The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program has a robust presence in Needham, with Boston students currently enrolled in all eight of the Needham Public Schools. CNS recently sat down with Dr. Joanne Allen-Willoughby, NPS METCO Director, to learn more about the program.
(from METCO website)
The METCO program is fully funded by the state and is only available to Boston residents. METCO applicants rank their top three choices of communities when applying. Needham is a popular choice for METCO families due to its proximity to Boston and accessibility by commuter rail which gives more transportation options, especially for older students who stay late for after-school activities.
Dr. Allen-Willoughby highlighted that METCO is a partnership bringing two equal communities together for the benefit of BOTH communities. While METCO started as a school desegregation program in the 1960s, it remains a very valuable and relevant program to this day for its ability to bring communities together and allow for different perspectives. Some Needham METCO alumni now have their own children enrolled in Needham Public Schools!
(from the NPS METCO website)
Q. How does the METCO program work in Needham?
- In Needham, METCO students can only be enrolled in grades K-2 (with occasional exceptions for an older sibling of a new enrollee, if space allows).
- This is a seat-based program, so each year elementary school principals will assess how many seats they think they will have available for next year. Typically 15-20 METCO students are accepted each year, with preference given to younger siblings of currently enrolled students.
- Currently Needham has 194 students enrolled through the METCO program in grades K-12.
- Once a student has enrolled in the Needham district, they are Needham students through grade 12 as long as they remain eligible for METCO.
- Students come from all over Boston. Needham has 4 buses for transportation. They stop in various Boston neighborhoods before and after school to transport students to and from Needham. There is no late bus, but high school students often take the commuter rail or carpool home after sports or other activities.
- Needham has a summer Jumpstart Program in July for new students, so they are already familiar with the Needham community before school starts in August. They hold monthly parent meetings for METCO families throughout the school year.
- The Needham METCO program has a high retention and graduation rate. Occasionally, students do leave the program because they have moved out of Boston and are no longer eligible to participate. Some older students also choose to attend Boston exam schools or other schools closer to their home.
Q. How can the local Needham community best support METCO students and families?
- While in years past, METCO families have been matched with host families in their school districts, it is now preferable for friendships and relationships between METCO and local Needham families to develop organically.
- Be welcoming! Smile and be friendly with new students and parents at school events.
- Don’t make assumptions about METCO families and don’t assume that all students of color are METCO students.
- Understand that METCO students also have important activities, relationships and friends in their Boston communities.
- Acknowledge and appreciate the benefits that the METCO program provides to both Boston and Needham families!
More information about the history of METCO and the current METCO program can be found on the METCO website and the Needham METCO website.