…DU C ATION
PEARL RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT
PRODUCT OR SERVICE:
K through 12 and adult continuing education. 2,500 students plus 1,000 adults in continuing education, 203 teachers.
SITUATION ANALYSIS:
Pearl River School District (PRSD) is located just 20 miles north of New York City in Rockland County. In 1991, PRSD responded
to the national scrutiny toward public education and began to critically examine the district’s academic performance. Since
then, PRSD has put strong focus on its core mission – “every child can and will learn” – and pursuing its three strategic goals
of improving academic performance, improving public perception, maintaining fiscal stability and improving cost
effectiveness.
QUALITY PRACTICES:
Alignment of PRSD mission and goals is achieved through a “golden thread” quality structure that runs through all levels and
units. PRSD’s “balanced scorecard” provides a continuous composite of key indicators of progress in meeting goals and strategic
objectives. In working to improve the curriculum, teachers use PRSD’s A+ Approach for Classroom Success, a variation on the
Plan-Do-Study-Act method which is systematically deployed throughout the district’s operation.
RESULTS:
The percentage of graduates who earn a Regent’s diploma, a key PRSD objective, has increased from 63 percent in 1996 to 86
percent in 2001. Student satisfaction has increased from 70 percent in 1998 to 92 percent in 2001, while parent satisfaction
increased from 62 percent to 96 percent in the same period. 75 percent of PRSD’s special education students take the SAT
exams, compared to 2 percent nationwide.
PEARL RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT
RECEIVING A REGENT ’S DIPLOMA EDUC ATION EXPERIENCE
100% 100%
80% 80%
Student Satisfaction
60% 60%
Parent Satisfaction
40% 40%
20% 20%
0% 0%
2001 2001
1998 1998
CAS… ST U DY … . 2