METCO at 60
The Journey to METCO: Brookline’s Role in Making History
The Journey to METCO is a visual presentation that explores the history of the METCO program and highlights Brookline’s major role in helping bring this groundbreaking educational initiative to life.
The story begins during the Civil Rights Movement, when Black parents, students, and activists in Boston were fighting for equal access to quality education. At the same time, Brookline community members and School Committee leaders began asking how their community could help address racial segregation and educational inequity.
In 1965, Dr. Leon Trilling, Chair of the Brookline School Committee, helped bring together Boston and Brookline leaders to explore a bold idea: creating opportunities for Boston students to attend schools in surrounding suburban communities. Trilling invited civil rights leader Ruth Batson to Brookline, helping begin a partnership that would become central to the creation of METCO. Working alongside Batson and other education and civil rights advocates, Brookline helped transform an idea into a model for voluntary school integration.
In 1966, METCO began with 220 students traveling from Boston to schools in seven participating communities – including Brookline. The program would grow into one of the nation’s longest-running voluntary school integration programs.
Through historic photographs, stories, and a journey through the events that shaped the Civil Rights era, this presentation celebrates the people whose courage, vision, and collaboration made METCO possible. It tells not only the history of a program, but also the story of Brookline’s decision to take action – and the lasting partnership between Boston families, civil rights leaders, educators, students, and the Brookline community that continues today.