ERIC Number: ED674054
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun-3
Pages: 65
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Impact of Increased Exposure of Diversity on Suburban Students' Outcomes: An Analysis of the METCO Voluntary Desegregation Program. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1215
Elizabeth Setren
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Over sixty years following Brown vs. Board of Education, racial and socioeconomic segregation and lack of equal access to educational opportunities persist. Across the country, voluntary desegregation busing programs aim to ameliorate these imbalances and disparities. A longstanding Massachusetts program, METCO, buses K-12 students of color from Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts to 37 suburban districts that voluntarily enroll urban students. Supporters of the program argue that it prepares students to be active citizens in our multicultural society. Opponents question the value of the program and worry it may have a negative impact on suburban student outcomes. I estimate the causal effect of exposure to diversity through the METCO program by using two types of variation: difference-in-difference analysis of schools stopping and starting their METCO enrollment and two-stage least squares analysis of space availability for METCO students. Both methods rule out substantial test score, attendance, or suspension effects of having METCO peers. Classroom ability distribution and classroom suspension rates remain similar when METCO programs start and stop. There is no negative impact on college preparation, competitiveness, persistence, or graduation.
Descriptors: Minority Group Students, Student Diversity, Equal Education, Desegregation Methods, Busing, Racially Balanced Schools, Racial Segregation, Socioeconomic Status, Elementary Secondary Education, Program Effectiveness, Suspension, Academic Ability, Academic Achievement, Attendance, College Readiness, Competition, Academic Persistence, Graduation Rate, White Students, Urban Schools, Suburban Schools, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Gender Differences, Students with Disabilities, English Learners, Scores, Tests, Aspiration, College Attendance, College Entrance Examinations, Teacher Characteristics
Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. Brown University Box 1985, Providence, RI 02912. Tel: 401-863-7990; Fax: 401-863-1290; e-mail: annenberg@brown.edu; Web site: https://annenberg.brown.edu/
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Boston Foundation; Spencer Foundation; Russell Sage Foundation; Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University
Identifiers - Location: Massachusetts; Massachusetts (Boston)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: SAT (College Admission Test)
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A200060
Department of Education Funded: Yes
Author Affiliations: N/A