A new Charter Middle School coming, is it right for D.C.?

[Anonymous]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-demographics-could-challenge-new-charter-school/2011/05/06/AFfIEksG_story.html

Basis Charter School

[Anonymous]

So nice of Mark Lerner to be complaining about this school, given that he sits on the board of a PCS that has only 10% FARMS.

Pot, meet Kettle.

[Anonymous]

No sane person would argue that DC doesn't desperately need more good MS options.

And no school is going to be a great fit for all students.

So why complain about the introduction of a school that fits a need, just because it doesn't fit all needs?

Afraid of competition, perhaps?

[Anonymous]

Agree Mark Lerner's comments are hypocritical.

It appears that Basis is hoping for a high degree of self-selection. Although it will be "marketed" across all wards, the perception already exists that it is unequipped to deal with special needs kids, and that if your kid isn't already a high achiever (or at a minimum, on grade level), he or she won't succeed. So if you have a kiod who's behind, why woudl you apply and set him or her up for failure? (Not saying that's right, but that kind of self-selection could impact the incoming classes).

I'm sceptical of the austure, and they put it, model of few extracurriculars and high pressure academics. Colleges aren't looking for that, and it's not going to make for happy kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree Mark Lerner's comments are hypocritical.

It appears that Basis is hoping for a high degree of self-selection. Although it will be "marketed" across all wards, the perception already exists that it is unequipped to deal with special needs kids, and that if your kid isn't already a high achiever (or at a minimum, on grade level), he or she won't succeed. So if you have a kiod who's behind, why woudl you apply and set him or her up for failure? (Not saying that's right, but that kind of self-selection could impact the incoming classes).

I'm sceptical of the austure, and they put it, model of few extracurriculars and high pressure academics. Colleges aren't looking for that, and it's not going to make for happy kids.

Where are his comments? I couldn't find 'em in the article.

[Anonymous]

And, what PCS is only 10% FARMS? Shouldn't that be illegal or something

[Anonymous]

Click on the "2" and read the second page?

[Anonymous]

Latin is 12 and 9% (upper and lower school). Yu Ying is 11%. Two Rivers is 23%. Cap City LS is 39%. (All numbers are from the Great schools guide book for 2011-12.)

I'm sure every school would tell you its a lottery and a self selection process. In reality, the cost of uniforms (Latin), field trips, supply fees, after care and transportation cut out a segment of DC's population. Some schools work to avoid this, others embrace it.

I predict Basis will start at under 20% Farm and rapidly drop in three years to less than 5%.

[Anonymous]

Charter schools that have such a low percentage of FARMS mean that FARMS are more concentrated in other charters and DCPS schools. I am very happy for there to be more middle school options, but I'm really hoping that Jefferson and Elliot Hine will be real options in 5 years when we'll be looking at options for my DC. I don't care if he is a minority at the school, but would like some diversity (race/income of families).

[Anonymous]

E.W. Stokes is still 75% or more farms, but it is an award winning school with a unique language component. You don't need to scare away poor and minority students to succeed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:E.W. Stokes is still 75% or more farms, but it is an award winning school with a unique language component. You don't need to scare away poor and minority students to succeed.

STILL being the key word. Stokes was 90%+ FARMS (I recall seeing the numbers a couple of years ago, so you are depending on the somewhat faulty memory of an anonymous source) before moving from CH to Brookland. I predict a rapid drop in the FARMS percent, and if we had the data, I predict you'd see that younger classes are much much lower FARMS than older. The testing grade 3 won't start getting the Brookland entry class for ~2 more years, then you can look at OSSE data and verify (or not) my prediction.

[Anonymous]

Color me hopeful, but skeptical.

[Anonymous]

please tell, who are FARMS?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:E.W. Stokes is still 75% or more farms, but it is an award winning school with a unique language component. You don't need to scare away poor and minority students to succeed.

STILL being the key word. Stokes was 90%+ FARMS (I recall seeing the numbers a couple of years ago, so you are depending on the somewhat faulty memory of an anonymous source) before moving from CH to Brookland. I predict a rapid drop in the FARMS percent, and if we had the data, I predict you'd see that younger classes are much much lower FARMS than older. The testing grade 3 won't start getting the Brookland entry class for ~2 more years, then you can look at OSSE data and verify (or not) my prediction.

And what caused this change, one wonders? Influx of middle-class Ward 5 parents? I recall also that Stokes had basically no white kids before it moved to Brookland. Why did it get popular with the DCUM set? It was close to many middle class parents when it was in Mt P. Was it the newly renovated faciities? Or Ward 5 parents who liked the looks of it more than the local schools? The fact that it was diverse racially (African American, African, Hispanic) though it had no/almost no white kids? Can this be replicated in other charter schools -- say Meridian (which has had a recent thread on here) or Bethune (which is also language immersion, in Brookland, and has a decent facility, a former DCPS)?

FARMS = free and reduced meals

[Anonymous]

I have a 4th grader and I am seriously considering the Basis. Middle school in my mind may be more crucial than high school in that it sets up a lot of the habits that determine if kids succeed. While I think the Tiger Mom persona is a bit much, I do recognize that my kid is competing with her and that has consequences.