Urban Educator, Published by Council of the Great City Schools February, 2005 Detroit Installs New Technology To Monitor School Buses The Detroit Public Schools can now monitor the location of its school buses and other vehicles more efficiently through what is called the SMART System. The district has installed the state-of-the-art technology to monitor the location of its fleet of more than 400 school buses and support service vehicles. Detroit is believed to be one of the first public school systems to employ the use of the new technology. The SMART System (Strategically Managing Resources through Technology) uses Global Positioning System equipment to track location and performance of the Detroit district's school buses and other support vehicles. The information picked up from the system is transmitted by radio to a central location for analysis, and can be distributed to appropriate departments within the district. "Part of improving student achievement and performance includes working out kinks in the services that aid our students outside the classrooms," says Detroit Schools CEO Kenneth Burnley in a news release. "This exciting new technology will help us pick up children on time and get them home on time. It will also make us more efficient in how we schedule our buses," he maintains. The new monitoring system is part of the Detroit district's $1.5 billon bond program. The technology was developed by the district's Office of Student Transportation in conjunction with Eastern Michigan University's Institute for Geo Spatial Research and Education.

yxie@emich.edu