BASIS proposal to expand to K-4--PCSB hearing today

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. BASIS can work with kids who need more support. What they can’t do - like pretty much any school - is overcome a complete lack of support or interest at home in a child’s education. There’s a different between helping a student who needs extra support and helping a student who needs EVERYTHING. It’s crazy how people on this forum tend to hold BASIS to a standard that no other school is subjected to. They are great at educating kids from great backgrounds - like pretty much any school. They are also great at providing a much better education to anyone who can/wants to commit to it. Kids from great backgrounds at often do well despite the school they attend and not because of it. At BASIS kids from all backgrounds are exposed to a vast amount of material at a much younger age. This is not appropriate for the vast majority of people - including kids from high SES backgrounds. This is what many people don’t seem to realize. It’s also okay to have some schools best at bringing up the bottom students and some schools best at raising the top.

It's because BASIS boosters are always claiming "success" and "best scores in the city" etc. If you want to claim to be the best, you get a closer look. And it turns out BASIS only looks good because it has so few hard-to-serve kids. You can claim it's a coincidence or voluntary all day long, but nobody really believes that.

Please do explain how locating in an expensive neighborhood that already has well-regarded elementary schools serves the interests of the children, and the city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Education researcher Betsy Wolf explains why she opposes expansion:

https://betsyjwolf.substack.com/p/basiss-proposed-expansion

I don't agree with her criticism of Basis, but the data she presents is informative.

Thanks for sharing, Betsy.


FYI, Betsy Wolf is an white social justice warrior who thinks charter and magnet schools are racist.

Here is a quote she recently tweeted out:

“'White communities want neighborhood schools if their neighborhood school is white,' she says. 'If their neighborhood school is black, they want choice.' Charter schools and magnet schools spring up in place of neighborhood schools, where white students can be in the majority."

Thank goodness no one listens to her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. BASIS can work with kids who need more support. What they can’t do - like pretty much any school - is overcome a complete lack of support or interest at home in a child’s education. There’s a different between helping a student who needs extra support and helping a student who needs EVERYTHING. It’s crazy how people on this forum tend to hold BASIS to a standard that no other school is subjected to. They are great at educating kids from great backgrounds - like pretty much any school. They are also great at providing a much better education to anyone who can/wants to commit to it. Kids from great backgrounds at often do well despite the school they attend and not because of it. At BASIS kids from all backgrounds are exposed to a vast amount of material at a much younger age. This is not appropriate for the vast majority of people - including kids from high SES backgrounds. This is what many people don’t seem to realize. It’s also okay to have some schools best at bringing up the bottom students and some schools best at raising the top.

+1. If you look at the test results of at-risk kids at BASIS after they have been there a few years, you will see that they are doing very well--in fact, much better than other DC public schools.

[Anonymous]

Ok well not everyone is a booster who doesn’t understand the advantageous demographics that BASIS has. I certainly do. Thanks to endless discussions on this forum about the school, many families have a better understanding of the pros and cons of the school and there ends up being a self-selecting population who apply in the lottery to some degree. Combine that with the “weed out” of comps and BASIS ends up with relatively smart kids from families who care about their kids’ education. Do I think a DCPS school is preferable/better because it targets the bottom of the class and makes them better? Nope, not better for my family. I think it’s great that some schools do this but sadly that is generally all that they do and it’s great that there are options that seek to educate all kids in the classroom.

You refer to BASIS locating in places with well-regarded elementary schools (presumably DuPont or Capitol Hill) as not being beneficial to anyone. It’s beneficial to those of us who aren’t in-bounds for the elementary schools located there and who want a potential early guarantee of a feed to an acceptable middle/high school. Folks who are in-bounds for great elementary schools - good for you. You might have a tough decision to make.

I agree that there is more of a need for more great middle school options and I would have loved to see an expansion/duplication of the middle/high school for sure. But I can see how BASIS wants it middle schoolers to be more prepared and an elementary school makes sense from that perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Education researcher Betsy Wolf explains why she opposes expansion:

https://betsyjwolf.substack.com/p/basiss-proposed-expansion

I don't agree with her criticism of Basis, but the data she presents is informative.

Thanks for sharing, Betsy.


FYI, Betsy Wolf is an white social justice warrior who thinks charter and magnet schools are racist.

Here is a quote she recently tweeted out:

“'White communities want neighborhood schools if their neighborhood school is white,' she says. 'If their neighborhood school is black, they want choice.' Charter schools and magnet schools spring up in place of neighborhood schools, where white students can be in the majority."

Thank goodness no one listens to her.

Betsy Wolf sucks.

She circles around the idea that public money should support schools that serve the public -- here is a quote:

"Would the DC PCSB approve their expansion if BASIS stated, we’re here to serve children of parents with advanced degrees?"

But how does that argument square with the existence of schools like Walls, Banneker and McKinley? Clearly she believes that it's ok for some public schools to serve a small sector of high achieving kids. That BASIS actually accepts everyone should be a mark in its favor.

Until DCPS offers than Deal and Hardy for parents who want academically challenging options for this kids, she should open her mind to BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So is it correct to conclude that BASIS elementary will be spending less on things like teacher salaries and other stuff for the kids, because it's going to spend a huge amount of money on a location in an expensive neighborhood?

There's a reason charters tend not to locate WOTP...

Yep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Comps begin in 6th grade and end in 8th grade. Even the current fifth graders don’t take comps. Please don’t oppose the elementary school without knowing the facts.

Heard that at the last town hall, BASIS announced it's reducing the weight given to comps in final grades. Did parent feedback finally succeed or is there some other reason?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Comps begin in 6th grade and end in 8th grade. Even the current fifth graders don’t take comps. Please don’t oppose the elementary school without knowing the facts.

Heard that at the last town hall, BASIS announced it's reducing the weight given to comps in final grades. Did parent feedback finally succeed or is there some other reason?

Oh noes! What about the RIGOR?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Comps begin in 6th grade and end in 8th grade. Even the current fifth graders don’t take comps. Please don’t oppose the elementary school without knowing the facts.

Heard that at the last town hall, BASIS announced it's reducing the weight given to comps in final grades. Did parent feedback finally succeed or is there some other reason?

It’s happening across the network. I’m guessing it’s because too many post-pandemic kids are failing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. Comps begin in 6th grade and end in 8th grade. Even the current fifth graders don’t take comps. Please don’t oppose the elementary school without knowing the facts.

Heard that at the last town hall, BASIS announced it's reducing the weight given to comps in final grades. Did parent feedback finally succeed or is there some other reason?

It’s happening across the network. I’m guessing it’s because too many post-pandemic kids are failing.

No.

They didn't change the score you need to pass. You still need 60% on the comp to move to the next grade, which is a pretty low bar. BASIS is the only public school in DC that doesn't socially promote.

They just made the comp a smaller percentage of the overall grade for 6th through 8th grade.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ok well not everyone is a booster who doesn’t understand the advantageous demographics that BASIS has. I certainly do. Thanks to endless discussions on this forum about the school, many families have a better understanding of the pros and cons of the school and there ends up being a self-selecting population who apply in the lottery to some degree. Combine that with the “weed out” of comps and BASIS ends up with relatively smart kids from families who care about their kids’ education. Do I think a DCPS school is preferable/better because it targets the bottom of the class and makes them better? Nope, not better for my family. I think it’s great that some schools do this but sadly that is generally all that they do and it’s great that there are options that seek to educate all kids in the classroom.

You refer to BASIS locating in places with well-regarded elementary schools (presumably DuPont or Capitol Hill) as not being beneficial to anyone. It’s beneficial to those of us who aren’t in-bounds for the elementary schools located there and who want a potential early guarantee of a feed to an acceptable middle/high school. Folks who are in-bounds for great elementary schools - good for you. You might have a tough decision to make.

I agree that there is more of a need for more great middle school options and I would have loved to see an expansion/duplication of the middle/high school for sure. But I can see how BASIS wants it middle schoolers to be more prepared and an elementary school makes sense from that perspective.

Neither Dupont or Capitol Hill is near Penn Quarter. I thought the idea was to be close to the existing campus. Now you say it's to be near wealthy people (quiet part loud!)-- which is it?

Dupont, of all places, is insane. It came from a deranged consultant branding report that BASIS stupidly wasted money on. Everyone near Dupont is IB for a good school either Ross or SWW@FS Oyster. Only Marie Reed and Garrison aren't that great, but they would be better served by a location nearer them than in Dupont. Yes Dupont is on the metro-- but everyone up the red line already is IB for a good elementary and middle. Down the red line you have Thomson, a fine school, Walker-Jones (not fine) and then Ludlow-Taylor. So really, a Dupont location means paying a ton of money for real estate that is convenient mostly to people who already have a good school. Genius plan!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Education researcher Betsy Wolf explains why she opposes expansion:

https://betsyjwolf.substack.com/p/basiss-proposed-expansion

I don't agree with her criticism of Basis, but the data she presents is informative.

Thanks for sharing, Betsy.


FYI, Betsy Wolf is an white social justice warrior who thinks charter and magnet schools are racist.

Here is a quote she recently tweeted out:

“'White communities want neighborhood schools if their neighborhood school is white,' she says. 'If their neighborhood school is black, they want choice.' Charter schools and magnet schools spring up in place of neighborhood schools, where white students can be in the majority."

Thank goodness no one listens to her.

Betsy Wolf sucks.

She circles around the idea that public money should support schools that serve the public -- here is a quote:

"Would the DC PCSB approve their expansion if BASIS stated, we’re here to serve children of parents with advanced degrees?"

But how does that argument square with the existence of schools like Walls, Banneker and McKinley? Clearly she believes that it's ok for some public schools to serve a small sector of high achieving kids. That BASIS actually accepts everyone should be a mark in its favor.

Until DCPS offers than Deal and Hardy for parents who want academically challenging options for this kids, she should open her mind to BASIS.

Right. It's not like there isn't a two-tier middle school system within DCPS. It's just one you can buy your way into. DCPS could provide academic acceleration for every kid who can handle it if they wanted, and this would put BASIS out of business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Education researcher Betsy Wolf explains why she opposes expansion:

https://betsyjwolf.substack.com/p/basiss-proposed-expansion

I don't agree with her criticism of Basis, but the data she presents is informative.

Even Betsey admits that the BASIS DC expansion will go through. As she puts it, she is just “scream[ing] into the void.”

Betsey notes that a BASIS survey found that the best predictor of interest in BASIS DC was parental education attainment, specifically parents with advanced degrees who want to set their children up for future academic success.

Betsey also notes that if BASIS DC didn’t exist or PCSB thwarted its elementary expansion, “elite parents” would still not send their bright kids to failing DC schools--they would pay for private or move to the burbs.

A free public school in DC setting my kids up for future academic success sounds good to me.

Sign me up for the new BASIS elementary school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok well not everyone is a booster who doesn’t understand the advantageous demographics that BASIS has. I certainly do. Thanks to endless discussions on this forum about the school, many families have a better understanding of the pros and cons of the school and there ends up being a self-selecting population who apply in the lottery to some degree. Combine that with the “weed out” of comps and BASIS ends up with relatively smart kids from families who care about their kids’ education. Do I think a DCPS school is preferable/better because it targets the bottom of the class and makes them better? Nope, not better for my family. I think it’s great that some schools do this but sadly that is generally all that they do and it’s great that there are options that seek to educate all kids in the classroom.

You refer to BASIS locating in places with well-regarded elementary schools (presumably DuPont or Capitol Hill) as not being beneficial to anyone. It’s beneficial to those of us who aren’t in-bounds for the elementary schools located there and who want a potential early guarantee of a feed to an acceptable middle/high school. Folks who are in-bounds for great elementary schools - good for you. You might have a tough decision to make.

I agree that there is more of a need for more great middle school options and I would have loved to see an expansion/duplication of the middle/high school for sure. But I can see how BASIS wants it middle schoolers to be more prepared and an elementary school makes sense from that perspective.

Neither Dupont or Capitol Hill is near Penn Quarter. I thought the idea was to be close to the existing campus. Now you say it's to be near wealthy people (quiet part loud!)-- which is it?

Dupont, of all places, is insane. It came from a deranged consultant branding report that BASIS stupidly wasted money on. Everyone near Dupont is IB for a good school either Ross or SWW@FS Oyster. Only Marie Reed and Garrison aren't that great, but they would be better served by a location nearer them than in Dupont. Yes Dupont is on the metro-- but everyone up the red line already is IB for a good elementary and middle. Down the red line you have Thomson, a fine school, Walker-Jones (not fine) and then Ludlow-Taylor. So really, a Dupont location means paying a ton of money for real estate that is convenient mostly to people who already have a good school. Genius plan!

Ross is great but it draws from only a small area and is tiny. Everything else, especially the middle and high schools are mediocre or bad.

BASIS draws from the whole city and Dupont is pretty central. It is much more convenient for most than Latin, DCI, Yu Ying, etc.

Dupont, Capitol Hill, or downtown really make the most sense.

[Anonymous]

DuPont and Capitol Hill locations are simply what another poster suggested BASIS was trying to do. BASIS is apparently open minded to any location that they think will work - there’s no proposed location yet AT ALL.

It’s crazy how much some families truly hate BASIS. It’s quite bizarre. Don’t send your kids there. Oh wait, you don’t.

Families move to exclusive neighborhoods all the time to escape poor people and minorities. Go complain about them because it seems like so many of the people on here are the social justice warrior types who think anyone who doesn’t make marginalized at risk populations their very first priority are terrible people.

Families at BASIS do exactly the opposite of those who move into wealthy suburban bubbles - they seek a diverse school in a diverse city so their kids have all kinds of exposure that they otherwise wouldn’t get while still receiving a great education. As has been repeated ad nauseam, if DCPS cared at all about advancing all students - not just the bottom ones - students who would otherwise go to BASIS would instead enjoy an easy commute to their in-bound DCPS. Please take your grievances where they belong: DCPS.