Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

English Language Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council

Under Massachusetts General Laws (c. 15, §1G), the Department is required to establish and maintain a bilingual education Advisory Council. The English Learners/Bilingual Education Advisory Council's role is to advise the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Commissioner on matters pertaining to the education of English Language Learners (ELLs) in Massachusetts' public schools. Specifically, the Council will:

  • assess statewide trends and needs
  • seek public and professional input
  • analyze information regarding education of ELs
  • advise and make recommendations regarding legislation, regulations, and program guidelines
  • provide other programmatic recommendations as it deems necessary to fulfill the goals established by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

2026-2026 ELBAC Members:

FirstLastTitleAffiliation
KelleyAllenEL Coordinator & TeacherQuabbin Regional Schools
AmelieCabralESL DirectorAbby Foster Charter School
NathanCoutoCurriculum, Data, and Assessment Manager for English Learner EducationNew Bedford Public Schools
CarinaDa SilvaEnglish Learner EducationBarnstable Public Schools
MarialuisaDi StefanoUMASS Professor & Bilingual Hub LeaderUMASS-Amherst
MarilynGlazerDirector, Intensive English Institute & World Language InstituteHolyoke Community College
MonicaGonzalez de WulffBoard Member of SPARK KindnessSPARK Kindness
TatianaLara MelendezELPAC ChairLeominster Public Schools
KarimaMehannyESL Instructor/Arabic Native SpeakerKings Education at Fisher College
SusanOuDELAC Co-chairFederation for Children with Special Needs
SimoOuazzaniLanguage Acquisition CoachBrockton Public Schools
ManuelRamirezDirector of Dual Language ProgramsBoston Public Schools
Anne M.RobertiExecutive Director of English Language Programs and Community EducationFramingham State University
MollyRossMATSOL PresidentHarvard PhD Candidate

ELBAC Meeting Dates

DateTime
Wednesday, October 15, 20259:30 – 11:30 a.m. (Zoom)
Thursday, February 5, 20269:30 – 11:30 a.m. (Zoom)
Wednesday, April 29, 20269:30 – 11:30 a.m. (Zoom)

Contact Information

781-338-3569

Sibel.Hughes@mass.gov

Last Updated: September 2, 2025

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