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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]These types of threads have become really predictable.  They generally start with a praise of BASIS that can be so over the top that one has to wonder if it’s actually a BASIS booster or a troll looking to stir the pot again.

Claims like BASIS is “the best school in DC hands down” and “no other school is worthwhile, just look at the test scores and the rankings report”.

The unqualified praise naturally brings about responses from people who want to qualify the praise: “but BASIS isn’t truly lottery, it is a test-in school after 6th grade”, “BASIS doesn’t have to do any hard work because it kicks people out when they fall behind”, and “BASIS plays to the rankings system,” etc.

These types of statements range from true to half truths to completely untrue but it’s hard to parse it all out because by then people are disrupting the thread with “helpful” comments like “everyone should just move to MD or VA” or better yet “send your kid to private school if you want a niche school because my tax dollars shouldn’t go to for-profit BASIS, especially because my kid doesn’t go there and my family doesn’t benefit from it”.

And among these comments we also hear from people who went to BASIS years ago or have never had any personal experience with the school or, worse, have a complete misunderstanding of how the charter school system works (see clueless comments re: how BASIS can/should create academic qualifications for admission or allow students to test in).

The thread largely becomes one of misinformation but also grievances about equity, academic rigor, and fairness in educational opportunity that ought to be redirected to the educational policy decision makers (hint: BASIS isn’t one of them).

There are usually some very helpful anecdotes from people with recent/relevant experiences but very unfortunately they quickly get buried in the muck of these threads.  It’s also a shame that those with legitimate criticisms of the school (for example, dealing with a few inexperienced teachers or teachers leaving midway through the year), are then accused of “washing out” of BASIS or “failing to do their research on the school”, which is neither true nor helpful and invokes another round of comments that are much more spiteful than they are insightful.

Families have legit concerns and also leave for so many different reasons (move, want a different high school experience, etc) And it’s definitely true that some of the best performing students leave, too.  It’s okay to acknowledge that the school doesn’t ultimately work out for a lot of people for different reasons.  It does work out very well for others all the way through.  This is pretty true of DC public schools across the board, it’s just that BASIS doesn’t generally replace any of the students who leave, which leads to smaller class sizes in later grades.  For some, this is a positive and for others this is a negative.

Families have different educational preferences and priorities (and financial resources to spend on them) and that’s okay, too.  Instead of relentlessly putting down other schools, we all should be grateful that amongst the generally poor public middle school options in DC that some DCPS schools are improving and charter schools like BASIS, Latin, and DCI exist to give students not zoned for any halfway decent DCPS a better chance to get into an acceptable option and be able to remain in the DC public school system.

The middle schools generally compared in these threads are all very different from each other and are only in the same sentence because of the lack of decent options for families who care about academics.  These schools are more like apples and oranges and only “better and worse” for particular students and their particular needs and priorities.  The differences should be celebrated.  For example, be grateful that there is a family that prioritizes Spanish fluency and selects DCI which may have freed up the space for your student to get into BASIS or Latin, etc.  The schools also create friendly competition with clubs and sports as well.

Families in DC seem to get very insecure about the educational decision they make for their own student as if putting down the school their kid doesn’t attend helps justify their own school decision.  Just be grateful if you had a good option and went for it.  No public school is perfect - whether inside or outside of DC.

It should also go without saying that prospective BASIS families should seek out more firsthand experiences from current families to make an informed decision about whether to accept a spot at the school if offered.  [/quote]

Thank you!

Thread ending post.[/quote]

Because people will fall asleep reading this dissertation? BASIS threads never end. They are unkillable. [/quote]

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