Opportunity Meets Need
According to the town census, in 2010 Arlington was 85.7 percent white, 8.3 percent Asian, 3.3 percent Hispanic and 2.4 percent African-American. Our schools have a modicum of Asian students while the number of local African-American and Hispanic students remains negligible.
But the world beyond our boundaries is racially diverse and getting more so all the time. By 2050, whites are expected to be a minority in our country. It is not enough to talk about racial and cultural tolerance. Our children must practice it, and that is where Metco is such a boon.
It increases the opportunities for black and white students to become familiar and respectful of one another which they might not have a chance to do outside of school time. Such familiarity is the key to dispelling stereotypes and overcoming prejudices, both consciously and subliminally. Research has shown that students who have meaningful interactions with people of other races and ethnicities prove to work for the common good in their adult life.
What Has Not Changed
Superintendent of Schools Kathleen Bodie strongly supports our Metco participation and addressed the Finance Committee last week. She reminded the group that Arlington joined Metco for moral reasons. It was not deemed a financial burden but a valuable and unique educational opportunity.
It is true and maddening that the state underfunds Metco, but it has done so for decades. Every spring there is a Metco rally at the state house to urge our legislators to contribute more money. A stumbling block is that Metco is not a priority with a majority of lawmakers because they don’t have the program in their districts.
What Has Changed
Our number of Metco students has gradually shrunk, due to fewer open spots in our schools and a state formula that does not allow us to increase Boston attendance once it has fallen. We had 91 Boston students in 2000 and have only 71 today. In 2000, Arlington was poorer and the school budget stretched thinner than it is today, yet we supported our Metco program. Foskett and Starks failed to note in their article that our drop in Boston students has surely saved the town money.
Worry over the increasing school population and the need for an override to revamp our high school appears to have clouded the vision of a few. Or are Arlingtonians getting stingier? While we are encouraged to think globally, are we instead becoming insular and conservative? Is ending the achievement gap no longer one of our missions? Is racial fluency and acceptance less important now in Arlington? We are confident that the answers are “no.”
Who We Are
One of us is an African American mother who raised her children in the suburbs. Her kids often felt like outsiders in the very white world of their home town. The Metco students looked like them and provided a level of relief. The additional black students bolstered her children’s self-esteem and validated their right to be accepted.
One of us is a white mother who chose to settle in Arlington in part because it participated in Metco. Her best volunteer move was planning events in Boston and at Peirce School to bring together black, Hispanic and white parents and their children informally. When her sons rallied for Metco by her side, they were supporting their classmates, not abstract principles.
One of us is an Asian Indian mother whose biracial children currently attend the Dallin and Ottoson Schools. She has researched the advantages of proximity to racial and ethnic diversity and considers this an essential steppingstone to her children’s educational and professional success. She regards her interest in Metco as selfish, part of wanting the best for her children.
We are three diverse voices harmonizing in our support of Metco.
Conclusion
Although most endeavors, to be sustained, have to be weighed by dollars and “sense,” there are certain intangibles the value of which a moral “sense” outweighs the dollars. A desired outcome for Arlington students is surely that they develop academically, socially and morally by appreciating differences in their fellow man. Empathy will bolster their success at integrating into the increasingly diverse world. It is, then, both moral and practical to continue to balance the books to keep Metco viable in our town as an asset to the balanced development of all kids attending school in Arlington.
This viewpoint was published Thursday, April 3, 2014.
