News Survey Data: The Parents of Lynnfield METCO Students Posted March 5, 1999 By News editor Recently, the Superintendent of Lynnfield, Massachusetts, a Boston suburban school system, proposed terminating a small program enrolling black students from Boston. The Civil Rights Project has prepared a special report from its 1995-96 survey of METCO (Metropolitan Council on Educational Opportunities) parents to show the aspirations and experiences of the African-American families from Boston who send their children to Lynnfield's schools.The survey included all METCO families and had a very high (75%) response rate. In Lynnfield, it included data from the parents of 40 students, almost all of the transfer students. 72% of the children attending Lynnfield schools under the program had enrolled by third grade.Highlights include:Among the most important factors influencing parents' decision to send children to the suburban system were the promise of the suburban academic program (68% of surveyed parents) and preparation of their children for college (65% of surveyed parents).Though families and students expressed concern about crossing the city's color line, they actually had highly positive interracial experiences. 93% of parents reported a good or excellent experience for their childen in "learning to get along with other groups."The families participating in METCO expressed a need for more help in consolidating educational gains. 46% of students gave this as their highest priority for improving the program. 39% pointed to the need for better, more sensitive counselors.The basic picture that emerges from the survey of the parents is one of a program that is an important success in a difficult setting but could be significantly better.For More InformationContact Gary Orfield at 617-496-4824 or Christine Sanni at 617-496-5873 News The latest research, perspectives, and highlights from the Harvard Graduate School of Education Explore All Articles Related Articles News Harvard Conference to Present First Evidence of the Consequences of Ending Affirmative Action News Researchers Warn About Testing and Civil Rights News Studies Find High Stakes Tests Threaten Disadvantaged Students in Texas