Summary

In spring of 2017, I had the opportunity to work with the NYC Department of Education Department of Student Enrollment. I led the research efforts for design recommendations for NYC School Finder 2.0. We presented our designs to senior policymakers at the DOE headquarters in May 2017.

The Opportunity

In New York City, students are given the rare opportunity to apply to up to twelve programs in any of the 5 boroughs. Though students can list up to a dozen programs on their application, research shows that in 2016, they listed on average 6 or 7 – making it less likely that they would receive a Round 1 offer.

We had the opportunity to take SchoolFinder to the next level, making it not only an online, interactive directory– but also a guide.

How might we increase the number of programs families list, increasing their chances of getting a round 1 offer?

The Discovery

The New York City Department of Education is the largest school district in the U.S. serving over 1.1 million students in nearly 2,000 schools. New York City has more than 400 high schools and over 700 programs. And students apply directly to programs, not schools. Using books, articles, and previous research from the DOE, we discovered the complexity of the debate about the city and country’s education system.

In 2004 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a universal high school choice process was implemented. Under this system, all incoming high school freshmen are required to rank up to 12 programs they would like to attend. There is no default school assignment, meaning everyone has to choose.

Existing School Finder Usage (9/12/2016 - 12/1/2016)

NYC Mayoral Policy

Mayor De Blasio’s Equity and Excellence initiative meant that our designs must give everyone what they need to be successful. We worked within the perameters of limited accessibility and data usage for low-income families. New York City is socio-economically diverse, with 76.5% of students qualifying in poverty.

We clearly defined the difference between equity and equality. Equality meant giving each student equal opportunity, while equity means factoring in the positioning and resources of a student, lifting up the student who needs it most. We measured each design choice to align with the mayoral equity policy.

“It’s a priority for us at the Department of Education to make the enrollment process easier for families”…“That’s really a part of Equity and Excellence [the mayor’s education agenda], ensuring that families have access to quality information in as easy a way as possible so they can make the best choices for their kids.”

Smartphone ownership is often most financially tenuous for the subset of users who depend on their mobile devices most heavily.

Smartphone owners with income of less than 30,000:

The DOE provided audio and transcripts of 24 past interviews and usability tests which led to the current MVP. We learned about the frustrations understanding the admissions and selection process. And that this was a pain point for educators, students and their families.

From our findings, we created a simplified user map and found students and families have questions throughout the entire yearlong admissions process.