Arlington Public Schools
METCO Family Friends Program
What is METCO?
The Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) is a state funded, voluntary
educational-desgregation program designed to eliminate racial imbalance through the busing of
children from Boston and Springfield to suburban public school districts of the surrounding
metropolitan areas.
Who is eligible to participate in METCO?
The METCO Program serves children of color (African American, Asian, and Latino) who reside in
the cities of Boston and Springfield as well as hundreds of thousands of suburban resident
students who experience the benefit of a desegregated educational setting. There are no income
guidelines for paricipating urban families.
What is the METCO Family Friends Program?
The Arlington METCO Family Friends Program hopes to become the link between Boston
families and Arlington families who share a commitment to educational opportunity
and to racial and cultural understanding. Under the program, each Boston student
who enters the Arlington Public Schools will be paired with an Arlington student
(family). This partnership will provide the Boston student with a "home away from
home" while at school, while offering families from both communities the opportunity
to share their urban and suburban experiences. Throughout the year, the Arlington
METCO office and individual schools organize a variety of activities which support
Family Friend's relationships.
How can I join the Family Friends Program?
In September, families may volunteer by calling the Arlington Public Schools METCO Office at
781-316-3566.
Unfortunately, it will be impossible to pair every Boston student with an Arlington Family.
Last updated: October 3, 2007
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