On its face, this podcast is beautifully produced and the storytelling is captivating. However, knowing the inner workings of this organization and of public district schools, I am aware of how this production is propaganda. The narrator/advisor is truly a generous and brilliant person, but, when he expresses that he understands the importance of public school education, it is from a place of naivety. It’s true, The Met is a public regional school, however, it is a school of choice, just like a charter. They do not serve all students. If a kid has too great of an academic or emotional need, they are coached not to attend or are encouraged to transfer back to their local public school. This puts a disproportionate stress on the public school districts, leaving The Met with a lot of freedom and none of responsibility (relatively speaking). In addition, there is a whole lot of white saviorism is this production. This is hidden from the audience since this is an audio only podcast. The advisors highlighted in this show are white teachers educating (mostly) black and brown students. Also, referring to the students as “bundles of birth control” was brazen. Though this was a personal joke with the advisory, it does not translate well out of context. The Met does try its best to support the emotional needs of the students, but it falls short of providing academic rigor needed for higher education. When The Met tries to demonstrate that they have better data and outcomes than the local public district schools, beware, that they have chosen which kids fit their model. This was supposed to be an inspiration for all schools, but as it stands, this is unsustainable for public local districts who do not have a choice for offloading students who require greater resources.
