The Local News Network at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism spent six months developing “Behind the Blueprint.” LNN Director Jerry Zremski coordinated the project and served as its lead editor. Other editors on the project were Capital News Service Director Marty Kaiser, Merrill College Principal Lecturer Chris Harvey, CNS Annapolis Bureau Chief Christi Parsons, Merrill College Communications Director Josh Land and Kaitlyn Wilson, assistant director of the Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism at Merrill College.
Adam Marton, director of the Capital News Service Digital Bureau, oversaw the project’s design. Jenna Bloom, an independent study student with the Local News Network, designed data visualizations for the district summary pages.
Stacey Decker, director of the Capital News Service Audience Engagement bureau, oversaw social media outreach on the project. Emily R. Condon, an independent study student with the Local News Network, developed the project’s social media strategy.
Student reporters on the project’s enterprise stories were: Elizabeth Alspach, Daranee Balachandar, Olivia Borgula, Stella Canino-Quinones, Marijke Friedman, Kiersten Hacker, Aidan Hughes, Ela Jalil, Apurva Mahajan, Tanner Malinowski, Adriana Navarro, Taylor Nichols, Einav Tsach, Christina Walker, Natalie Weger and Olivia Yasharoff. Students who worked on the project’s school district summaries were: Tyler Boden, Eddy Calkins, Alisha Camacho, Stella Canino-Quinones, Isabella Carrero-Baptista, Shaun Chornobroff, Jon Dennis, Andrea Durán, Devin Etta, Shaela Foster, Lia Gorbach, Menna Ibrahim, Samuel Jane, Caroline Koutsos, Alex Marek, Sarah Meador, April Quevedo, Harrison Rich, Sophia Slaughenhoupt, Hayden Smith, Hannah Stein, Robert Stewart, Divya Vakkalanka, Matthew Watson, Brendan Weissel and Holliday Woodard.
Adrianne Flynn, former CNS Annapolis Bureau chief, provided invaluable advice on the reporting of the project.
The reporting in “Behind the Blueprint” is based in part on a survey of school principals conducted by the Local News Network with the aid of the Maryland Association of Elementary School Principals and the Maryland Association of Secondary School Principals. In addition, principals were interviewed at the two organizations’ annual conference in Ocean City last November.