It's the constantly recurring patterns that makes it easy to see it's really just one or two of the same naysayers constantly posting.

Nothing going on at Basis that has surprised me. It's still beats our IB DCPS school by a long shot.

Why do the boosters always have to speculate about one or two naysayers trying to rain on their parade?

Hello, not smart to go with four grades this year!

What is going on at Basis? My son reports no issue, but he is only in 5th grade.

^ methinks "agree with posters" really means "agree with myself".

I think Mrs. "I'm a Ph.D." is yet again attempting having a bit of fun with the message board.

+1 but more power to those with the gumption to stick it out at BASIS and fight for change. A younger generation of DC parent will surely accrue most the benefit, like us at Brent in the lower grades.

Anonymous wrote:I think they would have liked to do it the way they did in Arizona. It's also worth noting that the 8 Arizona schools aren't all high-SES, low minorty. In fact, some of them are in areas with a substantial percentage of hispanics and low-SES students.

But those aren't urban schools attracting a fair number of students whose families have been on welfare for generations. And the Arizona schools aren't situated in one of the several lowest-performing schools districts in the US. Overall, poor Latino kids have somewhat better home lives than poor AA kids, making it easier for the kids to rise out of poverty. Not much easier, but easier.

I'm starting to agree with posters arguing that Basis didn't think it all through...

Anonymous wrote:I'm hopeful that all the absolutely obnoxious, bad attitude 8th graders leave the school and that the serious students remain. I can't imagine that some of the kids I've seen getting sent to the office on the few occasions I've stopped by school are going to stick it out. I don't care if the first graduating class ks all AA as long as they are good students.

New poster here. Maybe you should care.

I wouldn't be so sure that they won't stick it out. BASIS needs the bodies for the funds.

Banneker has graduated all AA classes for eons and it hurts the school. The lack of diversity hurts the PTA's ability to raise money, hurts the school's ability get top students to top colleges, hurts students in making it tough for them to have the broadening experience of rubbing shoulders with upper middle class peers (who often travel internationally etc.). My spouse recently quit interviewing Banneker kids for her Ivy each fall. She burned out after nearly a decade without seeing one admitted, of two dozen interviewed. Many other parents raising strong students in this city (particularly high-SES AA families) certainly will care, and BASIS will suffer as a result.

If I were the one running BASIS DC, here's what I would do...

Now that they have passed count day, I'd start getting aggressive about bouncing the rowdies and troublemakers. They still have lots of people looking to enroll at BASIS, so it's not as though they won't be replaced quickly enough.

I think they would have liked to do it the way they did in Arizona. It's also worth noting that the 8 Arizona schools aren't all high-SES, low minorty. In fact, some of them are in areas with a substantial percentage of hispanics and low-SES students.

I'm hopeful that all the absolutely obnoxious, bad attitude 8th graders leave the school and that the serious students remain. I can't imagine that some of the kids I've seen getting sent to the office on the few occasions I've stopped by school are going to stick it out. I don't care if the first graduating class ks all AA as long as they are good students.

+1. Good point. Assuming that BASIS gets the high school it wants, a first graduating class that's almost entirely AA is going to make the school much harder to market than a more diverse class would have.

I would have liked to see the school grow much more slowly with a more promising future myself. Basis is shooting itself in the foot by jamming the 8th grade with kids who can't handle the 8-10 AP classes. But that's how Olga wanted it, the young gun head, DC Charter, the pols. Never mind what the prudent consumer would have liked.

Vote sensibly in 10 days, folks.

Sorry you are going 16:40, reasons make sense. We are in 6th and on the fence for now.

I understand that Basis wasn't in a position to start just with 5th, adding a grade a year, as they'd have liked - the friendly head told me as much. DC Charter was short-sighted in not working w/them on that one.

I see a problem with how the school started with kids in upper grades who won't follow the full-fledged curriculum. The writing is on the wall for v. few of these kids to crack top colleges, like Latin's 1st graduating class this year, making the school a tougher sell to high-ses families that it needed to be.

Pretty clearly, what's going to happen is that once the 1st hs class graduates, just like at Latin, high-ses parents with suitable kids shopping for a ms will see a sea of black faces in pictures and get nervous. A harsh reality that a world of good-intensions-imported-from-Arizona can't erase.

I wish they had experience in another heavily black inner city. Such an experience would have informed their planning. Before you guys clobber me, I'll add that I'm AA.

17:15 again - to add to my sentiments on privates, even there it's a matter of not being worth the money in several instances... And, many parents (like us) actually want to stay in the city, rather than live in suburban hell, cookie-cutter developments and spending hours and hours a week sitting in traffic - I'm not so sure there will be any great flight.

Similar story here. If they don't get a professional or two to enforce behavior it is going to be difficult for us to stay. It seems out of control and no one is telling the parents what we need to know. They seem to have become beleaguered and no responsive. I remain hopeful though. I wish they would focus on fixing DC Basis without the distraction of trying to rapidly expand.

Your choice, PP but this high-SES family is staying put at BASIS. We see no better alternative for the future, short of going private. Unfortunate that you are planning on pulling out, as my understanding is that BASIS DC is indeed planning on adding high school.