BASIS student, have they left the school?

[Anonymous]

Yes, if we just understood more about curriculum and pedagogy, we wouldn't mind that the DCPS results have been disastrous for every kind of student: very smart (bored), average (alternately bored and lost), learning disabled (really lost), children that want to learn (discouraged)

[Anonymous]

I'm the 'parents are qualified to start schools' poster.
I have a love-hate relationship with the traditional school system. I don't want untrained teachers in a classroom, but neither do I want teachers who apply teaching formulas but don't connect with kids and don't effectively convey material. There is a difference between presenting 3 talking points and dialog with students. If other parents don't share the vision and goals of the parents starting the charter, the students will not be enrolled, and there won't be funding

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
"I believe that parents are absolutely qualified to create schools. The charter board will determine if the school meets the criteria for public funding, and if the education offered is in keeping with minimum standards ie continues to operate. Charters DO close after all."

But what makes them qualified? This is a serious question. Just because someone went to school doesn't make them an expert on education, so what makes these parents, any parents qualified to identify what makes a good school?

Or is this the wrong question? What is the right question?

(and for the PP who doubts, yes, DC is absolutely one of the easiest places to start a charter. Do yourself some research. As for your parochial remark, I'm not sure what your point is...other states are more difficult to start a charter in? Yeah, that's my point.)


What is this "qualified to identify what makes a good school" BS? What makes a good school is functional proficiency. Kids who can read for content, kids who can write and present well, with coherent structure and proper grammar and spelling, kids who have learned and can apply principles such as algebra and geometry, kids who know who our Presidents were and what our history is, kids who know the continents and countries, kids who understand a bit about civics, ethics, world cultures and so on. DCPS churns out thousands of kids each year who don't have any of that - kids who can't even manage to read and write well enough to fill out a job application for themselves. This is not rocket science. Don't dare sit there and presume to pontificate down upon us from on high in your imaginary ivory tower about pedagogic theory and an educator's qualifications when the fact of it is that you and the rest of the public education system you represent is getting it all so very wrong at even the most fundamental level.

Um, calm yourself down. I didn't pontificate from anywhere, angry person. I asked questions. Asking questions is not pontificating and frankly, your attempt to insult and shout down questions is very telling. You aren't interested in a real dialogue about education reform. You are a one note angry person whose only note is in bashing DCPS. Cool, you have the absolute right to be that person. But some of us have more than one dimension and are actually interested in what makes a good school and how to create one.

And to divest you of more of your attempted insults....I am not a part of nor do I represent the "public education system" that you think gets it all "so very wrong at even the most fundamental level." That kind of wide sweeping generalization is what does the most damage to your arguments. Why not try to actually engage your brain in the intellectual discussion? Too hard?

In spite of your insulting and specious words, you do, try, in spite of yourself, to detail some things you think make a good school. Functional proficiency. OK. What is that, exactly? A certain score on a test? Are you seeing that you believe in a testing culture to determine a good school? Fine, but what test do you want to use? Does it matter if that test is reliable and valid? Who writes the test? Is the test the same in every school system? How do we, parents, know a good test if we haven't any experience in assessment and evaluation?

What about the rest of your criteria for a good school?

Kids who can read for content, kids who can write and present well, with coherent structure and proper grammar and spelling, kids who have learned and can apply principles such as algebra and geometry, kids who know who our Presidents were and what our history is, kids who know the continents and countries, kids who understand a bit about civics, ethics, world cultures and so on.

OK, this is a good start, especially with the reading and writing...but why should kids know how to apply principles of algebra but not know any life science? Any biology? Any art or music? Why should kids be burdened with memorizing the Presidents in the age of Google? Whose ethics should be taught? Why?

Clearly, you have a lot of misplaced scorn for education experts who spend their professional lives studying these issues....yet, you have no thoughtful responses to add to the discussion.

Sad.

[Anonymous]

"Clearly, you have a lot of misplaced scorn for education experts who spend their professional lives studying these issues....yet, you have no thoughtful responses to add to the discussion. "

PP had thoughtful responses (which you may-or-may not get) suggesting a back-to-basics approach designed to allow kids who go through the school system to be perceived minimally in our culture as functionally literate people.

[Anonymous]

Speaking for myself, I likewise thought the "what qualifications do parents have" question came across as condescending, patronizing and denigrating toward concerned parents as presented, and it's no surprise it garnered an angry response.

Clearly there are strong feelings here, and clearly some parents have a strong desire to get the basics right (and yes, some aspects of functional proficiency can indeed be objectively tested for, such as understanding of parts of speech, solving a math problem et cetera) before expanding into the subjective and the theoretical.

[Anonymous]

"Clearly, you have a lot of misplaced scorn for education experts who spend their professional lives studying these issues....yet, you have no thoughtful responses to add to the discussion. "

PP had thoughtful responses (which you may-or-may not get) suggesting a back-to-basics approach designed to allow kids who go through the school system to be perceived minimally in our culture as functionally literate people.

Huh? What are you saying, exactly?

[Anonymous]

Speaking for myself, I likewise thought the "what qualifications do parents have" question came across as condescending, patronizing and denigrating toward concerned parents as presented, and it's no surprise it garnered an angry response.

Clearly there are strong feelings here, and clearly some parents have a strong desire to get the basics right (and yes, some aspects of functional proficiency can indeed be objectively tested for, such as understanding of parts of speech, solving a math problem et cetera) before expanding into the subjective and the theoretical.

OK, fair point. you are threatened by questions that, uh, question your qualifications and your response is to assume that those questions are condescending, patronizing and denigrating.

Although, if you look back at those questions, they are nothing more that questions that you feel threaten you. They are very important questions, right? The fact that you can't answer them doesn't make them any less important questions, right? You may not not know the answers, and clearly you don't, but that doesn't mean these are the questions we should be asking.

Your apparent confusion about the subjective and the theoretical underlines the problem.

Parents are not qualified to judge a truly effective school.

[Anonymous]

What threat? I know enough to see that students in DC are not receiving the same education that I received 25 years ago. And, even there I recall well the differences between the education I got versus peers who came from other schools, when I got to college - and how well prepared various people were. One sees plenty of evidence all around, to be adequately qualified to judge. DC-CAS proficiency results of 13%, 20% and so on- unacceptable. I've personally experienced things like DCPS graduates who were unable to read and write well enough to fill out a job application by themselves. We aren't talking about anything esoteric or threatening here, we are talking about common sense.

[Anonymous]

This area has an unusually large percentage of parents who were educated outside of DC, many outside of the USA. It doesn't take that much for these parents to identify deficiencies or advantages of the system in their child's school. I understand that singapore math made the leap to some USA schools, simply because it was identified as advantageous

[Anonymous]

Did you all know that the founders, the Blocks, after starting the non-profit schools founded a for-profit company to "outfit" all of Basis' schools on a whole range of areas? In fiscal year 2011, out of the 13.7 million Basis Schools spent, 9.8 million went to the Blocks for-profit company. As a private company, they are not required to disclose any information. And yet, Mr. Block still maintains his position on the non-profit Governing Body of Basis' Schools.

They are economics with one clear agenda in mind. Do you think they care where students attend once they withdraw? They have already secured the "funding" and know it will support the rest of the their "educational model."

And really, tell me a school in the country who, if they skimmed off 65% of the starting 5th/6th grade students by 11th/12th grade, couldn't perform at a very high level nationally? The Blocks are gaming the system and people are falling for it...at least in AZ. DC, hold your ground and make them serve your children, all the way through high school. Don't make it easy for them by withdrawing your children.

[Anonymous]

Yes, the school is probably not serving many of the children. That's why it's almost 2 am and my child just finished homework. Since parents are not allowed in the classrooms I am wondering about the quality of instruction inside the classroom.

[Anonymous]

It's a two-way street, folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Parents are not qualified to judge a truly effective school.

WOW!!!! It is rare, even on this board, to see written absurdities of this kind.

Let's make sure that the bureaucrats make rules and evaluate themselves without any control. That, for sure, would fix all problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, the school is probably not serving many of the children. That's why it's almost 2 am and my child just finished homework. Since parents are not allowed in the classrooms I am wondering about the quality of instruction inside the classroom.

That's absurd. Feel genuinely sorry for children of parents who can't see the absurdity of this. You realize that your child was just deprived of at least one full day of school, assuming of course there is meaningful instruction in that school day, which I think you have a right to question if you see yourself supplying another 6+ hours at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: You realize that your child was just deprived of at least one full day of school

What day was that?