The Impact of Increased Exposure of Diversity on Suburban Students' Outcomes: An Analysis of the METCO Voluntary Desegregation Program. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1215
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| Title: | The Impact of Increased Exposure of Diversity on Suburban Students' Outcomes: An Analysis of the METCO Voluntary Desegregation Program. EdWorkingPaper No. 25-1215 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Elizabeth Setren, Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University |
| Source: | Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2025. |
| Availability: | 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/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Page Count: | 65 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | Boston Foundation Spencer Foundation Russell Sage Foundation Institute of Education Sciences (ED) |
| Contract Number: | R305A200060 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Elementary Secondary Education Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| 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 |
| Geographic Terms: | Massachusetts, Massachusetts (Boston) |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | SAT (College Admission Test) |
| Abstract: | 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. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| IES Funded: | Yes |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | ED674054 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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