Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

Why do people on DCUM assume all minority kids are poor and struggling???

Bingo! It is often accompanied by white UMC folks with savior complexes who assume that POC don't want or can't handle rigor. At once performative and condescending.

Exactly! I am a minority and I know WAY more high achieving, successful, UMC affluent minorities that are Doctor's, attorneys, business owners etc. than the Poor, struggling, low achieving minorities that people on DCUM seem to only think exist....

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

Why do people on DCUM assume all minority kids are poor and struggling???

Bingo! It is often accompanied by white UMC folks with savior complexes who assume that POC don't want or can't handle rigor. At once performative and condescending.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

Why do people on DCUM assume all minority kids are poor and struggling???

Anonymous wrote:basis dc is its own non-profit because dc law require it. but, if they are paying a lot of money out to the for-profit parent organization for services, thats basically a workaround.

You have no functional understanding of how non-profits work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

We were at BASIS for a couple years. The PP who points out that BASIS doesn't support low SES kids who arrive behind academically isn't all wrong. When a kid struggles academically, despite a family's best efforts to keep the kid on track, the response from BASIS admins and teachers can be pretty darn cold. The family is told that the kid isn't trying hard enough, isn't putting nose to the grindstone. If the kid continues to struggle, the message that admins give the family is that the kid isn't cut out for the curriculum, so it's time to leave. In most of these cases, the kid could probably succeed at BASIS, even thrive, with more encouragement, a happier environment, and, frankly, better teaching and less busy work at home. BASIS hires too many young, inexperienced teachers with poor classroom management and instructional skills to serve kids who struggle--both high SES and low SES--well.

I was struck by the bolded. BASIS provides no more and no less support to low SES than to anyone else. UMC kids don't get more access to teachers and support than low SES. That was not the case at my old HRCS where teachers effectively created advanced plans and support for parents who knew how to ask for them.

This oft repeated narrative that BASIS leaves kids out on their own doesn't track with reality. Every BASIS teacher is required to hold no less than 90 minutes of student office hours every week. Kids can walk in and ask for help with anything; no advanced scheduling required and no after school fee. Teachers are also required to hold parent office hours for 90 minutes once per week. Those are separate from student hours. Those meetings are now over zoom so people needn't leave work and park at school mid-day.

I was also struck by the second bolded section. It is true that some kids are not cut out for the BASIS curriculum. That's true for low SES and UMC families alike. BASIS is up front about what it is and how it operates. They test kids all the time. They throw tons of material at them and they don't slow down for one or two kids. They don't allow test retakes (an "F" is an "F" - do better next time). Late assignments don't count; urn it in on time next time. I know we live in a world where every kid gets a trophy, but that's not reality. BASIS is a bad fit for some kids. That's ok. It isn't a neighborhood school. Some kids would fail at Duke Ellington. That's ok too. The mentality that we need to water down all education to meet the needs of the bottom of the class is why public education in DC suffers.

Where are these poor classroom management skills? Seems like you conflate an unwillingness to cater a class to kids struggling with poor classroom management. In my experience, poor classroom management manifests as kids who speak out in class, don't do the work, don't respect teachers and make it impossible for kids at or above grade level to learn and excel. You say that the teachers don't have "instructional skills to serve kids who struggle", but what you mean is they don't cater classroom work and time to those kids. It is true. They don't. That is not because of the oft repeated and lazy take of "young teachers", rather, by design.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

We were at BASIS for a couple years. The PP who points out that BASIS doesn't support low SES kids who arrive behind academically isn't all wrong. When a kid struggles academically, despite a family's best efforts to keep the kid on track, the response from BASIS admins and teachers can be pretty darn cold. The family is told that the kid isn't trying hard enough, isn't putting nose to the grindstone. If the kid continues to struggle, the message that admins give the family is that the kid isn't cut out for the curriculum, so it's time to leave. In most of these cases, the kid could probably succeed at BASIS, even thrive, with more encouragement, a happier environment, and, frankly, better teaching and less busy work at home. BASIS hires too many young, inexperienced teachers with poor classroom management and instructional skills to serve kids who struggle--both high SES and low SES--well.

basis dc is its own non-profit because dc law require it. but, if they are paying a lot of money out to the for-profit parent organization for services, thats basically a workaround.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why increase advertising if you don’t clear your waitlist? It’s not like lottery results are ordered by academic prowess…

Charter schools get accused of not doing to outreach to or enrolling at risk kids or those from outside W2/3/6. Now comes a school trying to raise awareness and DCUM has a problem with it? Puhleeze.

If the advertisements are on routes East of the River I would be all for bus advertising. (Current BASIS parent)

92 runs Eastern Market to Congress Heights. Quite literally traveling through the communities that would diversify a predominantly white school.

https://appassets.mvtdev.com/map/41/l/142/24148707/3262227.webp

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why increase advertising if you don’t clear your waitlist? It’s not like lottery results are ordered by academic prowess…

Charter schools get accused of not doing to outreach to or enrolling at risk kids or those from outside W2/3/6. Now comes a school trying to raise awareness and DCUM has a problem with it? Puhleeze.

If the advertisements are on routes East of the River I would be all for bus advertising. (Current BASIS parent)

I’m not. Seems like a waste of money. And with BASIS leaning so heavily on parents for funding, I’m not happy that they’re spending money on advertising. Especially bus advertising which is probably not particularly effective.

So, to summarize, you don't actually know the efficacy of bus ads but you are certain they aren't particularly effective. You don't have any ideas for alternatives to outreach to underrepresented groups. In fact you don't want them doing any outreach at all (outreach-marketing). You also conflate fundraising with marketing and community outreach. Well then...

P.S. You don't have to donate. You do this by "not donating". I bet you are one of those people who is up in arms about Costco asking you if you want to upgrade to the Executive Membership. The thought of having to say "no thank you" is just so stressful.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why increase advertising if you don’t clear your waitlist? It’s not like lottery results are ordered by academic prowess…

Charter schools get accused of not doing to outreach to or enrolling at risk kids or those from outside W2/3/6. Now comes a school trying to raise awareness and DCUM has a problem with it? Puhleeze.

If the advertisements are on routes East of the River I would be all for bus advertising. (Current BASIS parent)

I’m not. Seems like a waste of money. And with BASIS leaning so heavily on parents for funding, I’m not happy that they’re spending money on advertising. Especially bus advertising which is probably not particularly effective.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why increase advertising if you don’t clear your waitlist? It’s not like lottery results are ordered by academic prowess…

Charter schools get accused of not doing to outreach to or enrolling at risk kids or those from outside W2/3/6. Now comes a school trying to raise awareness and DCUM has a problem with it? Puhleeze.

If the advertisements are on routes East of the River I would be all for bus advertising. (Current BASIS parent)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

What on earth are you talking about? How can a kid attend DCPS until high school and then go to Basis?

It’s almost like you know nothing about DC schools and just come to this board to stir up trouble.

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

No kids at Basis here but the blame that few poor minority kids can handle the curriculum lays on DCPS shoulders not Basis.

DCPS doesn’t offer G and T in elementary and tracking in all subjects in middle school for the poor minority kids with potential to do well. They also socially promote everyone so impossible for a teacher to do any teaching at high level. So they stay in the low expectation culture of DCPS and by the time high school rolls around, it’s too late.

That’s fine if Basis wants to help support struggling students but let’s not kid yourself that if someone who is performing way below grade level from a poorly performing school is going to catch up and succeed at Basis.

Anonymous wrote:More like trying to disguise their demographics. BASIS enrolls few poor minority kids by design. Few can handle the curriculum and those who enroll aren’t given the structure or support (e.g intensive remediation and Saturday school like at KIPP) for that to change.

The HOS specifically stated at the last town hall that a Saturday school time is coming soon for those who want it. They have offered a Saturday option in the past as well to give extra help to students. Teachers also offer lots of student hours during the week so the school does seem to want to help its students succeed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why increase advertising if you don’t clear your waitlist? It’s not like lottery results are ordered by academic prowess…

My guess is they want a different racial makeup. 50% of the school is white and only 20% is black. Some of that might be luck of the lottery but also about who is applying.

+1 I have seen a bus ad from LAMB too. But that was last year.