’s worked with so far, Thrive has redirected $600 million in spending.
And that’s all with just a prototype. Fatiregun says the current “rudimentary algorithm” can only provide “a finite suite of recommendations.” Now, the company is seeking funding for a version that would incorporate synthetic data and generative AI to “exponentially” expand the amount and quality of recommendations.
GenAI would provide step-by-step instructions for users on improving operations and spending, like “SurveyMonkey meets ChatGPT,” Fatiregun says. Synthetic data—artificial data generated to mimic real-world data—could train the algorithm while eliminating algorithmic biases. That’s important because of the prevalence of racial bias in schooling. “If there’s inherent bias in administrative data, you will just be reproducing all of that,” she says.
Explore the full list of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas, 281 projects that are making the world more accessible, equitable, and sustainable for everyone. We’ve selected the companies, organizations, and nonprofits making the biggest impact across 50 categories, including architecture, energy, finance, transportation, and more.