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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]You're the one who should let it go.

Fact is, most DC BASIS families still leave before the terminal grade. I used to teach at NCS (um, no need to ask friends). Hardly anybody leaves NCS. I overestimate nothing. BASIS did work for my family by your definition, worked well in fact. Kid had nice friends, kid performed at "an extremely high level," kid got a 5 on BC Calc in 10th grade. But he certainly wasn't able to shine as he could have done at a school where students were encouraged to run with their particular interests and strengths, and where the faculty was stable. Thank goodness we had the means to go.

You should probably pipe down about how terrific BASIS. Tolerable for somewhere between 40 and 50% of the families to the bitter end, I'll grant you that.

Spare us a factory BASIS elementary school.   [/quote]

This is so funny. I hate that your vitriol makes me feel obligated to defend the school when i have plenty of bad things to say about it, but I am compelled. Of course families don't leave NCS. If you taught there then you are obviously familiar with the overwhelming sense of prestige and superiority that courses through the school. Families wear it like a badge of honor. There are huge societal pressures in some communities in this city to be a part of that world and to be perceived as thriving. My point was that if you think places like NCS are some Xanadu where every child is happy, met on their own terms, and all their needs met I think you're kidding yourself. I suspect you know that though. Plenty of kids there aren't able to "shine" with their particular interests, especially if you are an athlete, for example. I never said BASIS was perfect. It works for many. You seem intent on speaking on behalf of a community you were unhappy with and decided to leave. I'm simply suggesting you are in no position to speak for us now and you should probably keep our names out of your mouth. I think one thing we can agree on though is that thank goodness you had the means to go. Good luck to your kid at his highly selective college! I'm glad you found something that worked for them. [/quote]

BASIS parent of a number of years reading through this thread and calling out a knee-jerk post. I'm not reading "vitriol" here, or parents claiming to speak for an entire school community. It's undeniable BASIS DC doesn't work well for most of its families through high school, given that the majority leave along the way. The narrow curriculum, miserable building, leaden management and high teacher turnover take their toll over time. Yes, there's rigor across the board, but that's about it. No surprise that families who can leave without major disruptions to their lives generally do at some point. At a good school, public or private, encouraging students to run with their academic strengths and interests is standard. At BASIS, the emphasis is on students marching in step on the road to a portfolio of high AP exam scores, with mixed results. If you believe in the BASIS way, great, sell the program on DCUM, share your joy, vs. knocking parents who make valid points about what ails the program.[/quote]

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