The Madison School District has been designated a Gold Medal school district by Expansion Management magazine in its annual Education Quotient^TM issue. The district is also a Top Employer for the Class of 2006 by The Black Collegian magazine.

Each year, Expansion Management compares more than 2,800 school districts across the country on how well the district is preparing its students to be part of the work force after graduation.

To be ranked as a Gold Medal district, it must rank in the top 16 percent of all school districts nationally.

"People who evaluate communities for business expansion require a good education system," said Bill King, the magazine's editor. "That seems to be first and foremost on their list of things to care about. Communities with excellent schools can expect to come out on top when the site selectors come calling to create new jobs."

For more information on the Education Quotient research study, visit the magazine's by clicking here.

The Black Collegian ranked the Madison School District 26th on its national list of "The Top Employers for the Class of 2006."

Sixty-five employers were so recognized, including such giants as Lockheed Martin, AFLAC and Procter & Gamble. The rankings list the most active recruiters of college graduates based in part on the number of projected hires and on-campus recruiting activity.

The Madison School District has made a priority the recruitment of diverse candidates in order to increase the number of employees of color.

The list of Top Employers is available by clicking here.