Barrett Talks with METCO Students from District

Last Wednesday, scores of METCO students attending school in state Sen. Mike Barrett’s district -- the Third Middlesex -- filled a State House hallway to talk about their experiences in the program.

Barrett moved them from an overcrowded conference room to the long corridor so he could hear from as many participants as possible.

“The most important thing I can do is listen to students and parents involved in the program,” Barrett said to the group.  “Getting up at 5:30 a.m. every day to get to a school out here is tough but you kids do it.”

Program graduate David Venter described how METCO gave him an education that prepared him for the business world. One young woman said she doesn’t mind the hour-and-a-half commute because the benefits are so great. Students who go to class in Lincoln-Sudbury, Bedford and Weston reminded Barrett that their families, though they live in Boston, are nonetheless active members of their adopted school communities.

METCO currently serves 3,300 students from Boston and Springfield. The voluntary program lets elementary, middle and high school students go to class in suburban districts. Most school districts Barrett represents have at least 70 students enrolled, with his hometown of Lexington -- where his twin daughters attended the public schools -- hosting 242.

A recent report finds that more than 94 percent of METCO students graduate in four years, a rate that exceeds or equals overall graduation rates in receiving school districts.