This research study seeks to explore the effectiveness of Boston’s METCO (Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity) program, a Boston-based program operated and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

Our research was conducted by interviewing eight (8) different stakeholders of METCO in regards to their experiences with the program. In an effort to mitigate the sensitivity surrounding this issue, all parties was assigned a pseudonym for use in our study. This assures confidentiality. We hope to learn about the both the successes and challenges of the program and, more specifically, the degree to which it has been effective in closing the “opportunity gap” between students in the city of Boston and those residing nearby suburban communities. We interviewed a variety of stakeholders, including METCO school administrators and teachers in Bloomingdale and Aarondale, parents of current METCO students, the executive director of the program, and a policy representative from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. All participants in our study signed a consent form that informed them of the purpose of our study and the measures taken to ensure confidentiality. Additionally, a courtesy copy of our report has been provided to all participants.

For the purposes of this paper, the following pseudonyms were assigned:

• School A: Bloomingdale Public Schools
• School B: Aarondale Public Schools
• Tom Jones: Policymaker, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
• Sarah Conner: Principal, Bloomingdale Middle School
• Sally Garcia: Teacher, Bloomingdale Middle School
• Jean Mcguire: METCO Executive Director
• Debbie Pearson: Bloomingdale METCO Parent
• Corrine Smacks: METCO Director at Aarondale Public Schools
• Mary Cho: METCO Director at Bloomingdale Public Schools
• Isaac Dinkins: Principal, Aarondale Middle School