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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote]Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Basis' model, as seen in its other schools, is based on high attrition. And it still works, economically. The founders are renowned economists, they have done their analysis. There will be no rush to replace children who leave. It's just one reason I stopped pursuing an enrollment for my child, BUT I'm still supportive of BASIS...There is a need for more accelerated teaching in DC. Perhaps a dozen of the initial class will remain till 12th grade, but looking for 6-8 APs is not much different from what top public school kids in Fairfax and Montgomery county achieve every year.

You've articulated one of the many reasons parents are leery of BASIS. It's run by economists, not educators. Their agenda is clear.
And parochial schools were started by priests, I guess they also had a clear agenda....There are still going to be teachers in the classrooms, or people who will learn to teach, as in Teach for America... 
I believe that schools started by concerned parents have an ability to maneuver staffing and curriculum more nimbly than schools grounded in a large organization with 6 committees to approve playground equipment and hiring.

[b]A professor of economics is an educator[/b].[/quote]

About economics. [b]Doesn't mean they know a thing about curriculum, pedagogy, or student achievement.[/b]

BASIS is here because DC is the easiest place to start a charter. Read their press; they don't hide this. DC is a step in their expansion plan. Good on them. But assuming that their expansion plans meets the actual needs of DC students before they have a track record here is unwise.

An interesting conversation that you allude to is the idea that parents are somehow qualified to start schools. On these boards, people denigrate the teachers in their schools as being unqualified to teach, that they aren't experts in differentiated instruction, or ability grouping, or whatever...but seem to think that parents, who are not experts in any of the above topics, or any in education, are qualified to know enough about what children need to be allowed to start a school.[/quote]

14:04 - It's not "parents" doing the teaching and administration at BASIS - it's degreed professionals with experience in teaching, hired specifically for that purpose.  Parents don't necessarily have to have detailed expertise in running a school - but most parents know enough to see when something isn't working for their child.  But what's your alternative?  Who are the "experts" you'd prefer to have in the mix?  Given the current status and results seen in DCPS schools, clearly [i]they[/i] are not these experts in pedagogy, curriculum and student achievement that you'd like to tout.  So what expert schooling paradigm do you represent?

And no, DC isn't necessarily "the easiest", but it's certainly a relatively high-profile city for making an impact.  Many states are even more parochial in that they don't even allow charters.[/quote]

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