Melvin B. Miller
Editor & Publisher

METCO works

METCO, the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, has been an unmitigated success. It continues to be the largest voluntary program for educational desegregation in the country. A total of 38 predominantly white suburban communities participate to provide some racial diversity in the classrooms. Every day an estimated 3,400 students board buses in Boston to commute to suburbia.

At a time when the quality of urban education has been the subject of criticism, METCO has demonstrated a program that works. Last year, every METCO High school senior passed the MCAS graduation requirement. And over the past three years, 87 percent of METCO graduates have gone on to college. This compares favorably with the 90 percent rate of all suburban students and is well ahead of the 54 percent rate for all Boston seniors and 77 percent for seniors statewide.

Despite this academic success, METCO is consistently underfunded. The State Education Reform Act requires a base level funding of $7,904 per pupil for 2006, but the METCO cities and towns receive only $3,354 per student from the state. Local taxes make up the difference.

METCO will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a gala on September 15. It would be a fine gesture for the governor and the legislature to appropriate the funds necessary to close the budget gap in recognition of METCO’s 40 years of distinguished service.

It’s about education

The New York Times published a front-page story last week about the crisis confronting black men. The report was based upon a review of a number of studies on the status of black males. While the information was not novel, the conclusions of the studies on the front-page of the Times had a dynamic impact on black commentators.

It would be seriously counterproductive for black leaders to dismiss this report as another example of the consequences of racism. Indeed, racial discrimination is pervasive in America, but it is unwise to advise blacks to stand in place until whites rid themselves of bigotry. African Americans must develop a plan of their own which they must implement regardless of racial prejudice.

Central to the demise of the black male as a productive member of society is the failure of public education. Some studies found that more than half of all black men in inner cities did not finish high school. That decision almost certainly assures that the black males will join the ranks of the unemployed. By 2004, 72 percent of black high school dropouts were unemployed. This was true of only 34 percent of white and 19 percent of Latino dropouts.

The major reason for these dismal employment data is the shift in the economy away from unskilled factory jobs. However, it is significant to note that Latinos have found a way to reduce unemployment levels despite racial discrimination.

Unemployed blacks become part of the street culture. The next stop is likely to be jail. In 2004, 60 percent of black male dropouts had spent some time in prison by their mid-thirties. Once they have a criminal record, the opportunities for gainful employment diminish.

Clearly, the primary strategy must be to find a way to motivate African American males to excel in school. During the decades of the Jim Crow era, educational achievement was held up as the requirement for success in America. Somehow this standard was lost.

Leaders must find a way to encourage young blacks to come to school with such a thirst for education and such an intellectual curiosity that even mediocre teachers will be driven to perform at their highest level.