School

Desegregation
(METCO)
Shannon Creedon, Lexie Smith, Allison Bartolomeo
 School Segregation
❏ Schools are currently the most segregated they have been in 40 years
❏ A 2007 Supreme Court case ruled that school choice programs, in which parents
could decide what school their student would attend was unconstitutional
❏ Government could not intervene to eliminate de facto segregation
❏ School segregation stems from the neighborhoods that are racially segregated
❏ New Deal took racially integrated neighborhoods and demolished them to
build racially segregated projects

Rothstein, R. (2019). The myth of de facto segregation. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(5), 35–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721719827543
 “But if segregation has been
created by government’s explicit
racial policies — that is, if
residential segregation itself is a
civil rights violation — then not only
are we permitted to remedy it, we
are required to do so.”
Rothstein, R. (2019). The myth of de facto segregation. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(5), 35–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721719827543
What is METCO?
Metropolitan Council for Educational
Opportunities
“The METCO Program is a grant program funded by the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is a voluntary
program intended to expand educational opportunities,
increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation, by permitting
students in certain cities to attend public schools in other
communities that have agreed to participate.”
(Massachusetts Department of Elementary Education, February 20, 2020)
 So, what does that entail? Some basic
facts about METCO:
❏ Families must enroll their child into the METCO program through an online application, but the
enrollment is based on a lottery and is randomized based on the amount of available slots in
each grade at each school.
❏ Students from the city of Boston who are of a racial minority take a bus to a suburban school.
❏ Examples of cities that are a part of the METCO program:
❏ Newton
❏ Framingham
❏ Brookline
❏ Lexington

(The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, 2020)

Why was the METCO program
implemented?
❏ 1965: Massachusetts Board of Education passed the Racial Imbalance Act.
❏ Purpose- to reduce racial inequality in public schools.
❏ 1972: Massachusetts Board of Education accused the Boston School Committee of refusing to institute
any measures to integrate school.
❏ Non-whites exceeded 50% of the total population.
❏ 1972: State suspended funding to Boston Public Schools, so the Boston School Committee repealed
the Racial Imbalance Act and sought to recover state funding.
❏ NAACP stated that BSC violated the 14th Amendment and the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
❏ February 14, 1974: The Supreme Court denied the repeal of the Racial Imbalance Act.
❏ September 1974: The plan required that students in the most racially imbalanced schools be bused
into where the number Whites exceeded 50% provoked heated and hostile reactions in some
neighborhoods.

Muriel Cohen, “Court Denies Balance Appeal Request.” Boston Globe (1960-1985) Feb 15 1974: 3. ProQuest. 13 Feb. 2017
Metco Student Handbook(1987)
Highlights
❏ Most participating school districts have “host family” program which pairs METCO students with local
families who support the students by providing a “home away from home.”
❏ It is suggested that students maintain a C- average and if they do not they should attend tutoring
sessions provided by the school district.
❏ “Metco students are discouraged from driving cars to school.”
❏ “The purpose of the METCO program is to provide an opportunity for an integrated public school
education for urban black and other minority children...”
❏ “Metco students must adhere to the following rules regarding behavior on the bus to/from school.
Failure to do so may lead to the loss of school privileges. Playing radios or tape recorders without
earphones is not allowed.”

The Metco student handbook : What to expect and what is expected of you. (1987). Quincy, Mass.]: Massachusetts Dept. of Education.
Required Documentation to Apply
(The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, 2020)
“I think they
feel like
visitors.”
(Montano, E. W. (2010). "I
think they feel like visitors,"
white educators and the
METCO program:
Perspectives of METCO and
race Available from ERIC.
(864942349; ED517772).)
 Pros and Cons of Metco Program
Pros Cons
❏ Students of color from Boston ❏ Bus rides can be long and exhausting.
bring diversity and exposure ❏ Bus can inhibit students from participating in
extracurricular activities
to schools in other towns
❏ METCO students are surrounded by a
about what life is like in other
multitude of predominantly White people
places. whose cultural norms, values, communication
❏ Voluntary program. styles, and expectations are in line with the
❏ Builds diverse friendships. expectations of the White, middle class
community.
Montano, E. W. (2010). "I think they feel like visitors," white educators and the
METCO program: Perspectives of METCO and race Available from ERIC.
❏ METCO students who also may need special
(864942349; ED517772). Retrieved from
https://ezproxy.bu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fd education services may not be given the same
ocview%2F864942349%3Faccounti
services as a student who is from Brookline.
Perceptions of METCO
By a white male BHS ‘13 Alumni

❏ It’s a good idea, but they don’t execute it well

❏ They don’t fit in
❏ They should have to test in
❏ They don’t care about school (never showed up).
❏ The students only would hang out with each other
METCO and Democracy

❏ We believe METCO is not a democratic program

❏ METCO only moves students of color out of Boston and into predominantly White suburban districts
❏ If the goal of METCO is to integrate and diversify schools, this busing should be done in both directions
❏ Many students of color who are residents of hosting districts are assumed to be METCO students
❏ METCO helps to build stereotypes that only White people can live in wealthy host districts
❏ METCO students are made to feel like visitors in their schools and are usually unable to be full
participants in the school community due to having to go home on a long bus ride
❏ Students generally fully rely on busses for transportation to and from school and can have bus rides that are
hours long
❏ We believe the money that is used to fund METCO would be more beneficial to students if invested
back into Boston Public Schools
Discussion Questions

❏ What is your experience with METCO or other programs?

❏ Do you have students who are/have been part of the METCO
program?
❏ How are students you know included in the school community?
References
Massachusetts Department of Elementary Education. (n.d.). METCO. Retrieved from http://www.doe.mass.edu/metco/

The Metco student handbook : What to expect and what is expected of you. (1987). Quincy, Mass.]: Massachusetts
Dept. of Education.

The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://metcoinc.org/
Montano, E. W. (2010). "I think they feel like visitors," white educators and the METCO program: Perspectives of
METCO and race Available from ERIC. (864942349; ED517772).

Montano, E. W. (2010). "I think they feel like visitors," white educators and the METCO program: Perspectives of
METCO and race Available from ERIC. (864942349; ED517772). Retrieved from
https://ezproxy.bu.edu/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.proquest.com%2Fdocview%2F864942349%3Faccounti

Muriel Cohen, “Court Denies Balance Appeal Request.” Boston Globe (1960-1985) Feb 15 1974: 3. ProQuest. 13 Feb.
2017

Rothstein, R. (2019). The myth of de facto segregation. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(5), 35–38.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0031721719827543