2019 Beat Reporting (Medium Staff) Finalist: Dylan Peers McCoy

“Coverage of Indianapolis Public Schools”

About the Entry

From an investigation of a charter school’s mismanagement that led to new oversight from the state, to a close look at the city’s growing homeschooling community, McCoy digs deep in a district that’s struggling to improve amid often chaotic reform initiatives.

Comments from the Judges

“The reporter’s discovery of how some Indiana schools were fudging graduation rates is crucial accountability journalism and follows a national trend of schools manipulating numbers to make themselves look better. I found the variety of stories to be fresh, and the writing crisp and easy to digest.”

“What stuck out the most to me about this submission is how original the reporting is. The reporter digs into data and uncovers important information. I also like how she didn’t accept the numbers the state was willing to release, but kept asking questions.”