Anonymous
Post 08/31/2011 06:47     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OMG...if you were Mary and it were her kid's teacher she'd transmit that to the world...YES ...it's petty AND funny


You don't understand greatness -- strong women like Mary do it all in dc, sister. Can't stop her with a typo.


Wow...this sounds a little scary, like this Mary is someone to worship. Does Mary Siddall have experience in administration of education policies or running a school? Greatness? Tell me about that.
"Mary" does not appear to be running the school. My understanding is she's heading up the founding board/group of parents for the DC school. Being a founder may be the only way to ensure preference in admissions.


Mary is the head of school. Look it up.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2011 21:56     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:YY aside, you cannot build a charter school in your image. What you're looking for is a selective public magnet or private school.



That is what I said, high achievers from all SES backgrounds, which includes KIPP students that are low SES.
BTDT parent here. It is a charter, lest people get too excited. There is no way to guarantee there will be a critical mass of high achieveing students even if they come from high expectation families of all SES levels. There could be plenty of revolving door students in the lottery who cycle in at middle school age from other schools (voluntarily or not). Basis will have to take advanced, G&T, below basic and SPED. This is one of the challenges of charters from elsewhere expanding in DC. Like regular public schools, they have to be all things to all people by law. This can be particularly hard at stand alone middle schools. Schools like KIPP, DC Prep, Haynes and others have kids starting with them at preschool. To ensure a mass of achievers, Basis will need to steal market share from established schools. The OOB and top charter waitlists are not necessarily and accurate indicator of parent preparedness to stick with a startup school that will be expected to (realistically or not) deliver kickass test results from year one. If not, it will be an uphill climb to attract "involved" parents of MS kids willing to stick it out for 2-3 years while Basis works through the differences between Scottsdale and Southeast.

Don't get me wrong. I signed the petition to bring Basis here before I knew much about them simply because I've been involved in charters and believe some can be great. But DC is no longer the Wild West of charter reform. There is more focus on closing the less than great ones sooner than adding as many as possible faster.

Does anyone know why Basis chose DC after suburban-ish Arizona?


Yes. It because DC charter schools are allowed to hire uncertified teachers. this is not the case in every state. From what I gather, a major thrust of Basis is that they hire their teachers based on their teaching ability AND their depth of expertise in their particular subject. Anyone who looks Round can see pretty quickly that certified teachers are not often also the highest caliber in their subject area ( chemistry, math, world history, journalism, us government etc.) I am a certified teacher and can tell you that the ridiculously irrelevant course of study and subsequent bureaucracy to become a certified teacher drives away anyone slightly sane who.doesn't want their time wasted.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2011 21:45     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Bet Michelle Rhee and her worshipful DC Basis founders had a hand.
Anonymous
Post 08/30/2011 14:36     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:YY aside, you cannot build a charter school in your image. What you're looking for is a selective public magnet or private school.



That is what I said, high achievers from all SES backgrounds, which includes KIPP students that are low SES.
BTDT parent here. It is a charter, lest people get too excited. There is no way to guarantee there will be a critical mass of high achieveing students even if they come from high expectation families of all SES levels. There could be plenty of revolving door students in the lottery who cycle in at middle school age from other schools (voluntarily or not). Basis will have to take advanced, G&T, below basic and SPED. This is one of the challenges of charters from elsewhere expanding in DC. Like regular public schools, they have to be all things to all people by law. This can be particularly hard at stand alone middle schools. Schools like KIPP, DC Prep, Haynes and others have kids starting with them at preschool. To ensure a mass of achievers, Basis will need to steal market share from established schools. The OOB and top charter waitlists are not necessarily and accurate indicator of parent preparedness to stick with a startup school that will be expected to (realistically or not) deliver kickass test results from year one. If not, it will be an uphill climb to attract "involved" parents of MS kids willing to stick it out for 2-3 years while Basis works through the differences between Scottsdale and Southeast.

Don't get me wrong. I signed the petition to bring Basis here before I knew much about them simply because I've been involved in charters and believe some can be great. But DC is no longer the Wild West of charter reform. There is more focus on closing the less than great ones sooner than adding as many as possible faster.

Does anyone know why Basis chose DC after suburban-ish Arizona?
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 20:30     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:Regardless of where the geographic center of the city is (hint: not Galludet; look at a map aerial view), has there even been any discussion at all about location? Or is that premature at this date?


Maybe in Chinatown? Maybe in Southwest at Jefferson?
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 19:35     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
OMG. Do so many of us believe our kids must be pushed to high school levels in elementary and college in high school and to attend school from 8 to 5 every day plus homework and summers?
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 18:12     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wait a minute. So they don't actually have "intensive student support" in place for next school year? How did they address the charter board concerns that they've never dealt with poor non-white kids en masse? (Over simplification, but basically that's what critics are worried about.)


In DC, could be that few parents of unprepared kids even apply and that parents of already well-prepared kids will apply en masse. This will include many whites who have just been waiting for the right charter school for their advanced kids.


ITA! The application pool for the lottery will probably favor middle to upper middle families and families of all SES backgrounds with high scoring children.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. If Mary Cheh has her way, there will be another MS in Palisades to siphon off current IB Hardy white and/or high SES families. There are a lot of lower SES families on KIPP waitlists who will know all about Basis.

YY aside, you cannot build a charter school in your image. What you're looking for is a selective public magnet or private school.



That is what I said, high achievers from all SES backgrounds, which includes KIPP students that are low SES.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 17:15     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:Wait a minute. So they don't actually have "intensive student support" in place for next school year? How did they address the charter board concerns that they've never dealt with poor non-white kids en masse? (Over simplification, but basically that's what critics are worried about.)


In DC, could be that few parents of unprepared kids even apply and that parents of already well-prepared kids will apply en masse. This will include many whites who have just been waiting for the right charter school for their advanced kids.


ITA! The application pool for the lottery will probably favor middle to upper middle families and families of all SES backgrounds with high scoring children.

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. If Mary Cheh has her way, there will be another MS in Palisades to siphon off current IB Hardy white and/or high SES families. There are a lot of lower SES families on KIPP waitlists who will know all about Basis.

YY aside, you cannot build a charter school in your image. What you're looking for is a selective public magnet or private school.

Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 17:01     Subject: Re:BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:will they use an entrance exam? can they?
No. That's illegal for charters but not for DCPS magnets.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 16:58     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OMG...if you were Mary and it were her kid's teacher she'd transmit that to the world...YES ...it's petty AND funny


You don't understand greatness -- strong women like Mary do it all in dc, sister. Can't stop her with a typo.


Wow...this sounds a little scary, like this Mary is someone to worship. Does Mary Siddall have experience in administration of education policies or running a school? Greatness? Tell me about that.
"Mary" does not appear to be running the school. My understanding is she's heading up the founding board/group of parents for the DC school. Being a founder may be the only way to ensure preference in admissions.
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 10:27     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Regardless of where the geographic center of the city is (hint: not Galludet; look at a map aerial view), has there even been any discussion at all about location? Or is that premature at this date?
Anonymous
Post 08/29/2011 09:02     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"central" is generally understood to mean "in the center." You're possibly confusing that with the word "convenient" ?

The geographic center of DC is, what? about 14th and Columbia. It certainly isn't Capitol Heights in PG County.

I hope this school locates in a place that is convenient to the highest number of residents in the District of Columbia.


The center of DC is definitely not 14th and Columbia road. It is convenient most definitely if you reside in NW, but it is not center city. I would place center DC smack in the middle of Ward 5. Galludet is quite possibly center city.


So, maybe the Hamilton school? Two rivers probably wouldn't like to competition so close, but if dcps made Hamilton available, that could be great. Next to Gallaudet, nice fields, pretty big school . . .


Too many other charters have placed bids on unused DCPS schools. They are ahead of the pack in selection. Basis will have to build a rep in DC first don't you think.
Anonymous
Post 08/28/2011 22:21     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
what's the website? google sends me to basis arizona or the charter board hearings...
Anonymous
Post 08/28/2011 22:02     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:"central" is generally understood to mean "in the center." You're possibly confusing that with the word "convenient" ?

The geographic center of DC is, what? about 14th and Columbia. It certainly isn't Capitol Heights in PG County.

I hope this school locates in a place that is convenient to the highest number of residents in the District of Columbia.


The center of DC is definitely not 14th and Columbia road. It is convenient most definitely if you reside in NW, but it is not center city. I would place center DC smack in the middle of Ward 5. Galludet is quite possibly center city.


So, maybe the Hamilton school? Two rivers probably wouldn't like to competition so close, but if dcps made Hamilton available, that could be great. Next to Gallaudet, nice fields, pretty big school . . .
Anonymous
Post 08/28/2011 20:56     Subject: BASIS DC to open in 2012-2013
Anonymous wrote:"central" is generally understood to mean "in the center." You're possibly confusing that with the word "convenient" ?

The geographic center of DC is, what? about 14th and Columbia. It certainly isn't Capitol Heights in PG County.

I hope this school locates in a place that is convenient to the highest number of residents in the District of Columbia.


The center of DC is definitely not 14th and Columbia road. It is convenient most definitely if you reside in NW, but it is not center city. I would place center DC smack in the middle of Ward 5. Galludet is quite possibly center city.