Active projects

Algorithms for School Diversity

Can algorithms help us discover school assignment policies that school systems might implement in order to foster more diverse and inclusive schools? (see here for early work)

In collaboration with: Georgia Institute of Technology

Community-driven school assignment

Can we collaborate with school systems to design technologies that surface and incorporate a broader set of community voices into consequential school policy decisions?

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication, Charlotte-Mecklenberg Public Schools (CMS)

Image Credit: CMS

Feedback Map

How might advances in natural language processing help community organizations and local governments make sense of, and be more responsive to, open-ended community feedback? (see here for demo paper)

Led by: Doug Beeferman

Fostering greater intellectual humility online

Can we design "you-are-here" maps for the internet that scaffold intellectual humility, self-awareness, and genuine connection across divides? (see here for early work)

In collaboration with: Dartmouth College

Past projects

Analyzing School Reviews

Can we use natural language processing to explore what parents' online school reviews say (and don't say) about school quality?  How much do these reviews track racial and income disparities in education? (paper, press)

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication, Oxford Internet Institute, GreatSchools.org

Social Mirror

What if we could visualize our social media echo chambers—would it help enhance our perspective about our "place" in the information universe and perhaps even lead us to be more intellectually humble? (paper, press)

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication

Flipfeed

What if we could "flip our feeds" online to experience the information universe from the perspective of those whose politics and worldviews differ from our own? (paper, press)

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication

Image Credit: Marc Exposito

INSPIRE

Can we expose middle-schoolers growing up in under-resourced environments to the inspirational stories of role models?  How might this change how they see themselves and the possibilities available to them?

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication

Network Cocooning

How do political networks manifest on social media platforms during contentious election cycles? (article)

In collaboration with: MIT Center for Constructive Communication

Image Credit: John West

Coursolve

How can we connect online learners with NGOs and other organizations for experiential, hands-on learning and skill-building at scale? (write-up)

In collaboration with: Zafrin Nurmohamed