State School Superintendent Richard Woods has selected 75 Georgia students from 1,550 applicants to serve on his 2024-2025 Student Advisory Council. Throughout the year, these students will meet with Superintendent Woods to provide feedback on the impact of state policies in the classroom.

Members of the Student Advisory Council will also discuss other education-related issues, serve as the Superintendent’s ambassadors to their respective schools, and participate in service projects to benefit schools and students.

“I am thrilled to welcome this new group of students to our 2024-2025 Student Advisory Council," Superintendent Woods said. "These young leaders represent the future of Georgia, and their voices are crucial as we continue to shape the direction of education in our state. I look forward to hearing their ideas, insights, and perspectives as we work together to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed."

Each year, any student in grades 10-12 attending a Georgia public school (including charter schools) may fill out an application to be considered for the Student Advisory Council. The application includes short essay prompts that allow students to share their ideas for public education.

This year, students selected for the Council wrote essays addressing a wide variety of issues in education, including curriculum and graduation requirements; the impact of federal- and state-mandated assessments in the classroom; the importance of teacher recruitment and retention efforts to students’ classroom experience; and access to opportunities and resources for students in rural areas.

The council includes students from every Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) region in Georgia; students represent rural, suburban, and urban schools. Because GaDOE works to ensure the council is representative of students in all areas of the state and selects students based on the strength of their essay answers, multiple students from a district may be selected in some cases.

The first 2024-2025 Student Advisory Council meeting will be held in November at the Georgia Department of Education’s offices. Selected students will receive details via email.