Each county school system has submitted its latest report detailing their progress in implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, the broad educational reforms being phased in over a decade-long period across Maryland. These reports detail progress, and challenges, in each jurisdictions – with common themes.

The 24 system reports have been sent to and compiled by the Accountability and Implementation Board, the State-level body specifically created to guide and assess the roll-out of these various programs. The reports are available on the AIB website.

Maryland Matters has analyzed the submissions, and in a far-reaching article covers multiple takeaways from their content: nearly every jurisdiction cited funding, or some variation on funding allocations or re-allocations, among their cited challenges – as the ambitious plan does call for schools to launch new initiatives to advance Blueprint goals, even while both State and mandated county funding is escalating by statutory formulas.

From the article, some notion of the further accountability process ahead this year:

The Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board (AIB) was created by the legislature to oversee the Blueprint plan implementation and approve all local school system plans.

A third set of documents due by May 1 requires local school officials to provide data on the Blueprint’s five priorities: early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers, preparing students for college and technical careers, providing additional resources for students in need and governance and accountability.

A “Criteria of Success” checklist will be used to evaluate responses for each plan to receive approval.

See the set of county-level reports on the AIB website.

Read the full article on Maryland Matters.