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[quote=Anonymous]This thread has gone in 20,000 directions and maybe past its expiration date... but if anything it just goes to show that if there is one thing that BASIS boosters and bashers have in common, it is deep concern about the state of education and lack of options available.

What interests me most in this thread are the references to "European Model" "Finnish Model" and the "East Asian Model" in discussing BASIS and I wonder whether there is any common agreement as to what these terms mean. The East Asian model I think is the most understood reference, meaning basically drill and kill, lots of memorization, standardized testing, lecture-based classes, accelerated curriculum. From what I can see, the BASIS model (focus on AP tests, calculus by 9th grade, etc) is pretty East Asian at its core. As an English person I think "European Model" is simply meaningless, and I'd be interested in any attempts to explain what that means. Finland is sometimes mentioned in connection with BASIS but I am not seeing any similarities. From what I can see the Finns emphasize small class sizes, few standardized tests, better paid teachers, etc. but are absolutely opposed to the Asian model. For some web reading on these distinctions, see, e.g., http://nycpublicschoolparents.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-finland-and-asia-really-tell-us.html; and http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/82329/education-reform-Finland-US

Anyhoo, I have a few years before I have to make this decision, but as a scientist inundated with Chinese & Indian grad students who are whip smart on directed assignments but can't form an independent creative thought if their life depended on it, I am not inclined from what I have seen so far to send my kids to a BASIS school.

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