For over 50 years, a limited number of students of color living in Boston have been able to enroll in schools in the suburbs as part of the METCO program, run by the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity.

There are currently around 3,500 students taking buses to schools in about 40 suburban districts as part of the program.

Charles Glenn, Professor Emeritus at Boston University, sits down with Paul E. Peterson to discuss who benefits from the program and whether it distracts from larger issues related to urban schools. They consider some of the issues raised by Alana Semuels in her recent article, “The Utter Inadequacy of America’s Efforts to Desegregate Schools,” published by the Atlantic on April 11, 2019.

Follow The Education Exchange on Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher or here on Education Next.

— Education Next