District/School Administration Administration
The Board of Education Advisory Councils

Recruitment of Candidates for Board of Education Advisory Councils

Revised July 22, 2008

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is seeking candidates to serve on the Massachusetts Board of Education Advisory Councils. The Massachusetts Education Reform Act of 1993 established the Board of Education's Advisory Councils to advise the Commissioner and the Board of Education on matters related to their specific areas of focus for the purpose of enhancing efforts to improve public education and advance student achievement. We are seeking a wide range of diverse constituents including educators, parents, students, business leaders and other community members who have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to excellence in public education in addition to content experience and expertise specific to the interest of the advisory council.

Advisory councils meet at least four times a year at locations and times determined by their members. Several councils will have openings for the fall of 2008. Members are appointed by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for a term of three years and they serve without compensation.

Nominations will be accepted through July, and recommendations will be made to the Board of Education in September. Interested parties should submit 2 copies of a letter of intent along with a resume to Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester at the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906, (attention Advisory Councils).

I have included information below on the status of membership on each of the councils, and I hope that you will take this opportunity to consider serving. To learn more about advisory councils, please go to www.doe.mass.edu/boe/sac/.

Massachusetts Advisory Councils to the Board of Education

Adult Basic Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Adult educators and business partners, union and civic-minded representatives are invited to apply.

Arts Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Persons with knowledge and experience in working with one or more of the Arts disciplines (dance, music, theatre, visual arts) are encouraged to apply. Also, an invitation is extended to persons who would reflect the voices of educators of different age groups.

Community Service-Learning: vacancies are available for 2008. Parents, business partners and school principals with experience and expertise in community service learning, in addition to teachers, are invited to apply.

Educational Technology: vacancies are available for 2008. Business partners and third party representatives from key agencies and programs are invited to apply.

Education Personnel: vacancies are available for 2008. Teachers, school district personnel and the following associations are encouraged to participate. Massachusetts Secondary School Administrators Association, MA Association of School Superintendents, MA Elementary School Principals Association, MA Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, Commonwealth Teacher Education Consortium, MA Association of School Personnel Administrators, MA Teachers Association, and American Federation of Teachers-Massachusetts are invited to apply.

English Language Learners/Bilingual Education: no vacancies likely for 2008.

Gifted and Talented Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Interested educators and parents, particularly minority representatives from the greater Metro Boston area, are strongly encouraged to apply.

Global Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Teachers, community representatives, and especially parents with expertise or developed interest in global issues, such as economics, world cultures and environmental science are encouraged to apply.

Interdisciplinary Health Education and Human Services: vacancies are available for 2008. School administrators, substance abuse specialists, clergy, youth programs specialist, providers of school-age care, parents, community members, health and youth-serving organizations are encouraged to apply.

Life Management Skills:Vacancies are available for 2008. Council members represent an array of professional competencies, areas of expertise and experience.

Mathematics-Science Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Parents, community and business representatives, and school administrators with expertise and/or interest, along with Pre-K through college educators in mathematics and science are invited to apply.

Parent and Community Education and Involvement: vacancies are available for 2008. Educators in pre-K through higher education, community and business partners, parents, students, and others who have a demonstrated interest in and commitment to education reform, as well as those with interest and experience in parental and community involvement, are encouraged to apply.

Racial Imbalance: vacancies are available for 2008. Persons with knowledge and experience in working with integration and diversity, as well as representatives form districts in the north, west and south from organizations are encouraged to apply.

Special Education: one vacancy is available for 2008. A parent is encouraged to apply.

Technology/Engineering Education: vacancies are available for 2008. Persons who have expertise and/or interest in this discipline, in particular, parents and community/business representatives are encouraged to apply along with technology education directors, educators and engineering professionals with expertise and or a developed interest in this discipline.