{
  "id": 12460723,
  "title": "What happened when Boston students were bused to suburban schools?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/what-happened-when-boston-students-were-bused-to-suburban-schools",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-06T20:19:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/2026/10/06/boston-metco-school-integration-college-graduation-research/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the 1970s, the phrase \"Boston busing\" evoked violent clashes and fierce opposition to school integration. However, today, the Boston area is experiencing a remarkable experiment in school integration, known as Metco. This program buses a few thousand mostly Black and Hispanic students from Boston to mostly white suburban schools, with ongoing success. Tufts University economist Elizabeth Setren's study reveals that Metco students' test scores have risen modestly, and their chances of completing high school and college have dramatically increased. College graduation rates have jumped from 26% to 38%. Metco's impact extends beyond academics, boosting students' annual incomes by several thousand dollars as adults. The program's effects are not common in education research, making it worth learning from, despite the difficulty in replicating such significant gains. To better understand Metco's success, Setren discussed her study and its implications with me, focusing on what drove the program's effectiveness.",
  "summary": "Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. The phrase “Boston busing” connotes violent clashes and bitter opposition to school integration in the 1970s. Yet over the last several decades the Boston area has been undertaking a remarkable —…",
  "key_points": [
    "Metco program buses Boston students to suburban schools",
    "Students' test scores rise modestly, college graduation rates increase",
    "College graduation rates jump from 26% to 38%"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}