Personally I thought basis advertised pretty accurately, which is why my kid didn't go! Happy for all those who are having a good experience though.

Anonymous wrote:"My problem with BASIS is the tendency of some to hype it as a solution to all of America's education"

I never got the impression that Basis sold itself as a silver bullet. I think they designed it for a kids whose strengths are more intellectual, rather than social or athletic. Maybe that is a small percentage of the population. Maybe not. but it is what is and it has been good at what it intended to be.

I was speaking about "the tendency of some", i.e., Boosters, not the owners. As for the owners, it seems to me that BASIS markets itself to kids and parents who are prepared to work really really hard in a variety of academic classes, with a focus on accelerated math, largely in preparation for a lot of AP tests. I agree it is good at providing this service, although personally don't think it is a good educational model - obviously not for the students who get overwhelmed by the demands and drop out, but also I suspect for many that stay (some perhaps forced by parents) and get burnt out intellectually and/or emotionally and/or don't develop a well-rounded skill set / resume for college. I still give props to BASIS for selling a particular vision of education that give parents & students a real choice, vs. one-size-fits-all. But with school choice comes the need for truth-in-advertising and frank discussion about the pros & cons of different options.

Anonymous wrote:To borrow an oft used phrase, I have no dog in this fight. But I'm genuinely curious why parents think the teachers are at fault? What practices are the teachers using that are ineffective? Is there other evidence that the teacher isn't doing a good job, with examples of what the teacher is or isn't doing?

Yes, teachers giving handouts and worksheets, where the handouts do not correspond with the worksheet.

Or a supposedly AP biology teacher who seems to get things randomly from the internet and hand them out to the students. There's no consistency. One day it's chemistry, next day day how scientists do experiments, then random physics facts and problems, then math functions. And at the end of the week there's a quiz. How is the student to study?

"BASIS boasts about hiring and retaining excellent teachers.
From what I am hearing and seeing, this is not the case. "

Total bull sh-t

"My problem with BASIS is the tendency of some to hype it as a solution to all of America's education"

I never got the impression that Basis sold itself as a silver bullet. I think they designed it for a kids whose strengths are more intellectual, rather than social or athletic. Maybe that is a small percentage of the population. Maybe not. but it is what is and it has been good at what it intended to be.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with hard work and high expectations but how effective is 5 or more hours of homework? surely there's a point of diminishing returns

That's how much we had at ncs in the 90s

The late 1990s is about when the PISA study started to look into comparing countries and found the US to be sorely lagging. We've been playing catch up ever since. So maybe the 1990s isn't the best reference point, unless you make an argument that we need even more homework.

I do not think the NCS students in the 90s are to blame for this country's failure to outshine other countries academically. I would put a fair amount of money on those girls holding their own internationally. I am not a graduate, but know some from that era quite well.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with hard work and high expectations but how effective is 5 or more hours of homework? surely there's a point of diminishing returns

That's how much we had at ncs in the 90s

The late 1990s is about when the PISA study started to look into comparing countries and found the US to be sorely lagging. We've been playing catch up ever since. So maybe the 1990s isn't the best reference point, unless you make an argument that we need even more homework.

"The very bright and very hardworking kids can do well under any circumstance."

.. or they'll change into smart underachievers if they're taken for granted, without the guidance of bright and very hardworking adults.

I can't speak to the lack of adequate text books. But, I switched from public to a private prep school in 9th grade and the homework was pretty staggering. This was a school where you had to test and have recommendations to get in, or started from K. 5 hours of homework a night sounds about right. We used to joke about ulcers and falling asleep over our textbooks. I can't imagine what it would be like for a student who wasn't already starting as an A student working above grade level.

To borrow an oft used phrase, I have no dog in this fight. But I'm genuinely curious why parents think the teachers are at fault? What practices are the teachers using that are ineffective? Is there other evidence that the teacher isn't doing a good job, with examples of what the teacher is or isn't doing?

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]It's a school choice. Education doesn't happen by osmosis, it takes work on the part of all involved. Either make the investment, or don't, and move on. There are lots of other schools out there that have a different pace if this one is not a good fit.[/quote]

NP here. I agree with your point. Charter schools address the fundamental truth that no one size fits all when it comes to education. We need everything from montessori to military academies. My problem with BASIS is the tendency of some to hype it as a solution to all of America's education woes whereas in fact it is [b]an extreme niche product[/b]. I'd even go so far to wager that it is a good fit only for a relatively small percentage of kids who attend (or, more exactly, a small percentage of parents who are convinced that an accelerated AP/standardized test model is the best option for their kids), and that the rest just survive as best they can or, eventually, leave. [/quote]


Agreed.
The very bright and very hardworking kids can do well under any circumstance.
There are excellent students attending selective colleges worldwide coming from war torn countries, with no water and and electricity.
Without good teachers maybe 10% of the class can do well.
With a good teacher it's more like 40-50%, because those who [b]are not academically very gifted but work hard [/b]will also succeed.
BASIS boasts about hiring and retaining excellent teachers.
From what I am hearing and seeing, this is not the case.
So yes, mostly likely 10% of the kids at BASIS will succeed.

NP here. I agree with your point. Charter schools address the fundamental truth that no one size fits all when it comes to education. We need everything from montessori to military academies. My problem with BASIS is the tendency of some to hype it as a solution to all of America's education woes whereas in fact it is an extreme niche product. I'd even go so far to wager that it is a good fit only for a relatively small percentage of kids who attend (or, more exactly, a small percentage of parents who are convinced that an accelerated AP/standardized test model is the best option for their kids), and that the rest just survive as best they can or, eventually, leave.

Quote of the day, you rock PP.

I'm an Ivy League grad who probably won't choose BASIS for my bright, hard-working, science and math-minded but very athletic child (at least as long as they lack a gym).

Anonymous wrote:I am fine with hard work and high expectations but how effective is 5 or more hours of homework? surely there's a point of diminishing returns

That's how much we had at ncs in the 90s

Anonymous wrote:It's a school choice. Education doesn't happen by osmosis, it takes work on the part of all involved. Either make the investment, or don't, and move on. There are lots of other schools out there that have a different pace if this one is not a good fit.

NP here. I agree with your point. Charter schools address the fundamental truth that no one size fits all when it comes to education. We need everything from montessori to military academies. My problem with BASIS is the tendency of some to hype it as a solution to all of America's education woes whereas in fact it is an extreme niche product. I'd even go so far to wager that it is a good fit only for a relatively small percentage of kids who attend (or, more exactly, a small percentage of parents who are convinced that an accelerated AP/standardized test model is the best option for their kids), and that the rest just survive as best they can or, eventually, leave.

It's a school choice. Education doesn't happen by osmosis, it takes work on the part of all involved. Either make the investment, or don't, and move on. There are lots of other schools out there that have a different pace if this one is not a good fit.