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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]How long have you been at BASIS? You're not all wrong, but you sound like a MS parent.

Many of the HS parents don't care for the current HoS, and not because he can be cold. We think he's wrong for the school because he's a bully, and not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. His intellectual limitations seem to power his intransigence over a range of issues he can't quite grasp, great and small. His brilliant and good-natured predecessor is sorely missed by 11th and 12th grade families.

If I could do it over again, like the mom who took her marbles to a parochial school, I'd have left after the current head's first year for a HS led by a capable, and cerebral, grown-up.

Stabilizing BASIS' leadership by installing a mediocre insider at the top was a mistake on the part of Arizona HQ that isn't necessarily apparent to relative newcomers.  The program would have been far better off led by an internal hire from out West (like the previous HoS) with the intellectual wattage and integrity to lead DC's most academic public HS. What's undeniable is that turnover of strong HS teachers has risen steadily during this head's tenure, and not just because of Covid (as a variety of stakeholders likes to claim). I predict a dip in college admissions success in 2-3 years mainly due to the exodus of a gaggle of beloved teachers. [/quote]

I think everything you said is fair and logical. You are correct that I did not know his predecessor. I don't question you when you say how wonderful she was. My understanding is that she departed of her own volition; they did not fire her in favor of him. I hear you when you say they should have filled the job with someone from AZ. I would reply to that feedback from parents of older kids that the school has loosened the reigns over the past few years and adapted; a bit less focus on testing and homework and a bit more consideration for mental health of the kids. Obviously I don't have personal experience with what preceded him. What I would say is that a HoS who has been in BASISDC is much more likely to understand the population and culture of DC than a central AZ employee. I am 100% certain that a hire from AZ would have been lambasted as some as further evidence of a for profit company operating a business from 2k miles away. I think they would have been criticized no matter what they did.

I don't know that the current HoS is unintelligent. My reflexive reaction to people declaring someone "smart" or "not" and crediting or blaming their success as a leader thusly is that it is too easy. Great leaders are rarely dumb, but they needn't be the smartest person in the room (whatever that means). It is about emotional IQ, empathy and communication. My impression of the HoS is that he is insecure and his reactions and interactions are informed by that insecurity. I think this also manifests as tone deaf when he fails to read a room. I admit I find it odd that the school doesn't understand that fundraising appeals are more likely to be successful when you embrace your prospects and make them feel valued. There is a way to make people feel heard even if you don't do what they asked. He would do well to learn those skills.

The criticism of lost teachers is hard to react to since the entire teaching profession is hemorrhaging teachers and admins across the US. While that doesn't make it less stressful or problematic when it is your kids' teachers who depart, it makes it difficult to assess how much of it is internal and how much societal and external.

That said, the quality of the instruction, academic rigor and all business approach at BASIS is one for which I am eternally grateful. Without it we would have left the city schools, and perhaps DC. It is not perfect, but I know of no school that is. My experience is that HS parents see the school through a different prism; you all had a choice to depart for application HS in 9th and elected to stay. That's an entirely different animal than MS where viable options are slim to none.    [/quote]

Basis isn’t hemorrhaging teachers who leave the profession, they went to other schools in DC.  That indicates an issue with Basis.[/quote]

Not really.  A few went to other schools, mostly private.  Some left the profession.

Turnover was low at Basis compared to DCPS generally.[/quote]

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