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Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)

Racial Imbalance Advisory Council

The Racial Imbalance Advisory Council (RIAC) advises the Commissioner of Education and the Board of Education on matters pertinent to racial imbalance in schools and districts the Commonwealth. Specifically, the Council will:

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

Meeting Schedule

Meeting Date & TimeMeeting Location
Monday, 10/2/23 @ 9:30–11am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Friday, 11/3/23 @ 12–1:30pm If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Monday, 12/4/23 @ 10–11:30am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Monday, 2/5/24 @ 9:30–11am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Monday, 3/4/24 @ 9:30–11am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Tuesday, 4/2/24 @ 9–10:30am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Monday, 5/6/24 @ 10–11:30 If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.
Tuesday, 6/4/24 @ 9:30–11am If you would like to attend this meeting, please reach out to Sylvia.Lam@mass.gov for the Zoom meeting information.

2023-2024 RIAC Council Members

CouncilmemberTitle
Cleonie MainvielleProductivity Coach & DEI Consultant
Darlene SpencerProgram Officer at the Carney Family Charitable Foundation
Jessica S. Samuel, Ph.D.Education Equity Consultant
Josephine M. Kim, Ph.D., LMHC, NCCSenior Lecturer on Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
Lamikco T. Magee, M.Ed., J.D.Dean at Amherst Regional Public Schools
Lateefah FranckDirector of Equity, Integration, and Community Partnerships
Westwood Public Schools
Laurie HunterSuperintendent of Schools, Concord Public Schools and Concord Carlisle Regional School District
Matt BrunellCo-Executive Director of Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership (SEZP)
Monica RobertsExecutive Director/Senior Vice President at City Year Greater Boston
Raul Fernandez, Ed.D.Senior Lecturer of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development
Renée Heywood, Ph.D.Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for Brockton Public Schools

Contact Information

DESE Liaison
Sylvia Lam
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148
Telephone: 781-338-3567

Resources

Annual Reports to the Board of Education

Related Resources

  • Chapter 15: Section 1I
  • Chapter 15: Section 1J
  • Chapter 76: Section 12A
  • Chapter 71: Section 37C
  • Chapter 71: Section 37D
  • Chapter 71: Section 37I & 37J

  • Charles V. Willie, Ph.D., & Michael Alves, Ed.M. (1996); Controlled Choice: A New Approach To Desegregated Education and School Improvement. Education Alliance Press.

  • Carl A. Grant (1995); Educating for Diversity: An Anthology of Multicultural Voices. Allyn & Bacon

  • Schott Foundation for Public Education (2008). Given half a chance: The Schott 50 state report on pulbic education and black males. Executive Summary. Cambridge, MA: Author. Retrieved October 20, 2008

  • Singleton, G. E. & Linton, C. (2006). Courageous conversations about race: A field guide for achieving equity in schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

  • Uriarte, M., Chen, J., & Kala, M. (2007). Where we go to school… Latino students and the public schools of Boston. Boston, MA: The Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino community Development and Public Policy. Retrieved on October 20, 2008

  • Noguera, P. & Wing, J. Y. (eds.) (2006). Unfinished business: Closing the racial achievement gap in our schools. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Last Updated: September 27, 2023

 
Contact Us

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
75 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA 02148-4906

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

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