Archives Center, National Museum of American History

METCO Inc., Materials

Summary

Collection ID:
NMAH.AC.1410
Creators:
Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (Boston, Mass.)
Dates:
1977 - 2014
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
2.5 Cubic feet
1 box, 8 map folders
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection includes: annual METCO Parent Handbooks which detailed the services METCO provided and provided other information for parents of children attending the METCO supported schools, 1977-2004; event programs from METCO gatherings, 2007-2014; flyers and handouts; and posters, including 7 hand-made posters created to be displayed at meetings, featuring photographs and articles on some of the school districts METCO served.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
The Racial Imbalance Act of 1965 was passed by the Massachusetts General Court. It made the segregation of public schools illegal in Massachusetts, and stated that any public school in the Commonwealth whose student body was composed of over 50% of minority races was "racially imbalanced." The Boston School Committee was required to achieve "the complete integration of the Boston Public Schools" before September 1966. Significant civil unrest followed court-ordered busing to achieve the aims of this legislation, especially during the years 1974-1976. Against this background, METCO was started in 1966. METCO's mission was to enable voluntary integration in public schools in Metropolitan Boston, by enabling students who lived in the city to attend schools in the more affluent suburban areas, and provide better educational opportunities for minority students.

Administration

Author
NMAH Staff
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated by METCO Inc., through Jean McGuire, Director, 2016
Processing Information
Collection is unprocessed.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
METCO Inc. Materials, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research but is stored off-site and special arrangements must be made to work with it. Contact the Archives Center for information at archivescenter@si.edu or 202-633-3270.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Boston (Mass.) -- Social conditions Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brochures Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Busing for school integration -- Massachusetts -- Boston Metropolitan Area Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Education Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Handbooks Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Massachusetts -- 20th century Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Massachusetts -- 21st century Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Posters -- 1950-2000 Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Race relations Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
School integration Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Schools Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Archives Center, National Museum of American History
P.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C. 20013-7012
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-3270
Fax Number: Fax: 202-786-2453
archivescenter@si.edu