Did anyone catch this in Education Week, 8/16/12: "Mark Lerner, a member of the board of Washington Latin charter school also argued that BASIS "blatantly markets itself to elite students" and is "a direct affront to the civil rights struggle so many have fought over school choice for underprivileged children.""

I found this so interesting, considering Mr. Lerner's response to my question as to how Latin's new location is serving all. "Parents who want Latin for their children will do what they need to do". In other words, Basis "blatantly markets itself" while Latin throws roadblocks in the way (by locating in the far northeast).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, not every kid will have the academic chops to make it at BASIS - which is why it's great that there are so many options and alternatives available in the District to choose from. None of the schools in the District are truly "one-size-fits-all", and it's probably better that way.

too bad, though, for the kids that are used for fodder to keep charter schools going according to the current rules that don't allow testing for admittance.

And, your point is... what? Bottom line is, those kids will be used "for fodder" somewhere in the system regardless, it's all about the funding, whether charters, DCPS or privates. And who knows - that might actually be some other charter that caters to their needs. There's already examples all across the spectrum. There's Options, catering to troubled youth, St. Coletta, catering to seriously disabled children, and so on. Bottom line is, if DCPS isn't meeting the need, someone else will meet that need. For the kids who aren't into academics, how about technical schools to teach other skills? Not everyone is destined for academics and there are lots of highly valued professions out there that are in demand.

really - you're justifying using kids as fodder?

It's nice if there are schools that meet the various needs of different kinds of kids. Too bad if the self-selection process includes using kids as fodder to cover flaws in the system.

The ride is one of the big factors on why we decided Basis instead of Latin.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Sure, not every kid will have the academic chops to make it at BASIS - which is why it's great that there are so many options and alternatives available in the District to choose from. None of the schools in the District are truly "one-size-fits-all", and it's probably better that way.

too bad, though, for the kids that are used for fodder to keep charter schools going according to the current rules that don't allow testing for admittance.

And, your point is... what? Bottom line is, those kids will be used "for fodder" somewhere in the system regardless, it's all about the funding, whether charters, DCPS or privates. And who knows - that might actually be some other charter that caters to their needs. There's already examples all across the spectrum. There's Options, catering to troubled youth, St. Coletta, catering to seriously disabled children, and so on. Bottom line is, if DCPS isn't meeting the need, someone else will meet that need. For the kids who aren't into academics, how about technical schools to teach other skills? Not everyone is destined for academics and there are lots of highly valued professions out there that are in demand.

Re: the Latin bus, not enough kids from Ward 2 apparently go to Latin. I discussed this with Martha Cutts; even to get to the nearest Latin pickup location would be two public buses, or one bus plus a ten min. walk.

Anonymous wrote:+1 Any other Latin-to-Basis parents have thoughts on the change? I repeat that Latin teachers are phenomenal, and we only switched because of the 50-minute, 2-transfer bus ride he'd have next year if he'd stayed.

Would the Latin bus not have worked for you? They are planning to continue it from the hubs. Thnx

Anonymous wrote:Sure, not every kid will have the academic chops to make it at BASIS - which is why it's great that there are so many options and alternatives available in the District to choose from. None of the schools in the District are truly "one-size-fits-all", and it's probably better that way.

too bad, though, for the kids that are used for fodder to keep charter schools going according to the current rules that don't allow testing for admittance.

Observation so far is that they are starting out rather slowly, at least from what I can tell from my seventh grader. Little if any homework. Younger grades care to comment?

Sure, not every kid will have the academic chops to make it at BASIS - which is why it's great that there are so many options and alternatives available in the District to choose from. None of the schools in the District are truly "one-size-fits-all", and it's probably better that way.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Who ever said anything about taking kids "who obviously won't be able to handle" the curriculum, or "the intention of culling them"? With respect to admissions and who attends, they aren't doing anything different than any other charter.

Right - it's not policy -- it just works out that way. BASIS is in the clear and the true G/T kids have an opportunity to shine and to slip in to the school as others drop out. Only the kids who ultimately can't cut it will suffer.

If they drop out, it will be that they will self-select out. And the reason they won't be able to cut it will probably have more to do with a variety of external and/or pre-existing issues, such as coming from poor schools that didn't prepare them or instill a work ethic in them, from coming from households full of disruption, from not having adequate support outside of school and so on. It's really more a commentary on what goes on outside of the school than it is on the charter itself. There's only so much that any school can fix, and schools like Basis go above and beyond what public schools offer - Basis for example offered intensive tutoring sessions in many locations throughout the city over the summer (STARS program) to get kids up to speed.

What you say, plus kids who don't pass the comprehensive exams at the end of the year must repeat the grade or leave. And there's always the possibility that certain kids have supportive home lives, but just don't have the academic chops to make it at BASIS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Who ever said anything about taking kids "who obviously won't be able to handle" the curriculum, or "the intention of culling them"? With respect to admissions and who attends, they aren't doing anything different than any other charter.

Right - it's not policy -- it just works out that way. BASIS is in the clear and the true G/T kids have an opportunity to shine and to slip in to the school as others drop out. Only the kids who ultimately can't cut it will suffer.

If they drop out, it will be that they will self-select out. And the reason they won't be able to cut it will probably have more to do with a variety of external and/or pre-existing issues, such as coming from poor schools that didn't prepare them or instill a work ethic in them, from coming from households full of disruption, from not having adequate support outside of school and so on. It's really more a commentary on what goes on outside of the school than it is on the charter itself. There's only so much that any school can fix, and schools like Basis go above and beyond what public schools offer - Basis for example offered intensive tutoring sessions in many locations throughout the city over the summer (STARS program) to get kids up to speed.

+1 Any other Latin-to-Basis parents have thoughts on the change? I repeat that Latin teachers are phenomenal, and we only switched because of the 50-minute, 2-transfer bus ride he'd have next year if he'd stayed.

Anonymous wrote:How do they do it at Basis? If there is a simpler and more elegant way it would be interesting to hear about. I agree that teacher burn out, from too much administration and paperwork. is to be avoided .
I will say that if you are getting grade summary or weekly progress report or anything like that from Basis, that's just the same amount of work as PowerSchool-perhaps more.

Here's my understanding of the process at Basis: there is a Communication Journal. Every teacher posts the assignment in a particular corner of the board (same for every classroom) and students must write it in CJ for that class. Parents and teachers check the CJ for status updates. Grades are reported five times per year. If the teacher wants to comment to the parents, the comment is written in the CJ. Likewise if the parent wants to make a comment, it's written in the CJ. If parent wants to meet with the teacher, the appointment is scheduled through the office. If child misses a class, it is up to the student to get the assignment from their homework buddy or other classmate. Every teacher follows this procedure to the letter, and hopefully it frees them up from paperwork, emails, phone calls, etc. but it's too new to me to be able to judge how it works. Basis' philosophy discourages helicopter parenting which for a parent like me who worries, I appreciate the help to disengage. Whereas children whose parents are disengaged already can still do well on their own initiative.

Anonymous wrote:

Who ever said anything about taking kids "who obviously won't be able to handle" the curriculum, or "the intention of culling them"? With respect to admissions and who attends, they aren't doing anything different than any other charter.

Right - it's not policy -- it just works out that way. BASIS is in the clear and the true G/T kids have an opportunity to shine and to slip in to the school as others drop out. Only the kids who ultimately can't cut it will suffer.

I don't think it's that unworkable. Assignments are handed out in class, students write them down. Also posted on HW wiki. I agree if they wanted Latin could take this step away. If it's for helicopter parents to follow up on their kids, that's probably not the healthiest to beget. Grades are posted on Powerschool (this is pretty typical in many places). Some teachers get them up right away, some take their time. What is nice is Latin teacher responsiveness. If you really, really want to know how your kid is doing, you can ask.
Except for one step, it does not seem that overblown. How do they do it at Basis? If there is a simpler and more elegant way it would be interesting to hear about. I agree that teacher burn out, from too much administration and paperwork. is to be avoided .
I will say that if you are getting grade summary or weekly progress report or anything like that from Basis, that's just the same amount of work as PowerSchool-perhaps more.