Date:  May 17 2001
Contact: Irene Cromer
(703) 791-8720

 For the second year in a row, 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 17, 2001 at the Business Appreciation Week 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 138 in the magazine’s recently released Ratings 2001 issue and the third highest of the school districts ranked in Virginia.

 “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 ranked 2,234 school districts across the country on how well those districts are preparing their students to be part of the work force after graduation. This 
special report is mailed to more than 45,000 CEO’s, Vice Presidents, Directors and other officers of companies, which have indicated they are considering expanding into new geographic areas.  
“No single factor is more important to our readers than finding a location with a high quality work force,” said Bill King, editor and associate publisher of the magazine. “The Education Quotient provides them with a way to compare communities nationwide in terms of the quality of work force they are likely to encounter should they choose to open a business facility there.”