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Understanding the Contributions of a BEAC

Introduction to the BEAC

What is a BEAC? The Business/Education Advisory Council (BEAC) is a partnership of business, higher education, and community representatives drawn from Ford PAS communities. The BEAC is an integral part of the Ford PAS program and plays a key role in ensuring its success.

What are its purposes? The BEAC provides community support for the Ford PAS program and assistance to the Ford PAS coordinator and teachers. Through BEAC members' contacts with organizations outside the school, the BEAC can ensure that the program provides vital, supportive links between the classroom and local businesses, institutions of higher education, and community organizations. These links enable students to bridge the gap between academic learning and the challenges they will face in higher education, the community, and the workplace of the future.

Who participates in the BEAC?BEAC members include business and industry representatives, faculty and staff of colleges and universities, community leaders, Ford PAS teachers, school administrators, and students and their family members.

What are the BEAC's primary activities? By serving a crucial role in the development of Coordinated Learning Experiences (CLEs), the BEAC helps extend learning beyond classroom walls. It enriches students' classroom experiences by recruiting speakers to support the teaching of the Ford PAS curriculum, and it expands the classroom experience by facilitating real-world learning experiences in the workplace, higher education, and the community. The BEAC also helps the school maintain and improve the Ford PAS program through assistance with program planning, sponsorship of special programs and events, family outreach, public relations, grant and technology acquisition, information management, and support for teacher professional development.

What are the expectations of BEAC members? Serving on the BEAC is similar to serving on the advisory board of a community organization. Members are expected to attend regularly scheduled meetings and occasional activities between meetings. Additional contributions depend on members' available time and interests.

What do BEAC members gain from their participation? The BEAC gives its members the opportunity to improve the quality and relevance of local schools, share their expertise with teachers and students, promote high achievement for young people in the community, and expand the pool of highly qualified future students and employees.

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