14:31, thank you, but I do not believe I am risking my children's education. Basis has 14 years of experience in opening new schools. It was clear to me from my research and the info session that I attended that they know what they're doing.

I met the executive head of school and am personally thankful for her efforts to bring this nationally ranked school to Washington, DC. It is my understanding from the founders that she does all the external relations. Anyone who can manage the politics and bureaucracy necessary to get the charter through has my vote of confidence for this job.

Interesting 13:41, I'm private school parent now and I'm completely convinced that Basis will be a mess the first few years, just like every other start up school I've had my children enrolled in or observed.

It's one thing to take a change on Pre-K, it's entirely another to risk your child's education for middle/high school.

I predict the head of school will blow up in flames in less than 2 years.

I had many of the same concerns as some of the posters here. My kids are in private. I would never dream of risking their futures on a start-up venture, but I went to one of the info sessions and was convinced by the founders of Basis that the school in DC will be successful from day one.

The academic head of school was a teacher, college counselor, and upper school director at the Scottsdale campus. Plus a core of their teachers will come from the Arizona schools. The management of the school, all of the systems that new schools struggle with, are taken care of by the management company that has 14 years of experience.

My child loves science and math, short of us moving to Virginia and trying to get into TJ, there is no private school that offers what Basis will offer.

Anonymous wrote:PP thanks for that. I am the OP, my child is more like a "smart but scattered" type and I am genuinely not sure how she'd do in a bigger setting than she is in currently. But probably by high school BASIS will have an impossible lottery like all the other charters, so I am considering being one of the brave souls who get it all started.

It has been helpful to read the other posts from BTDT parents as well. And to the first grade mom, you are so lucky! I feel like we have just-missed so many times...lottery got popular just when my DD was a K student so we missed out on OOB as many before us had benefited and now the MS renaissance is happening right as we would be the "bleeding edge" as another poster put it.

This is such a nice post. Some parents of older children who are veterans of DCPS or charters particularly EOP, really want to say, "We've BTDT, it'll break your heart. Your child will be the victim. Nothing has changed in DC." I have a 2nd grader whose school has changed immeasurably since preschool (in not all ways good, but in all ways middle class). I believe there is starting to be a MS renaissance, and I am sorry that families of older children weren't part of that. I think BASIS will be part of that, although I am completely unconvinced it would be a good fit for my gifted and very intellectually curious but ADHD and learning disabled child. I was private school educated and there were many things I loathed about the experience, but I think private may be the best fit for my kid for middle school.

I would be a lot more impressed with Basis if it had an experienced principal (or at least experienced school administrator/ educaor) as its founding principal.

Anonymous wrote:No the principal of this school has never been a principal of any school, much less a middle school. She is a crazy choice to lead such weighty investment of $$. I don't get it. It's one thing to rally and get attention and convince the government to bring the school to DC, the reward shouldn't be running it!

I was not impressed by the principal, who I met at the Basis info session. Dis-organized (constantly kept taking calls), insensitive to children (used words like "crap", "holy crap" in her talk), did not have a lot of her facts together (dates, numbers and finance questions),.. Doubt she can cut it, unfortunately.

What is the long-term financial model for BASIS? To the extent they are paying for premium space and premium faculty, while getting the standard DCPS charter subsidy, how do they make this work in the long run?

Which private?

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak as a mom who had my son at a private school for three years, was not happy with the elite attitude of parents or educators, then switched to Ross Elementary, and now have applied to DC Basis for next year. The parents involved in DC Basis are motivated, intelligent, and able to organize and achieve goals. A very powerful combination and the reason that I am happy to be part of DC Basis.

Anonymous wrote:I can only speak as a mom who had my son at a private school for three years, was not happy with the elite attitude of parents or educators, then switched to Ross Elementary, and now have applied to DC Basis for next year. The parents involved in DC Basis are motivated, intelligent, and able to organize and achieve goals. A very powerful combination and the reason that I am happy to be part of DC Basis.

That's sweet! It's just not very persuasive. What happens to your 5th grader between now and 3 years from now, would be more persuasive.

I can only speak as a mom who had my son at a private school for three years, was not happy with the elite attitude of parents or educators, then switched to Ross Elementary, and now have applied to DC Basis for next year. The parents involved in DC Basis are motivated, intelligent, and able to organize and achieve goals. A very powerful combination and the reason that I am happy to be part of DC Basis.

8:28 -- glad things are going so well at your charter start-up; hopefully new charters are not reinventing the wheel so it could be smoother. Question: is your school a middle school? Answer: no, it will be IT or some such with little kids, no testing yet, no permanent facility, too early to get into all the questions about special needs kids/curriculum/tutoring, class/race/cultural/governance issues, etc. Honeymoon phase.

I stand by my original position that any start-up of anything, much less a school, much less in D.C., much less a MIDDLE SCHOOL, will be rocky rocky rocky. Just expect it and plan around it, that's all I'm saying.

Signed, the btdt charter mom

p.s. and I'm a fan of charters. I'm also a realist.

:^^prove it. With a list of all the information meetings and where they have been held. You only WISH this was true.

Why are they recruiting primarily in upper NW? Very little to poorer sections. Is that the strategy? Now I get it.

No the principal of this school has never been a principal of any school, much less a middle school. She is a crazy choice to lead such weighty investment of $$. I don't get it. It's one thing to rally and get attention and convince the government to bring the school to DC, the reward shouldn't be running it!

Anonymous wrote:Issues at start up charter

Inexperienced teachers who had never taught the grade before teaching a grade the school had never had before

Social interactions in the class, and no social curriculum to support learning how to get along. No counselor to support.

Favoritism to students of founders and administrators

Curriculum that included units on watching videos on line (see inexperiencd above)

For a different perspective, we are at a new charter and we have not experienced these problems. Some of the teachers are inexperienced, and the school hasn't taught the grade previously, but they seem to be doing well. None of the other problems have been an issue at all.