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[quote=Anonymous][quote]Anonymous

I don't understand why anyone whose kid isn't going to Basis would waste their time caring or looking up articles bashing the school, and anyone who believes they are that bad to the extent that they would be posting articles to that effect would be sending their kid to Basis. This isn't a sewing circle, it's supposed to be informative and helpful info pertaining to DC public and charter schools. 
And to the articles addressing the two issues discussed-NO charter in DC has been allowed to expand numbers after just one year, so that isn't unexpected, news nor reflective of how the board views Basis, but rather their standard MO for all. As to the special Ed issue, I have a kid new this year at Basis who has a 504, so I can only speak for this year, and whether they were doing this before, they are now bending over backwards to accommodate my kid, so I could care less about the past. I like the special Ed coordinator, the teachers have even explained the accommodations available to my kid and after coming from a JKLM school who did right by my child 504 wise, Basis had a very tough act to follow in my eyes. I am hopefully optimistic about their special Ed changes, and these superfluous comments about how awful they are are not even worth replying to. The fact is, whether they fail or succeed in DC, their method has worked for a LOt of kids. They remain in the top 3 schools in the country for the last several years, so obviously they know what they are doing on some level. It's by no means perfect, nor is every child going to feel it is the right school for them, but neither is any school, and charters, while open to all residents, each have a different mission , method and emphasis/specialty that none claim is for everyone, even if it is open to everyone. My kid would not succeed at a language immersion school most likely, for example, and I know that about my kid. I worry about the lack of time for artistic endeavors, the longer days and larger classes will work for my kid, but I cannot deny that it works for many kids, even if my kid ends up hating Basis. I can tell you that his accommodations as they are being implemented are working as I can see by the work he is producing. I have another child that is better suited for an arts-heavy school when they are of an age to leave out JkLM elementary, for example, if their learning/interest trajectory continues as it has been, and that is fine. In any case, this is getting long. Whether or not Basis is a great school for all kids or not, it does work, it's not easy but neither is anything worth working for in life.[/quote]

Please learn to use paragraphs. It would make it so much easier to believe you are a serious poster.

Let's see if we can make some sense of your so called points.

First of all, everyone should care about the success or failure of BASIS. I know the boosters would like to ignore and denigrate outside views, but they don't get to do that. BASIS is a PUBLIC charter school and, as such, is accountable to the public, whether they want to be or not. Frankly, I'm tired of BASIS boosters telling me I don't get to have to have an opinion because my kid isn't there. Fuck that noise. I get to have an opinion because my tax dollars are invested in this public charter school and if I expect public charter schools to meet the needs of all students that walk through their doors (and I do, per their stated mission), you can be sure I plan to hold them to the promise that earned them their charter. If you don't serve, BASIS, you fail.

Point two, it is truly lovely that you are feeling satisfied by the accommodations you are getting at BASIS. However,you are a sample size of one and there is no way to generalize your experience, especially when there are others with compelling cases that contrast yours. Perhaps, rather than cheer leading your singular experience, you can work with others to insure that BASIS improves and serves all the children it has pledged to serve.

Thirdly, stop talking about BASIS's success in other areas of the country. No one cares. We care about the kids here, and while BASIS has been successful in other places, until they can bring true success here, they are just another start up taking advantage of the easy charter rules to experiment on our kids. Maybe this gamble will be good. Maybe it won't. But let's not sugarcoat the reasons they are here.

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