The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the

state education agency A state education agency or state department of education is the state-level government organization within each U.S. state or territory responsible for education, including providing information, resources, and technical assistance on educationa ...

responsible for interpreting and implementing laws relevant to

public education State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...

in the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Public education in the Commonwealth is organized according to the regulations adopted by the BESE, which are

good faith In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...

interpretations of Massachusetts

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

and

federal law Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join in a federation, delegating their individual sovereignty and many po ...

. The BESE's responsibilities include granting and renewing

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of auto ...

applications, developing and implementing the

Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment system, commonly abbreviated as MCAS , is Massachusetts's statewide standards-based assessment program developed in 1993 in response to the Massachusetts Education Reform Act of the same year. State and f ...

(MCAS), submitting yearly budget proposals for public education to the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...

, setting the standards for and certifying teachers, principals, and superintendents, and monitoring—as well as intervening to ameliorate—the achievement of underperforming districts in the Commonwealth.

History

The board was established in 1837 and is the oldest state board of education in the United States.

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Edward Everett Edward Everett (April 11, 1794 – January 15, 1865) was an American politician, Unitarian pastor, educator, diplomat, and orator from Massachusetts. Everett, as a Whig, served as U.S. representative, U.S. senator, the 15th governor of Massa ...

had recommended the establishment of a board of education in his address to the 1837 legislature's opening session. His brief argument ran as follows:

While nothing can be further from my purpose, than to disparage the
common school A common school was a public school in the United States during the 19th century. Horace Mann (1796–1859) was a strong advocate for public education and the common school. In 1837, the state of Massachusetts appointed Mann as the first secretary o ...
s as they are, and while a deep sense of personal obligation to them will ever be cherished by me, it must yet be candidly admitted that they are susceptible of great improvements. The school houses might, in many cases, be rendered more commodious. Provision ought to be made for affording the advantages of education, throughout the whole year, to all of a proper age to receive it. Teachers well qualified to give elementary instruction in all the branches of useful knowledge, should be employed; and small school libraries, maps, globes, and requisite scientific apparatus should be furnished. I submit to the Legislature, whether the creation of a board of commissioners of schools, to serve without salary, with authority to appoint a secretary, on a reasonable compensation, to be paid from the school fund, would not be of great utility.

The legislature's Committee on Education, led by Senate chairman

Josiah Quincy, Jr. Josiah Quincy IV (; January 17, 1802 – November 2, 1882) was an American politician. He was mayor of Boston (December 11, 1845 – January 1, 1849), as was his father Josiah Quincy III (mayor in 1823–1828) and grandson Josiah Quincy VI ...

and House chairman

James G. Carter James Gordon Carter (1795–1845), born James Carter, Jr. in Leominster, Massachusetts, was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and an education reformer. He was educated at Groton Academy and Harvard College. He wrote ''I ...

, sponsored a bill which was initially soundly defeated in the House. Largely as a result of efforts by Mr. Carter, the bill was eventually passed.

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...

, President of the Massachusetts State Senate at the time, was appointed the board's first Secretary.

Composition

The BESE is composed of 11 members: 10 are appointed by the governor, including his Secretary of Education, who serves ''

ex officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term '' ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

'', and one is a public school student elected by his or her peers. The 11 voting members are: "the chairman of the student advisory council established under this section; 1 representative of a labor organization selected by the governor from a list of 3 nominees provided by the Massachusetts State Labor Council, AFL–CIO; 1 representative of business or industry selected by the governor with a demonstrated commitment to education; 1 representative of parents of school children selected by the governor from a list of 3 nominees provided by the Massachusetts Parent Teachers Association; and 6 members selected by the governor." The Chairperson of the BOE is appointed by the governor. The secretary of the BESE must be approved by a two thirds vote and serves at the Board's pleasure as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

, the Chief State School Officer for Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Commissioner attends BESE meetings, but does not vote. He is responsible for managing the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and receives a salary which is determined by the Board. Prior to legislation introduced by Governor Patrick in 2008, the BESE was composed of 9 voting members.

Advisory Councils

A number of Advisory Councils, created by Chapter 15: Section 1G of the General Laws of Massachusetts, support the Board with research, recommendations and—in the case of the Student Advisory Counci—is represented by a voting member of the Board. The advisory councils include: * Adult Basic Educatio

* Arts Educatio

* Community Service Learnin

* Braille Literacy Advisory Counci

* Digital Learning Advisory Counci

* Educational Personne

* English Language Learners/Bilingual Educatio

* Gifted and Talented Educatio

* Global Educatio

* Interdisciplinary Health Education and Human Service

* Life Management Skills and Home Economic

* Parent and Community Education and Involvemen

* Racial Imbalanc

* School and District Accountability and Assistanc

* Science, Technology/Engineering and Mathematic

* Special Educatio

* Student Advisory Counci

* Vocational Technical Educatio

Student membership

The BESE is unique in that 1 of its 9 members is a Massachusetts public school student. Legislation filed in 1971 by Governor Francis W. Sargent created the position. By this same legislation, the Massachusetts State Student Advisory Council was established. The Chairperson of this Council sits as a full voting member on the BESE. Governor Sargent said at the filing of the bill, "If we are to replace confrontation with deliberation and shouting with dialogue, youth must be invited in, not shut out. We have ... a climate where young and old can sit together, talk, and listen." The current student member of the Board is Eleni Livingston. Her term will end in July 2022.

Current members

Katherine Craven, Chair, Babson Park
James Morton, Vice-Chair, Boston
James Peyser, Secretary of Education
Jeff Riley, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Secretary to the Board Amanda Fernandez
Matt Hills
Michael Moriarty
Paymon Rouhanifard
Mary Ann Stewart
Jasper Coughlin
Marty West

Notable former members

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, Baker was a cabinet official under two governors of Massach ...

* George S. Boutwell – Secretary (1855–1860) * Jeremiah E. Burke *

* George H. Conley *

– First secretary of the board (1837–1848) *

Paul Reville Paul Reville is a United States, U.S. politician, teacher, school principal, and educational researcher who was the Massachusetts Secretary of Education from 2008 to 2013 under Governor of Massachusetts, Governor Deval Patrick. He currently serves ...

– Secretary of Education *

Barnas Sears Barnas Sears (November 19, 1802 – July 6, 1880) was an American educational theorist and Baptist theologian. Biography Sears graduated from Brown University in 1825 and from Newton Theological Institution in 1827. For a short time, he served ...

– Secretary (1848–1855) *

John Silber John Robert Silber (August 15, 1926 – September 27, 2012) was an American academician and candidate for public office. From 1971 to 1996, he was President of Boston University (BU) and, from 1996 to 2002, Chancellor. From 2002 to 2003, he again ...

, Chair *

Abigail Thernstrom Abigail Thernstrom (September 14, 1936 – April 10, 2020) was an American political scientist and a leading conservative scholar on race relations, voting rights and education. She was an adjunct scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, ...

Kate Gannett Wells Kate Gannett Wells (1838 – 1911) was an American writer and social reformer, and a prominent member of the anti-suffragist movement in the United States. Wells served on the Massachusetts Board of Education for twenty-four years beginning in 188 ...

References

External links

* http://www.doe.mass.edu/bese/ * http://www.doe.mass.edu/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Massachusetts Board Of Elementary and Secondary Education Board of Elementary and Secondary Education 1837 establishments in Massachusetts State boards of education in the United States