2013 Data Journalism (Medium Staff) Third Prize: Brian McVicar and Monica Scott

Judges’ Comments:

“This work by Brian McVicar and Monica Scott is a solid look at college remediation rates in Western Michigan.”

“Brian McVicar and Monica Scott fought for valuable information that gives insight into the relative quality of high schools, based on the percent of their graduates who require remediation in college. It is accompanied by a database that allows readers to look up the stats for particular schools, and breaks down the remediation needs by subject area, which is also useful. The data are accompanied by articles that both describe the information and explain why it matters (it drives up the cost of college by forcing students to take extra courses that do not count toward a college degree). The reporting then explores attempts to address the deficiencies.”