FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE      N.R. 184, 5/19/00

Date:  May 19, 2000
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703)791-8720 

Expansion Management, a national trade magazine targeted to corporate executives who make plant location decisions, has recognized Prince William County Public Schools as a Gold Medal school division. Martin Briley, economic development director for Prince William County, presented the Gold Medal award on behalf of the magazine to Superintendent of Schools Edward L. Kelly on Thursday, May 18 at an awards breakfast sponsored by the County Department of Economic Development. 

 The Gold Medal rating is the highest ranking awarded by Expansion Management based on an “Education Quotient,” an index scale from 50 to 150.  The Education Quotient for Prince William County Public Schools was 130 in the magazine’s recently released Ratings 1999 issue.
 “The Gold Medal rating for Prince William County Public Schools is recognition from the business sector that the school division, local government and community are investing in education and producing well-educated workers who can master today’s more technically demanding job skills,” said Robert A. Ferrebee, associate superintendent for management of the county schools.  “We are among the nation’s top performing school divisions that can compete with other locations for the best companies and the best jobs,” Ferrebee said.

The Education Quotient is a combination of factors such as graduation rates, College Board scores, the percentage of students taking the tests, student-to-teacher ratios, per pupil expenditures, and teacher salaries. The extent of a community’s financial commitment to education and the level of affluence and adult education in the district are also factors in determining the Education Quotient.

Expansion Management evaluates about 15 percent of the 8,500 school districts with enrollments of at least 700 each year to let businesses know what they can expect if 
 “they decide to expand or relocate their companies to a particular location,” said Bill King, editor of the magazine, in the Ratings 1999 issue of the magazine.  “Those communities producing the best and brightest workers will be the big winners.”