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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Come on, it's not just a few disgruntled UMC parents who reject DCI after 5th grade in feeder schools. Most do.  I've been dismayed to discovered that more than a dozen 4th graders at our feeder (not YY) bolted for BASIS this fall.  You're relying on anecdotal evidence to look at DCI through rose-colored glasses.  DCI isn't a bad school.  It's just not better than Hardy academically, and it's future isn't as bright.  
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Basis goes deep in their waitlist.  Most families like ours want a typical middle and high school experience for our DC where in addition to academics, there is a larger school and cohort, varied curriculum offerings, sports, outdoor green space, diversity, etc..,

Basis doesn’t cut it for many families.  Maybe the families you know but large majority no[/quote]

OK, but I've observed that the stronger students from our feeder have a strong tendency to peel off for BASIS.  Wish it weren't so.  DCI feeder parents who bail for BASIS worry that social promotion at DCI sinks the rigor, especially for math.  Also, the partial language immersion just isn't serious outside Spanish (can't possibly be w/out native speakers).  I've observed that parents of stronger students tend to give up on Mandarin and French after elementary if they can find more rigor for math, science, maybe social studies and English lit. If the Chinese and French were stronger, maybe they'd stay.  DCI doesn't seem to care that they go, which gets us nowhere in particular.[/quote]

Some stronger students might fit the hard core, take a zillion AP classes early and whose parents don’t care about anything outside academics, fine.

But if you think that is the only valuable learning experience for your kid, be my guest go to Basis.  There are plenty of strong students from feeders who go the DCI route who themselves or their parents want a more rounded middle and high school experience.

DCI opened a middle school and high school just what 7 years ago?  In addition, it’s an IB track and diploma which is not easy to set up and do.  They take all and diversity of students in race, social background is varied. With this, they have good data with having kids at grade level and above.  No other public or charter school at this age has come close in the past to what they have accomplished in this timeline.

I see those as huge accomplishments so far.  But of course DCUM wants everything now - the most challenging curriculum, majority native speakers in all language even though population data doesn’t support it, best teachers, best leadership and administration, etc., etc...

There are lots of happy families and kids at DCI.  The school has been on an upward trajectory and will continue that path.  Families EOTP such as ours will be choosing the DCI route although we can afford to move WOTP.  That trend will be here to stay with the overcrowding issues at  WOTP schools which affects everything especially academics.  Wilson’s honors for all is a disaster and doesn’t help either.

You can hate DCI if you want.  You can feel threaten by DCI if you want.  But it doesn’t change the fact that many families are choosing it and giving it a chance and have been happy.  Is it perfect?  Of course not but it’s working for lots of families.  How do I know?  Because their waitlist barely moves in any grade.  People aren’t leaving.  They are staying.

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