Today on NPR’s All Things Considered, host Audie Cornish presented Looking Back on 50 Years of Busing in Boston, an insightful segment on Boston’s METCO program, in which she was a student years ago. Today she profiled the Bailey family in Mattapan and their two sons in the METCO program — Brandon at Newton South and Bryan at Oak Hill. She’ll have other segments on METCO later this week. You can listen or read and see photos by clicking on each segment’s title.
UPDATE (10/6): Here’s Audie Cornish’s second segment in the series, Why Busing Didn’t End School Segregation.
UPDATE (10/6): Also today, Newton’s Barbara Howard, local host of All Things Considered on WGBH (“Boston’s Local NPR”), presented an interview with METCO’s Executive Director, Jean McGuire, who is retiring after running the program for 43 years.
Excellent segment. As someone who spent every single school day of my thirteen years in Newton Public Schools as close friends with many METCO students, I really appreciate you posting this, Bruce.
For so many reasons, the METCO program not only benefits those who are fortunate enough to participate in it, but it also benefits our community. In fact, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome many of the hurdles that I faced growing up had it not been for the friendships I was able to form thanks to the METCO program.
Things may have changed since I was in the school system (I graduated from North in 2004), but one of the biggest weaknesses of the program back then was that there weren’t many programs designed to strengthen the relationships of METCO students in our community. Heck, even as a 16-year-old senior in high school, I took it upon myself to help some of my METCO friends write college essays and secure jobs in Newton.
I’d also like to point out that this post is particularly relevant given the actions of Jake Auchincloss this week. At least based on my experiences, many METCO students don’t feel welcomed in Newton, and Jake’s premature actions as related to the confederate flag issue have assuredly deepened that divide.
Tom – Be assured, NPS is working on these issue in 2016 in a different way than it did in 2004. I had a son graduate from NNHS in 2004 and I know that we’ve made strides, and continue to strive, in our efforts and actions to make Newton schools more inclusive and safe for all students.
I’ve heard from several sources that the NPR segment is excellent.
It was a great piece. I grew up outside of Boston and my district was part of the METCO program. What I really like now is that there is a late Boston bus into Boston so kids can connect with Newton kids doing after school programs.
I didn’t realize that when it was established it was supposed to be a pilot program for the nation.
I have great respect for parents who sign their kids up for METCO as newborns and have the stamina to stay with the program. It is many hours spent on a bus away from your neighborhood. It was a great piece of reporting!
I’m a lot older than Tom Davis. I graduated in 1976. But my experience with METCO students was similar to Tom’s, and it was not much different for my three children who all graduated from NPS.
There are a lot of great things about METCO. But there are a lot of not so great things as well. I believe the program has bailed out Boston schools for decades and allowed them to escape real scrutiny. The suburbs take some of the best and brightest, leaving the rest of Boston’s school children behind. And it’s appalling to me that some of these METCO students have to wake up at 5am to get to school in Newton on time. But what really irks me about METCO is the lack of adequate reimbursement to host communities. Our elected officials should be insisting on 100% reimbursement.