Basis fills a gap that shouldn’t exist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bottom line, choose Basis and high chance it will not be a good fit either in middle or high school.

No guarantee of anything and you take your risk, play lottery, try to get into private or move.

Chances of any of the above options gets lower each year. The only sure thing is move.

The end

Is moving really a sure thing?

We know families that moved from Ward 6 to MoCo, or Arlington, or Fairfax mainly for schools and seem to regret it. We also know people who paid through the nose to send their kids to the perfect seeming DC privates only to find that their children were miserable at these schools. We even know people who nervously sent a kid who was deeply average at math in ES to BASIS only to discover that the kid liked the program well enough to stay through high school.

I'm no BASIS fan; we only lasted a couple years. But I no longer believe in sure things where adolescents and their schools go.

So true. Sometimes I think we agonize over school choice because it’s easier than grappling with the real challenges of adolescence.

+1. Why is this concept so hard to understand? Pick the school that is best for your kid! For some that will be BASIS, for some it won’t. For some it will work for only middle school, for some it will work all the way through. Deal with it, because that’s what you chose to deal with when you decided to become a parent.

If only you could simply pick. Not in DC, with the lottery system and schools that are basically closed out after fifth or sixth grade, due to limited seats and, in the case of Basis, no backfilling.

From this thread, most people don't want to send their kid to BASIS anyway, so it should be easy to get a lottery seat if you are one of the few who do.

At least 50% of kids who lottery for BASIS don't get spots. Also, the lack of backfilling compounds this problem because even though some of the kids who DO get spots later decide it's not for them and leave, if you have bad lottery luck the one year you can enter BASIS (5th) then you will never get a spot there again.

The no backfilling is a major reason BASIS attracts a lot of negative attention on these boards. It's important to understand this. And you can defend the no backfilling policy if you want but if you can't understand why it pisses people off, especially given the level of attrition at BASIS and how miserable that 5th grade lottery is for parents thanks to the near impossibility of getting into Latin or DCI, then you don't understand this conversation. Latin and DCI have lower attrition *and* they backfill. All the acceptable DCPS middle and high schools are required to backfill if they have space. Only BASIS doesn't backfill which means it's the one acceptable MS/HS option in the city that you have exactly one chance at. Of course that is going to result in resentment and criticism.

Wait - this is a bit schizophrenic. In this thread, I keep hearing about all the ways that Basis is fundamentally UNacceptable, e.g., lack of flexibility, poor physical plant, sparse extracurriculars, sky high attrition, etc.

If Basis is so awful, who cares about its relatively narrow entry pathway and aversion to backfilling?

Those criticisms only emerge because people are resentful about how unavailable BASIS is as an option. It makes BASIS an all or nothing option, which heightens criticism of their approach. If BASIS were an option you could opt into later, when it was clear your kid would do well in their system, people wouldn't be as critical.

The backfilling issue makes BASIS exclusive and out of reach for a lot of families, and that's going to attract negative attention.

But Latin is even more exclusive, even with (sibling) backfilling. This is pure emotion and pathetic.

So Latin and DCI do backfill?

Yes - but not to a degree adequate to address the problem of two few UMC-acceptable middle and high schools. Those schools may allow more opportunities for later entry, but statistically, one has a much better chance at getting a 5th grade slot at Basis (~50%) than EVER getting a spot Latin or DCI.

Weak teaching is my biggest fear at Basis. Looking at it as a prospective parent, I see lower compensated non-union teachers and a fairly standard administration. Is this overcome by the cohort since the Basis model weeds out at-risk kids? In other words, having more kids from educated parents will help children excel even if the teachers are sub-optimal? Asking because this is a major reversal for my family if we pursue Basis; we are currently in a Title 1 school with a high at-risk population, but fantastic administration that attracts high quality teachers.

I'm loathe to restart this thread after weeks of calm on this subforum, but if this poster is still reading, one of the history teachers just won an award. This post is for this PP only -- read here:

https://enrollbasis.com/basis-dc-2025-history-teacher-of-the-year/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bottom line, choose Basis and high chance it will not be a good fit either in middle or high school.

No guarantee of anything and you take your risk, play lottery, try to get into private or move.

Chances of any of the above options gets lower each year. The only sure thing is move.

The end

Is moving really a sure thing?

We know families that moved from Ward 6 to MoCo, or Arlington, or Fairfax mainly for schools and seem to regret it. We also know people who paid through the nose to send their kids to the perfect seeming DC privates only to find that their children were miserable at these schools. We even know people who nervously sent a kid who was deeply average at math in ES to BASIS only to discover that the kid liked the program well enough to stay through high school.

I'm no BASIS fan; we only lasted a couple years. But I no longer believe in sure things where adolescents and their schools go.

So true. Sometimes I think we agonize over school choice because it’s easier than grappling with the real challenges of adolescence.

+1. Why is this concept so hard to understand? Pick the school that is best for your kid! For some that will be BASIS, for some it won’t. For some it will work for only middle school, for some it will work all the way through. Deal with it, because that’s what you chose to deal with when you decided to become a parent.

If only you could simply pick. Not in DC, with the lottery system and schools that are basically closed out after fifth or sixth grade, due to limited seats and, in the case of Basis, no backfilling.

From this thread, most people don't want to send their kid to BASIS anyway, so it should be easy to get a lottery seat if you are one of the few who do.

At least 50% of kids who lottery for BASIS don't get spots. Also, the lack of backfilling compounds this problem because even though some of the kids who DO get spots later decide it's not for them and leave, if you have bad lottery luck the one year you can enter BASIS (5th) then you will never get a spot there again.

The no backfilling is a major reason BASIS attracts a lot of negative attention on these boards. It's important to understand this. And you can defend the no backfilling policy if you want but if you can't understand why it pisses people off, especially given the level of attrition at BASIS and how miserable that 5th grade lottery is for parents thanks to the near impossibility of getting into Latin or DCI, then you don't understand this conversation. Latin and DCI have lower attrition *and* they backfill. All the acceptable DCPS middle and high schools are required to backfill if they have space. Only BASIS doesn't backfill which means it's the one acceptable MS/HS option in the city that you have exactly one chance at. Of course that is going to result in resentment and criticism.

Wait - this is a bit schizophrenic. In this thread, I keep hearing about all the ways that Basis is fundamentally UNacceptable, e.g., lack of flexibility, poor physical plant, sparse extracurriculars, sky high attrition, etc.

If Basis is so awful, who cares about its relatively narrow entry pathway and aversion to backfilling?

Those criticisms only emerge because people are resentful about how unavailable BASIS is as an option. It makes BASIS an all or nothing option, which heightens criticism of their approach. If BASIS were an option you could opt into later, when it was clear your kid would do well in their system, people wouldn't be as critical.

The backfilling issue makes BASIS exclusive and out of reach for a lot of families, and that's going to attract negative attention.

But Latin is even more exclusive, even with (sibling) backfilling. This is pure emotion and pathetic.

So Latin and DCI do backfill?

Yes - but not to a degree adequate to address the problem of two few UMC-acceptable middle and high schools. Those schools may allow more opportunities for later entry, but statistically, one has a much better chance at getting a 5th grade slot at Basis (~50%) than EVER getting a spot Latin or DCI.

Weak teaching is my biggest fear at Basis. Looking at it as a prospective parent, I see lower compensated non-union teachers and a fairly standard administration. Is this overcome by the cohort since the Basis model weeds out at-risk kids? In other words, having more kids from educated parents will help children excel even if the teachers are sub-optimal? Asking because this is a major reversal for my family if we pursue Basis; we are currently in a Title 1 school with a high at-risk population, but fantastic administration that attracts high quality teachers.

I'm loathe to restart this thread after weeks of calm on this subforum, but if this poster is still reading, one of the history teachers just won an award. This post is for this PP only -- read here:

https://enrollbasis.com/basis-dc-2025-history-teacher-of-the-year/

Wow!

“To teach is to light a spark, and Ms. Zemanick does so day after day, inspiring curiosity, courage, and growth in every student,” said Head of School Calvery Cooper. “Her award as Teacher of the Year is as well deserved as it is celebrated. It is a testament to her commitment and unwavering belief in what education can do. Congratulations, Ms. Zemanick, we are proud of you.” …

Zemanick’s recognition highlights the caliber of teaching at BASIS Washington, D.C., where educators are deeply committed to academic excellence, innovation, and student growth.

[Anonymous]

Basis Forever.

[Anonymous]

6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

+1

I keep thinking that I certainly wouldn’t want to attend Basis, but my kid is having a great experience and doesn’t ever mention the physical plant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bottom line, choose Basis and high chance it will not be a good fit either in middle or high school.

No guarantee of anything and you take your risk, play lottery, try to get into private or move.

Chances of any of the above options gets lower each year. The only sure thing is move.

The end

Is moving really a sure thing?

We know families that moved from Ward 6 to MoCo, or Arlington, or Fairfax mainly for schools and seem to regret it. We also know people who paid through the nose to send their kids to the perfect seeming DC privates only to find that their children were miserable at these schools. We even know people who nervously sent a kid who was deeply average at math in ES to BASIS only to discover that the kid liked the program well enough to stay through high school.

I'm no BASIS fan; we only lasted a couple years. But I no longer believe in sure things where adolescents and their schools go.

So true. Sometimes I think we agonize over school choice because it’s easier than grappling with the real challenges of adolescence.

+1. Why is this concept so hard to understand? Pick the school that is best for your kid! For some that will be BASIS, for some it won’t. For some it will work for only middle school, for some it will work all the way through. Deal with it, because that’s what you chose to deal with when you decided to become a parent.

If only you could simply pick. Not in DC, with the lottery system and schools that are basically closed out after fifth or sixth grade, due to limited seats and, in the case of Basis, no backfilling.

From this thread, most people don't want to send their kid to BASIS anyway, so it should be easy to get a lottery seat if you are one of the few who do.

At least 50% of kids who lottery for BASIS don't get spots. Also, the lack of backfilling compounds this problem because even though some of the kids who DO get spots later decide it's not for them and leave, if you have bad lottery luck the one year you can enter BASIS (5th) then you will never get a spot there again.

The no backfilling is a major reason BASIS attracts a lot of negative attention on these boards. It's important to understand this. And you can defend the no backfilling policy if you want but if you can't understand why it pisses people off, especially given the level of attrition at BASIS and how miserable that 5th grade lottery is for parents thanks to the near impossibility of getting into Latin or DCI, then you don't understand this conversation. Latin and DCI have lower attrition *and* they backfill. All the acceptable DCPS middle and high schools are required to backfill if they have space. Only BASIS doesn't backfill which means it's the one acceptable MS/HS option in the city that you have exactly one chance at. Of course that is going to result in resentment and criticism.

Wait - this is a bit schizophrenic. In this thread, I keep hearing about all the ways that Basis is fundamentally UNacceptable, e.g., lack of flexibility, poor physical plant, sparse extracurriculars, sky high attrition, etc.

If Basis is so awful, who cares about its relatively narrow entry pathway and aversion to backfilling?

Those criticisms only emerge because people are resentful about how unavailable BASIS is as an option. It makes BASIS an all or nothing option, which heightens criticism of their approach. If BASIS were an option you could opt into later, when it was clear your kid would do well in their system, people wouldn't be as critical.

The backfilling issue makes BASIS exclusive and out of reach for a lot of families, and that's going to attract negative attention.

But Latin is even more exclusive, even with (sibling) backfilling. This is pure emotion and pathetic.

So Latin and DCI do backfill?

Yes - but not to a degree adequate to address the problem of two few UMC-acceptable middle and high schools. Those schools may allow more opportunities for later entry, but statistically, one has a much better chance at getting a 5th grade slot at Basis (~50%) than EVER getting a spot Latin or DCI.

Weak teaching is my biggest fear at Basis. Looking at it as a prospective parent, I see lower compensated non-union teachers and a fairly standard administration. Is this overcome by the cohort since the Basis model weeds out at-risk kids? In other words, having more kids from educated parents will help children excel even if the teachers are sub-optimal? Asking because this is a major reversal for my family if we pursue Basis; we are currently in a Title 1 school with a high at-risk population, but fantastic administration that attracts high quality teachers.

I'm loathe to restart this thread after weeks of calm on this subforum, but if this poster is still reading, one of the history teachers just won an award. This post is for this PP only -- read here:

https://enrollbasis.com/basis-dc-2025-history-teacher-of-the-year/

Wow!

“To teach is to light a spark, and Ms. Zemanick does so day after day, inspiring curiosity, courage, and growth in every student,” said Head of School Calvery Cooper. “Her award as Teacher of the Year is as well deserved as it is celebrated. It is a testament to her commitment and unwavering belief in what education can do. Congratulations, Ms. Zemanick, we are proud of you.” …

Zemanick’s recognition highlights the caliber of teaching at BASIS Washington, D.C., where educators are deeply committed to academic excellence, innovation, and student growth.

Ms. Z is a great teacher. There are many great teachers at Basis. I think that's more so in HS, because the HS students are generally more fun to teach than students at most DC high schools. They are generally relatively advanced and engaged.

But that doesn't tell the whole story.

Most teachers aren't great, but are good to very good. (Not a dig: Most people, including me, aren't "great" at their jobs, but good schools attract many good teachers.)

There are some duds. I'd say that generally every year, my child has a bad teacher, which ranges from mediocre to truly incompetent. The good news is that as a charter, Basis has the flexibility to fire the truly awful teachers and does; in extreme cases, that's happened in the middle of the year. The bad news is because there's a good amount of turnover, chances are reasonable that a couple of the new hires will be bad.

Basis is neither perfect or awful, and the teachers (like at every school) are not uniformly great nor awful.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

Some of us want both strong academic content and also things like on site performing arts and athletic opportunities. Which is also pretty simple.

OP's premise was that BASIS "fills a gap that shouldn't exist" meaning the lack of academically challenging MS and HS (but especially MS) options in DC, especially outside upper NW. That's true. The problem that many of us are articulating is that it doesn't fill this gap particularly well. There is still a huge gap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

Some of us want both strong academic content and also things like on site performing arts and athletic opportunities. Which is also pretty simple.

OP's premise was that BASIS "fills a gap that shouldn't exist" meaning the lack of academically challenging MS and HS (but especially MS) options in DC, especially outside upper NW. That's true. The problem that many of us are articulating is that it doesn't fill this gap particularly well. There is still a huge gap.

Other institutions need to step up.

[Anonymous]

“Other institutions” should be DCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

Some of us want both strong academic content and also things like on site performing arts and athletic opportunities. Which is also pretty simple.

OP's premise was that BASIS "fills a gap that shouldn't exist" meaning the lack of academically challenging MS and HS (but especially MS) options in DC, especially outside upper NW. That's true. The problem that many of us are articulating is that it doesn't fill this gap particularly well. There is still a huge gap.

Other institutions need to step up.

PP here and I agree, but this is why people push back on this thread about how BASIS "fills a gap." For us it doesn't. We are still in a gap. I'm happy for families who are happy at BASIS, but I'm still stuck in a situation where we could maybe choose BASIS (if our kid got a spot) to address our academic needs that are not met at our IB middle school, or we could could choose another school that offers the more well-rounded approach to education we prefer but without academic rigor. Either way, our kid has unmet needs.

Yet I keep being told over and over that I shouldn't complain because "at least BASIS is an option." But I don't really view it as an improvement over my existing options. With BASIS we have to supplement all the stuff BASIS doesn't offer. At our DCPS, we have to supplement academics. How is one of those better than the other? They seem like two sides of the same coin to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:“Other institutions” should be DCPS.

Absolutely. Why doesn't DCPS try to go after these students/parents that want a rigorous academic middle school experience? It could be an honors program within a standard middle school--that way you get the bigger size and attendant facilities/extra curriculars. Honestly, I am not a fan of charters, but when they do have success it is discouraging that DCPS lacks the flexibility to even try to compete.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:6th grade BASIS parent here.
Do I feel sad that the facilities suck? yes, I do. Is my kid learning things above and beyond any other public DC middle, yes he is.
Does it suck to not have a proper auditorium, yes it does.

BASIS is for strong academic content. Nothing else. If this is what you and your kid want, then BASIS is for you. It's not that complicated.

I'd agree with you if the BASIS curriculum wasn't so narrow. Strong academic content is too general descriptor, particularly in the upper high school grades, to tell us all we need to know. If you switch to J-R for 11th and 12th grade your kid can prep for more than 1 AP physics exams (that's right, BASIS only teaches content for 1 of the 4 AP physics exams), along with Spanish lit, past the AP level, and variety of rich academic electives BASIS doesn't offer. We left mainly because we wanted strong high school academics we couldn't find at BASIS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Other institutions” should be DCPS.

Absolutely. Why doesn't DCPS try to go after these students/parents that want a rigorous academic middle school experience? It could be an honors program within a standard middle school--that way you get the bigger size and attendant facilities/extra curriculars. Honestly, I am not a fan of charters, but when they do have success it is discouraging that DCPS lacks the flexibility to even try to compete.

For some time now, the existence of charters like BASIS have actually disincentivized DCPS from providing more rigorous academic offerings for students. Because DCPS has to educate the large percentage of at risk kids in DC no matter what (charters rarely offer programming or services that will meet the needs of these kids), there has always been a conflict with also providing what high achieving kids need. It's very hard to do both. Charters like BASIS have alleviated that pressure by siphoning off high SES families (who are most likely to have high achieving kids because high achievement usually requires strong support from educated parents in the home), thus leaving DCPS to focus on at risk kids.

But as more high SES families have chosen to stay in the city past elementary, and as housing costs have pushed these families further east in the city, the charter options have not kept up with demand. DCPS has in some cases started to offer *some* programming to satisfy these families. Definitely at the elementary level, there are constantly more DCPS elementaries EOTP improving and offering something high SES families and those with high achieving kids want to buy into. But it gets harder in upper grades to balance the needs of at risk kids and high SES kids, because their prospects start to diverge rapidly around 5th/6th grade. There has been some small progress (like Stuart Hobson offering tracking for math) but overall it's just very, very hard to create a public education that serves the needs of low income and high income families.

One solution is more application schools, but this is really only a solution for HS. Application middles are dicy (all the same problems of fairness that HSs have except worse because you are talking about 11 year olds) and may not help because, again, 5th and 6th is when that divergence between at risk and high SES kids starts to really accelerate, which means there are actually a decent number of students who do well enough in elementary to gain admission to a more competitive program for middle, but who will then have issues and challenges in middle that require a kind of support high SES kids won't need, and you'll just wind up with the same resource issue).

There is not way to raise standards in DCPS that won't create essentially an underclass of kids who cannot, and will never, meet those standards but still need to be educated, and in fact are in greater need of school (as a place to go and be exposed to responsible adults, rules, behavioral expectations) than all the high achieving kids, most of whom already have homes offering those things to them.

I just think people don't really get how challenging the mandate is for urban school districts with a lot of poverty and at risk kids. They are asked to do so much. DCPS does better than a lot of people on this board give it credit for, despite its many flaws.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Other institutions” should be DCPS.

Absolutely. Why doesn't DCPS try to go after these students/parents that want a rigorous academic middle school experience? It could be an honors program within a standard middle school--that way you get the bigger size and attendant facilities/extra curriculars. Honestly, I am not a fan of charters, but when they do have success it is discouraging that DCPS lacks the flexibility to even try to compete.

For some time now, the existence of charters like BASIS have actually disincentivized DCPS from providing more rigorous academic offerings for students. Because DCPS has to educate the large percentage of at risk kids in DC no matter what (charters rarely offer programming or services that will meet the needs of these kids), there has always been a conflict with also providing what high achieving kids need. It's very hard to do both. Charters like BASIS have alleviated that pressure by siphoning off high SES families (who are most likely to have high achieving kids because high achievement usually requires strong support from educated parents in the home), thus leaving DCPS to focus on at risk kids.

But as more high SES families have chosen to stay in the city past elementary, and as housing costs have pushed these families further east in the city, the charter options have not kept up with demand. DCPS has in some cases started to offer *some* programming to satisfy these families. Definitely at the elementary level, there are constantly more DCPS elementaries EOTP improving and offering something high SES families and those with high achieving kids want to buy into. But it gets harder in upper grades to balance the needs of at risk kids and high SES kids, because their prospects start to diverge rapidly around 5th/6th grade. There has been some small progress (like Stuart Hobson offering tracking for math) but overall it's just very, very hard to create a public education that serves the needs of low income and high income families.

One solution is more application schools, but this is really only a solution for HS. Application middles are dicy (all the same problems of fairness that HSs have except worse because you are talking about 11 year olds) and may not help because, again, 5th and 6th is when that divergence between at risk and high SES kids starts to really accelerate, which means there are actually a decent number of students who do well enough in elementary to gain admission to a more competitive program for middle, but who will then have issues and challenges in middle that require a kind of support high SES kids won't need, and you'll just wind up with the same resource issue).

There is not way to raise standards in DCPS that won't create essentially an underclass of kids who cannot, and will never, meet those standards but still need to be educated, and in fact are in greater need of school (as a place to go and be exposed to responsible adults, rules, behavioral expectations) than all the high achieving kids, most of whom already have homes offering those things to them.

I just think people don't really get how challenging the mandate is for urban school districts with a lot of poverty and at risk kids. They are asked to do so much. DCPS does better than a lot of people on this board give it credit for, despite its many flaws.

A very balanced, realistic, and fair take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“Other institutions” should be DCPS.

Absolutely. Why doesn't DCPS try to go after these students/parents that want a rigorous academic middle school experience? It could be an honors program within a standard middle school--that way you get the bigger size and attendant facilities/extra curriculars. Honestly, I am not a fan of charters, but when they do have success it is discouraging that DCPS lacks the flexibility to even try to compete.

For some time now, the existence of charters like BASIS have actually disincentivized DCPS from providing more rigorous academic offerings for students. Because DCPS has to educate the large percentage of at risk kids in DC no matter what (charters rarely offer programming or services that will meet the needs of these kids), there has always been a conflict with also providing what high achieving kids need. It's very hard to do both. Charters like BASIS have alleviated that pressure by siphoning off high SES families (who are most likely to have high achieving kids because high achievement usually requires strong support from educated parents in the home), thus leaving DCPS to focus on at risk kids.

But as more high SES families have chosen to stay in the city past elementary, and as housing costs have pushed these families further east in the city, the charter options have not kept up with demand. DCPS has in some cases started to offer *some* programming to satisfy these families. Definitely at the elementary level, there are constantly more DCPS elementaries EOTP improving and offering something high SES families and those with high achieving kids want to buy into. But it gets harder in upper grades to balance the needs of at risk kids and high SES kids, because their prospects start to diverge rapidly around 5th/6th grade. There has been some small progress (like Stuart Hobson offering tracking for math) but overall it's just very, very hard to create a public education that serves the needs of low income and high income families.

One solution is more application schools, but this is really only a solution for HS. Application middles are dicy (all the same problems of fairness that HSs have except worse because you are talking about 11 year olds) and may not help because, again, 5th and 6th is when that divergence between at risk and high SES kids starts to really accelerate, which means there are actually a decent number of students who do well enough in elementary to gain admission to a more competitive program for middle, but who will then have issues and challenges in middle that require a kind of support high SES kids won't need, and you'll just wind up with the same resource issue).

There is not way to raise standards in DCPS that won't create essentially an underclass of kids who cannot, and will never, meet those standards but still need to be educated, and in fact are in greater need of school (as a place to go and be exposed to responsible adults, rules, behavioral expectations) than all the high achieving kids, most of whom already have homes offering those things to them.

I just think people don't really get how challenging the mandate is for urban school districts with a lot of poverty and at risk kids. They are asked to do so much. DCPS does better than a lot of people on this board give it credit for, despite its many flaws.

A very balanced, realistic, and fair take.

Fair? Some of it but this part is just untrue “Because DCPS has to educate the large percentage of at risk kids in DC no matter what (charters rarely offer programming or services that will meet the needs of these kids)”.

There are many charters focused on at-risk kids. Those charters are just not that popular (or needed) on this board but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.