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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DCPS schools crush the self esteem of thousands of bright young kids each year with totally uninspired teaching, a hostile and unsafe social environment, and a complete dead-end curriculum that will never get them into college or into the careers they dream of.  They leave students with nothing but a menial job and lifelong regrets.  [b]BASIS on the other hand opens that door for bright achievers [/b]rather than slamming it in their faces. [/quote]

For the record, BASIS in DC hasn't [u]done[/u] anything yet.

Don't get me wrong. I'm totally pro-charter, but BASIS booster(s?) needs to bring it down a notch and focus on delivering for any student who walks in the door. "Bright achiever", or not.

Nobody is saying Basis should not expand ever, just that they don't get a pass for underestimating needs in the middle of the first year just because they have an "international track record". (Maybe they meant reputation. Which is, of course, different than a track record.)

Maybe next meeting they should send the School Director, PhD in poli sci who taught at Howard and taught special ed. From website. Don't know her. The Head of School, Scottsdale teacher in 2008, sounds like he's had a wee too much Koolaid in the desert based on twitter feed.

Check out some admittedly incomplete excerpts from twitter feed of meeting. Sounds more like a charter startup than one of the best public school in the nation. Everybody, except maybe Nathan Saunders, would like Basis to succeed. But they could learn a few things about shooting one's self in the foot from Michelle Rhee.

DC PCSB DC PCSB ?@dcpcsb  15 Apr  
@saramead There are reasons for concern for your effectiveness in your ability to serve special-ed students

@saramead Agree w/ @johnhmckoy. Would like to see second-year withdrawal rate before approving this. DC is different than other markets

@johnhmckoy If DC was first market you tried this model, you don't have a track record, OK. But you have a model

@johnhmckoy Sounds diff argument. You're on par / not unusual. But you didn't anticipate services

BASIS: We had to add more staff to serve every single student. We continue to add services / programs to meet students needs
@johnhmckoy If this is following the model, why didnt you more accurately estimate the debt-services

BASIS: To speak to @johnhmckoy's comment. Our withdrawal rate is not uncommon. First-year is always highest. Goes down in sub. years

BASIS: True. That's the number we have interested

@saramead Some will be admitted and some will enroll; but some won't actually come to the school

BASIS: 400 students in the school; four not returning. And we have pre-enrollment number of 308 who are coming from outside

@donsoifer Could you discuss # -- 709 families?

@johnhmckoy You don't have the track record here yet. Hoping to be proven wrong. Like to see better track record

@johnhmckoy Hoping BASIS model does prove out. Pretty sure you're gonna make it in the long-run. Cannot vote against recommendation

@johnhmckoy What i'm hearing is we have a reputation. When applied, pointed out DC is sometimes a market tough to figure out.

BASIS: Strengthening our financial situation will only strengthen our school's position here in DC

BASIS: We do have a national, and now int'l track record that this is a successful model.

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