Reply to BASIS DC will seek to expand to include K to 4th grade

Forum Index » DC Public and Public Charter Schools

Reply to "BASIS DC will seek to expand to include K to 4th grade"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I don't oppose BASIS expanding, but I do oppose it expanding at that location. They should locate somewhere where there aren't already a wide variety of options for ES. This location will hurt Capitol Hill schools the most.[/quote]

I think it will hurt JOW the most, but also all of the other Hill ES that are good schools. Not BASIS's or PCSB's problem. If DCPS wants to offer rigor in MS and HS and end eliminate social promotion then we can talk about how this is duplicative of DCPS. Till that happens, what BASIS offers is not remotely similar.

The other thing the Hill parents seem to to understand is that CH is easily accessible from all over the city, including those underserved communities that you all pretend to care so much about. Metro bus and rail lines converge there.  [/quote]

Actually too much school density is the PCSB’s problem. This location is within 1/2 a mile of at least JOW, L-T, 2R, CHML and Wheatley. That’s absurd and should not be allowed.[/quote]

And about a mile to Miner, Maury, Langley, Harmony, Walker-Jones, KIPP Grow, Friendship Armstrong, and MV P.  About two miles gets you ITS, Lee, Thomson, Seaton, Cleveland, and Garrison, DC Prep Edgewood, Hope Tolson, and KIPP Webb. Precisely how many elementary schools does this area need?[/quote]

BASIS draws from all over DC.

Who cares if there are other schools nearby.[/quote]

The PCSB is placing a heavy emphasis on showing demand, and that means an analysis of the area's supply of schools.

If the PCSB really wanted to approve BASIS for elementary they would have done it on the first attempt, so I think BASIS needs to make a strong showing that their school will have demand and will do well on the new metrics. #1, Demonstrated Need for the School would be easier to meet if the proposed location were not surrounded by other schools with adequate performance and lots of open seats. Especially in light of population growth forecasts and already-approved charter school seats that have yet to come online. #4, Inclusiveness, may also be a challenge.

The commuting patterns of elementary school children are different from the commuting patterns of middle and high school students. Again, I ask you, why not locate EOTR if serving disadvantaged children is an important goal? Or is it?

These documents contain a pretty detailed explanation of the demand analysis and population trends, and are interesting to read. It says of elementary schools "There is a small amount of room for growth, and it should be considered strategically."

As for Inclusiveness, it says "Each element of the school program is deliberately designed to be inclusive of all
students, including students with disabilities, English learners, students who are
academically struggling or advanced, homeless students, and any other
population(s) specifically targeted in the mission. The applicant group has
intentionally planned how they will ensure all elements of their program model and
curriculum will be accessible to all students along the full continuum of services and
settings. Each element of the school’s program must accommodate and serve
students who do not fit into the school’s target population but who may be
admitted through the enrollment lottery."

https://dcpcsb.egnyte.com/dl/tEbDhIrRGE

https://dcpcsb.egnyte.com/dl/4hw2aK2AyT[/quote]

You are overanalyzing this.

BASIS DC opened in 2012 and it immediately asked PCSB for permission to expand to K-4.  PCSB only rejected the request because of high attrition at the school during its first year, and concerns about whether the program would succeed in DC.  Here is what the PCSB vice chairman said at the time, “I don’t think we know enough about the success of your program, at least here in D.C., to approve your request for growth at this point.”

[b]BASIS has now been around 11 years and has rocketed to a ranking as the #1 public middle school in DC and #1 non-selective public high school in DC.[/b]

So, yes, I think PCSB now knows enough about the success of the BASIS DC program to bless its expansion to K-4, which every other BASIS school in the world already has.

In fact, BASIS DC is one of the few bright spots in a city with a terrible public education system.  Hopefully, politics and sclerotic education bureaucrats do not derail the school's expansion plans.

PCSB should do more to monitor charter networks like KIPP in DC, where an official recently embezzled $2.2 million in school funds, rather than raising roadblocks to schools like BASIS that are actually spending taxpayer dollars effectively to improve education for city residents.

https://www.the74million.org/article/kipp-dc-official-embezzled-2-2-million-in-school-funds-federal-lawsuit-charges/[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics