Reply to Does anyone know the status of the Proposed BASIS Expansion

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]This post finally came full circle: if BASIS had an elementary school, at-risk students who would otherwise miss the 5th grade lottery or struggle to catch up would have a better chance at not only getting in but also succeeding.  5th grade is currently a nice way to more gradually acclimate to the demands of middle school.  So many students come into the school without good foundations and BASIS has to catch them up.  There would be far less catch up in middle school if the students had mostly uniform preparation going into middle school.  Certainly some DCPS elementary schools prepare their students but many do not.  [/quote]

No, because at-risk families aren't going to drag their kindergarten kids to wherever basis locates its elementary school. They are not going to switch a kid at k when they enrolled somewhere else for pk. Basis knows this and is happy to design an elementary school that, like its middle and high school, is desirable primarily to wealthier families. I will believe otherwise if they try to locate their new campus at the Eagle academy building in Congress heights.[/quote]

Basis doesn’t care what you think or believe.

There will be plenty of interest when the new elementary school opens.

Options are always good.

There are 135 charter schools in DC.  If you don’t like Basis, go to one or stay at your in-bounds school.
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+1 also chiming in to say for every one of the ward 6 parents confident that their voice will get BASIS elementary shut down before it gets off the ground, there are five parents supporting this new school. Don't believe everything you read on DCUM (my post of course included). [/quote]

I think you’re genuinely mistaken. Parents at Brent, Maury, LT, SWS & Payne, at the very least, are now worse off than they were before.[/quote]

I don't really follow this - is the argument because there is one new elementary school, that all of the other schools in our neighborhood are going to fail? What are there going to be, maybe 3-4 classrooms per grade? It will pull from many different schools, including parents who would have otherwise gone to other charters or private (or moved). The direct impact per school won't be huge, and to be honest with the way school enrollments have been trending (esp in some of the ones you just listed above)  - having a few less kids per grade isn't the worst thing. It would help keep class sizes more manageable. The interesting thing would be to see if there will be the same issue of kids returning to DCPS after a few years (as happens in the middle school). It is that issue (transfering back to DCPS over the summer or mid-year so therefore not accounted for when projecting staffing needs at public schools) who end up skewing enrollment and impacting the public schools. [/quote]

I think it hurts these schools.  You see it already in the 5th grade, when a bunch of kids leave for Latin/Basis.  To get those Basis spots, those kids will now need to leave the school earlier.  Those kids are usually among the (though obviously not the only) academically advanced groups and/or from families (though again, not the only families!) that emphasize academics.  If those kids leave earlier, the advanced cohort at the schools will be correspondingly weaker.  Increasing numbers of stronger students have attracted families to these schools, so taking a hit to these numbers could negatively affect enrollment by other advanced students.  [/quote]

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