Organization and operation of advisory councils for vocational agriculture

Advisory councils have been used in and for vocational agriculture in an advisory capacity since its beginning. The use of advisory councils in agricultural education preceded the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act for Vocational Agriculture. As early as 1911¹ it was mandatory in Massachusetts to have advisory councils for local departments of agriculture. Hamlin² stated that there were 117 advisory councils and committees in eighty schools having advisory groups in 1949. In New York³ it is the duty of the board of education to appoint an advisory board. In Tennessee, advisory council organization is being encouraged by the State Department of Vocational Education and the Department of Agricultural Education. Teacher trainers in thirty-three states who responded to Dr. Wilson's letter⁴ initiating the study said that they had one or more advisory councils in their state.