"The Pathway to Progress Reports"

 

In March 2022, our Teams launched a large-scale data dive, searching for evidence of Blueprint implementation locally. We started this process on our monthly Team Leader Call, and immediately we encountered roadblocks. Some districts had no information at all about the Blueprint, while others had only updates from 2020. How can we as stakeholders meaningfully engage in the implementation process without transparency? 

 

We escalated our search by campaigning for standing agenda items at local Board meetings to share updates on the Blueprint as well as urging school systems to publish information on their websites. The results were extraordinary. School systems that heard our call for transparency and access shared new insights and opportunities to engage in the process. As of publication, 19 out of 24 counties have a page on their website specifically for the Blueprint, with 14 establishing stakeholder workgroups and 12 instituting a standing Board agenda item. 

 

However, access to Blueprint-mandated public reports was still a challenge. We reached out to Superintendents/CEOs, Board Presidents/Chairs, and local Blueprint Implementation Coordinators on May 25, 26, and June 2 requesting access to these reports. We created space on June 1 to meet virtually with BICs from across the state to discuss the implementation process and again request access to the reports mandated by law. To be sure, the deadlines for all reports were due between September 2021 and January 2022, so we were simply asking for copies of what should already exist, like double checking a Quarter 2 grade during Quarter 4.

We received mixed responses from local school systems, varying between gratitude for the recognition of the year’s hard work to frustration at the request for public access to these reports. Many appealed to us to extend the deadline for corrections, citing graduation season as a particularly busy time for their offices. We extended the deadline by a few days and encouraged school systems to reach out with questions.

 

A month later, as we prepared to launch the final Progress Reports, we sent advanced copies to school systems prior to publication. These included the many updates and new information shared by BICs, including new access to reports, updated websites, and more. We met with MSDE prior to publication, which resulted in our organization gaining access to the final pieces of evidence we needed to complete the reports with the highest level of accuracy.

 

The Progress Reports are the result of months of searching, digging, inquiring, connecting, and advocating. They are a snapshot of what evidence of Blueprint implementation is accessible by the stakeholders they impact. This process, as with all of the work of Strong Schools Maryland, is centered in the values of justice, lifelong learning, civic engagement, and collective impact. We all have a stake in the successful implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, and our Teams will continue to be a source of support and accountability in the process.

 

I extend immense gratitude to our brilliant and resilient Teams across the state, their tireless Team Leaders, our County Captains, the staff of Strong Schools Maryland, and all of the organizational partners who brought these reports to fruition. We will be back next year, and every year after, with transparent and accessible updates on Blueprint implementation.

 

For the future,

Allie Carter

Lead Organizer

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P.S: You can read any of the individual reports we've measured for yourself here.

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