These waitlist threads are depressing!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC education has become the quintessential example of "relative deprivation". DC - public and charter - have many good to excellent options for PS3 and PK4 (and not only that!), not to mention that this is one of the very few states in the entire US that even offer publicly funded early childhood education. Sure, you can move to the suburbs, but you'll wait another two years (K) until there are even any spots to be had. Sound better? And when you do, you'll have about 1 (one) choice. Seriously, get your act together, stop with the whining, and get involved if this still doesn't cut it!

+1 trillion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not NV parent, but IT parent with similar statistics in PS-K. However, I do actively recruit families of older kids (2nd-5th) as those are always grade levels that can always use more applications.

Call me when my daughter is a 5th grader. Oh wait, I'll be killing people to get into BASIS at that point.

You wouldn't happent o be the same parent willing to give both tits for LAMB, are you? I am noting the deepening of your enrollment strategies... giving body parts first, then killing others by middle school. Almost afraid to ask, but what do you think you'll be doing to get into the best high school?



Joking aside, I do see the PPs point about recruiting for older grades. We all hope our DC will be happily settled in some awesome school that feeds into more awesome schools by 2nd grade, but just in case one is not happy, it's good to remember that there are other years when schools have movement, and a lot less people applying by then.

But I'm like everyone else, I want the perfect school for my kid NOW!

I am not sure there will ever be a lottery for 5th grade for BASIS. There are still spots available now for 5th, although 6th has a waitlist. Because of their attrition rate (which is not all kicking kids out as some have asserted), they will probably take everyone who applies at least until the present students are much farther along and causing space issues. My hope (as a BASIS parent) is that the kids and parents will become more self selecting. If you do not have a child who is prepared to work fairly hard, BASIS would be very tough. Quite a few kids have left this year because of the workload and I expect some others will not return for the same reasons. In a couple of years, everyone will know this and kids who fit that profile will probably not apply. But you must go in 5th grade, which is really bumming my younger child out, because s/he wants to be the star of the school play....

Since BASIS is committed (this is their first school outside of Arizona and they bought their building) to staying in DC, and lowering their academic standards would be considered by them to be a failure (except for the present 7th and 8th graders), I also do expect that by 7th grade there will be many fewer classes in each grade and thus still a lot of space for new 5th graders. Comps start in 6th, and I can easily see kids quitting instead of going to summer school and trying to pass, and I can really see kids not wanting to repeat 6th grade.

The great thing about BASIS (for those who want their kids in a good school NOW), is that they start tutoring kids in Feb of 4th grade, in addition to having summer school and BOSS. And they offer that to everyone, even those who score the highest. My dc had a fantastic experience in the STARS program, learned enough new math to be placed in a higher class in the fall, and met quite a number of teachers (her math teacher taught the math, and she was also taught some part of a class by the head of the school.) I highly recommend that everyone take them up on their offer, because it is a great way to see if BASIS is a good fit, to meet other children and parents, and to already be on the teacher's radar screen before classes start if you don't need to go to summer school.

But even if your child ends up with deficits that you cannot correct (if my kid had trouble with languages, I don't think I would necessarily try to learn Latin), BASIS is really dedicated to, and good at, working with all kids who are willing to make the effort. My dc also got asked after the precomps to be a peer tutor for math, which I think is pretty cool. Since there are so many different levels in that area it is easy to find a kid in your own year who needs help, and I think that also fosters the "we are all in this together" mindset. Not that they will let everyone sink, or let kids who are behind keep others behind as well, but they are firm believers that 5th grade is not too late to catch up no matter what kind of education you have had thus far. I am not so sure they are right about this in DC (we all know that the public schools in Arizona in general (and almost everywhere else in the country) are better), but I really admire how hard they are trying.

Most of you guys will obviously be trying to supplement any gaps you see at home if you don't win the lottery, so I would not worry about BASIS - either about getting in or about keeping up as long as you are willing to go in 5th grade. If your heart were set on Latin, which we switched from to go to BASIS, you might have to start thinking about additional body parts you can donate!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DC education has become the quintessential example of "relative deprivation". DC - public and charter - have many good to excellent options for PS3 and PK4 (and not only that!), not to mention that this is one of the very few states in the entire US that even offer publicly funded early childhood education. Sure, you can move to the suburbs, but you'll wait another two years (K) until there are even any spots to be had. Sound better? And when you do, you'll have about 1 (one) choice. Seriously, get your act together, stop with the whining, and get involved if this still doesn't cut it!

This completely misses the point. The competition for PS3 and PK4 slots in the best DCPS and DCPCS programs isn't primarly about access to free childcare (for many people, at least). It's driven by the fact that those PS3 and PK4 slots are the best, and often the only way to get into the elementary program. When applying to schools, I crossed many good to excellent programs off the list because K-5 at those schools was NOT good to excellent. People are looking for options for more than the next 2 years, and telling them that the terrible DCPS down the street has a good early education program doesn't help at all.

+1