In 1966, a group of concerned parents and community organizers, outraged by the poor quality and "de facto segregation" of Boston public schools in black neighborhoods, launched the METCO program. "METCO stands for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity," said Dr. Kandice Sumner, CEO and president of METCO. "It was supposed to last three years, and here we are 60 years later," Sumner said.