In most cases, the students on Bradford’s list for summer visits land there because of a label—“high risk”—assigned to them by a racially inequitable algorithm

Our investigation found that after a decade of use and millions of predictions, DEWS may be negatively influencing how educators perceive students of color.

The Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS) assesses every incoming high schooler in Wisconsin. Green for low risk, yellow for moderate risk, or red for high risk.