Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

You are clearly either stupid or have no kids at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

This. Good post summing up this state of affairs up. There's no sound logic here, no smart planning with a bird's eye view of what DC most needs. Everybody who criticizes the bad idea of a BASIS elementary school not far from the original building isn't in fact a parent without children at BASIS DC, or a sock puppet either. No, these are people following a logic that holds up under scrutiny, unlike our ed powers that be or BASIS higher-ups in Arizona with self-serving expansionist dreams.

[Anonymous]

Yes, there are for example a lot of families unfamiliar with the 5th grade charter school entry year with children who might be interested in 6th grade seats at Basis. Basis now wants to further leverage self-selection to lock many of its students in even earlier than 5th.

[Anonymous]

If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a kid at BASIS now, and another one at a Montessori elementary school. I cannot imagine having an elementary school experience that is as rigid as BASIS. I think that would suck all the joy out of learning far too early.

Do your research.

They don’t run their ES like they do MS and HS.

Who is "they" - BASIS corporate? Because I am familiar with how the DC BASIS administration runs its MS/HS. There's nothing wrong with the BASIS model. There are, however, distinct downsides to how the BASIS model is implemented in DC (weak admin, inexperienced teachers, crappy building, etc.). There are some very real consequences to those weaknesses, like poor quality teaching (at times), lack of extracurriculars, arbitrary decision-making and an overly harsh atmosphere.

It is because I have seen how BASIS DC runs its MS/HS that I would not send an elementary school kid to BASIS.

You are “familiar” with the Basis model? How so?

By having multiple children attending their school over a period of years.

You have had multiple children attend a Basis elementary school over a period of years?

You understand that teaching at an elementary school is different than middle school and high school, right?

You are clearly either stupid or have no kids at BASIS.

Like we suspected: you are full of sh*t.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

This. Good post summing up this state of affairs up. There's no sound logic here, no smart planning with a bird's eye view of what DC most needs. Everybody who criticizes the bad idea of a BASIS elementary school not far from the original building isn't in fact a parent without children at BASIS DC, or a sock puppet either. No, these are people following a logic that holds up under scrutiny, unlike our ed powers that be or BASIS higher-ups in Arizona with self-serving expansionist dreams.

There are 135 charter schools already in DC. Chose one.

Don’t pin this on BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

It is common, but it also helps because people like their PKs to be at the same school as their older siblings. On the other hand it means needing a larger building and preschool-compliant space (ground floor, bathrooms). So it makes the search for a building more difficult.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were dcpcsb I would have required them to offer prek. They could contract it out to appletree like rocketship, harmony, etc do, but allowing kids to do the full range of grades available in DC will allow the school to attract a wider group of families.

I don’t get why this would attract a wider group of families. Isn’t it pretty common for kids to move schools after preK?

It's more common in the parts of DC that don't offer pk3 or don't have enough space to admit all inbound kids. It's also more common for only children or smaller families. But if your kids are going into pk3, k, and 2 you are probably going to want them together and close to home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

This. Good post summing up this state of affairs up. There's no sound logic here, no smart planning with a bird's eye view of what DC most needs. Everybody who criticizes the bad idea of a BASIS elementary school not far from the original building isn't in fact a parent without children at BASIS DC, or a sock puppet either. No, these are people following a logic that holds up under scrutiny, unlike our ed powers that be or BASIS higher-ups in Arizona with self-serving expansionist dreams.

There are 135 charter schools already in DC. Chose one.

Don’t pin this on BASIS.

I pin it on the DC city council members, the mayor and DCPS leaders.

Right, BASIS isn't responsible for how desperate UMC parents EotP are for decent public middle and high schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

Kids leaving Ross, Brent, and Maury would mean more open seats for kids who want to actually want to attend Ross, Brent, and Maury. That’s not a bad thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

Kids leaving Ross, Brent, and Maury would mean more open seats for kids who want to actually want to attend Ross, Brent, and Maury. That’s not a bad thing.

That's not the point. The point is BASIS is intending to locate in an area that already has pretty good elementary schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

Kids leaving Ross, Brent, and Maury would mean more open seats for kids who want to actually want to attend Ross, Brent, and Maury. That’s not a bad thing.

Unfortunately it wouldn’t (except maybe at post renovation Brent). Maury and Ross are both considered overcrowded. A handful of kids leaving in each grade typically won’t open lottery spots. It will realistically mean each class has one fewer student.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The question to me isn't "What would make BASIS middle and high school even better?" Or "What would be easiest for BASIS (cookie cutter schools I guess)?" The question is what does DC most need, for our limited supply of school buildings and our limited number of kids to attend those schools. And I would say DC has pretty decent elementary schools in the areas BASIS is willing to locate, to the point where another elementary school is not a pressing need. If BASIS were willing to make a firm commitment to opening in a Ward 7 or 8 location that would be different. Or if BASIS were looking for a building to expand the enrollment of their existing program, that would be different, because we certainly do need more quality middle and high school seats. The idea of an elementary school to rescue those poor children who are currently attending.. Ross and Brent and Maury... just doesn't move me.

Kids leaving Ross, Brent, and Maury would mean more open seats for kids who want to actually want to attend Ross, Brent, and Maury. That’s not a bad thing.

That's not the point. The point is BASIS is intending to locate in an area that already has pretty good elementary schools.

That is intentional. BASIS is successful in DC in large part because it draws in families with the resources to support the BASIS model. A large part of its ability to do this is its central location.

The children of families who do not have the resources to support the BASIS model are largely weeded out by 7th grade. This is also intentional. The BASIS franchise cares a lot about their own stats. They’re not going to locate an elementary school east of the river where they would have to deal with a high needs population.