Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 17:09     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The picture of success above isn't different from Deal and JR.

It's a stretch to claim that BASIS is an improvement over the best of DCPS.


I don't think any parent, satisfied or not, is claiming this, but I'm curious what you think the best of DCPS is. SWW or Banneker? It ain't JR. BASIS is a superior choice to many DCPS options, depending on the student and family. JR families may not frequently look to BASIS as an alternative because JR has historically been a known, relatively low risk option. They may also want to avoid all this smoke that people talk so much about. You might say BASIS's picture of success isn't different from JR, but I'm pretty sure 100% of kids from BASIS end up going to a 4-year college. Would be pretty shocked if JR can make that claim. No slight against those who choose CC, military service, work, etc. after HS, but if we're going to do something stupid like link a public HS's worth to the number of selective college admits they have, then we should also look at the percentage of kids from that school who go to any college. That is BASIS's primary mission. Colleges know the BASIS network is a grind, and kids see the benefit of that come admissions time, relative to their own abilities, talent, resources, etc.


And the point is that top colleges invariably celebrate the "grind," which justifies it? I don't see that. Where is it written that high achievement in high school only pays off if the journey is a grim slog?

Grads from my Ivy willing to interview applicants must be thin on the ground in Arizona because I've been asked to phone interview several dozen in the final days of interview season almost every year in the last decade. I pitched in an interviewed these applicants. I also interviewed around 10 from BASIS DC. None from AZ or DC was admitted.

One of the question interviewers for my Ivy answer on the interview report form is, "Did you enjoy speaking to the applicant?" With BASIS applicants, my answer has generally been, no. As a general rule, these kids barely have a pulse. They mainly wanted to talk about the AP exams they'd aced. By contrast, I've often enjoyed talking to the Walls, Latin and J-R applicants I've interviewed--overall, they seemed to bring more serious and interesting ECs to the table than the BASIS applicants--but none was admitted either. I have no reason to be biased against BASIS applicants. My children now attend public schools in MoCo, where my ex lives.


Good for you!
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 16:43     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You’re a jerk, PP. The parent above may well have done her due diligence. But it’s not easy for the uninitiated to see through the BASIS hype. From what I’ve observed at BASIS, the UMC seniors who crack MIT, Ivies etc. come from families that pay and hustle like mad to round out their kids’ high school educations. Everybody at BASIS with a super bright and industrious kids can’t swing it. It’s tempting to pretend that a BASIS education alone is enough. It’s not.


It is an unfortunate fact that it takes a lot of parental involvement for kids to get into elite colleges no matter where you go to high school. There was an era in which taking the most advanced classes your school offered and doing well on the SAT was sufficient, and that is long over.


Amen. Do you think families just drop their kids off at Sidwell or GDS as freshman and those schools are so good that the top 30ish percent of the class ends up at a T20 national university? You think JR alone creates Ivy admits? You've obviously not been through this process yet.

And just to throw some additional water on your hypothesis, one of the BASIS '25 Ivy admits is a Questbridge Scholar. This is a competitive program where highly selective schools match with low income students and award them a full tuition scholarship. BASIS education was enough for them.


Yes, because First Gen applicants get a break in admissions. This was the story in my generation--I went to an Ivy on a Pell Grant--and still is.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 16:42     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The picture of success above isn't different from Deal and JR.

It's a stretch to claim that BASIS is an improvement over the best of DCPS.


I don't think any parent, satisfied or not, is claiming this, but I'm curious what you think the best of DCPS is. SWW or Banneker? It ain't JR. BASIS is a superior choice to many DCPS options, depending on the student and family. JR families may not frequently look to BASIS as an alternative because JR has historically been a known, relatively low risk option. They may also want to avoid all this smoke that people talk so much about. You might say BASIS's picture of success isn't different from JR, but I'm pretty sure 100% of kids from BASIS end up going to a 4-year college. Would be pretty shocked if JR can make that claim. No slight against those who choose CC, military service, work, etc. after HS, but if we're going to do something stupid like link a public HS's worth to the number of selective college admits they have, then we should also look at the percentage of kids from that school who go to any college. That is BASIS's primary mission. Colleges know the BASIS network is a grind, and kids see the benefit of that come admissions time, relative to their own abilities, talent, resources, etc.


And the point is that top colleges invariably celebrate the "grind," which justifies it? I don't see that. Where is it written that high achievement in high school only pays off if the journey is a grim slog?

Grads from my Ivy willing to interview applicants must be thin on the ground in Arizona because I've been asked to phone interview several dozen in the final days of interview season almost every year in the last decade. I pitched in an interviewed these applicants. I also interviewed around 10 from BASIS DC. None from AZ or DC was admitted.

One of the question interviewers for my Ivy answer on the interview report form is, "Did you enjoy speaking to the applicant?" With BASIS applicants, my answer has generally been, no. As a general rule, these kids barely have a pulse. They mainly wanted to talk about the AP exams they'd aced. By contrast, I've often enjoyed talking to the Walls, Latin and J-R applicants I've interviewed--overall, they seemed to bring more serious and interesting ECs to the table than the BASIS applicants--but none was admitted either. I have no reason to be biased against BASIS applicants. My children now attend public schools in MoCo, where my ex lives.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 16:26     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I wish there were half as much energy around calling out my EOTP DCPS schools as there is around criticizing BASIS. Neither of them is providing a good option for a full range of students, but it's not BASIS which is obligated to do this.


Why isn’t BASIS obligated to provide a good option for a full range of students? BASIS and DCPS are both LEAs. They have the exact same legal obligations.


Charter schools and certain public schools are allowed to have different academic models because the intent is that students self-select into those schools. You wouldn't go to McKinley Tech and complain about the tech part. Whereas neighborhood public schools are supposed to be able to serve the broad range of students in that neighborhood.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 16:04     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:I wish there were half as much energy around calling out my EOTP DCPS schools as there is around criticizing BASIS. Neither of them is providing a good option for a full range of students, but it's not BASIS which is obligated to do this.


Why isn’t BASIS obligated to provide a good option for a full range of students? BASIS and DCPS are both LEAs. They have the exact same legal obligations.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 15:54     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You’re a jerk, PP. The parent above may well have done her due diligence. But it’s not easy for the uninitiated to see through the BASIS hype. From what I’ve observed at BASIS, the UMC seniors who crack MIT, Ivies etc. come from families that pay and hustle like mad to round out their kids’ high school educations. Everybody at BASIS with a super bright and industrious kids can’t swing it. It’s tempting to pretend that a BASIS education alone is enough. It’s not.


It is an unfortunate fact that it takes a lot of parental involvement for kids to get into elite colleges no matter where you go to high school. There was an era in which taking the most advanced classes your school offered and doing well on the SAT was sufficient, and that is long over.


Amen. Do you think families just drop their kids off at Sidwell or GDS as freshman and those schools are so good that the top 30ish percent of the class ends up at a T20 national university? You think JR alone creates Ivy admits? You've obviously not been through this process yet.

And just to throw some additional water on your hypothesis, one of the BASIS '25 Ivy admits is a Questbridge Scholar. This is a competitive program where highly selective schools match with low income students and award them a full tuition scholarship. BASIS education was enough for them.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 15:39     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:I wish there were half as much energy around calling out my EOTP DCPS schools as there is around criticizing BASIS. Neither of them is providing a good option for a full range of students, but it's not BASIS which is obligated to do this.


Period.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 15:38     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:The picture of success above isn't different from Deal and JR.

It's a stretch to claim that BASIS is an improvement over the best of DCPS.


I don't think any parent, satisfied or not, is claiming this, but I'm curious what you think the best of DCPS is. SWW or Banneker? It ain't JR. BASIS is a superior choice to many DCPS options, depending on the student and family. JR families may not frequently look to BASIS as an alternative because JR has historically been a known, relatively low risk option. They may also want to avoid all this smoke that people talk so much about. You might say BASIS's picture of success isn't different from JR, but I'm pretty sure 100% of kids from BASIS end up going to a 4-year college. Would be pretty shocked if JR can make that claim. No slight against those who choose CC, military service, work, etc. after HS, but if we're going to do something stupid like link a public HS's worth to the number of selective college admits they have, then we should also look at the percentage of kids from that school who go to any college. That is BASIS's primary mission. Colleges know the BASIS network is a grind, and kids see the benefit of that come admissions time, relative to their own abilities, talent, resources, etc.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 14:54     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:I wish there were half as much energy around calling out my EOTP DCPS schools as there is around criticizing BASIS. Neither of them is providing a good option for a full range of students, but it's not BASIS which is obligated to do this.


If Dunbar even approached mediocrity, everyone involved would get a medal.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 14:24     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
I wish there were half as much energy around calling out my EOTP DCPS schools as there is around criticizing BASIS. Neither of them is providing a good option for a full range of students, but it's not BASIS which is obligated to do this.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 14:14     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:Clearly, all the NMSF winners and Ivy/T20 admits at Basis are trapped and miserable and would love to be at J-R instead watching kids learn to read and do basic algebra and brawl daily….,

Makes perfect sense.





Yeah, this.

Some reasons we like it:

The kids really learn a lot. I've watched my kid get much smarter as a result of all the learning.
Remarkable lack of bullying.
Lovely peers and families who also value learning.
Handwritten note taking -- this is so much effective for learning.

Do I wish there was another public school in DC that had all of these elements as well as a nice building and more happiness? Yes. We would send our kid there. But IMO, there doesn't seem to be. Before the suburb people and private school people chime in, I know. But we live in DC and private is a bit of a stretch, though I would consider it if my child starts to seem depressed at BASIS.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 14:11     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
The picture of success above isn't different from Deal and JR.

It's a stretch to claim that BASIS is an improvement over the best of DCPS.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 14:10     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:You’re a jerk, PP. The parent above may well have done her due diligence. But it’s not easy for the uninitiated to see through the BASIS hype. From what I’ve observed at BASIS, the UMC seniors who crack MIT, Ivies etc. come from families that pay and hustle like mad to round out their kids’ high school educations. Everybody at BASIS with a super bright and industrious kids can’t swing it. It’s tempting to pretend that a BASIS education alone is enough. It’s not.


It is an unfortunate fact that it takes a lot of parental involvement for kids to get into elite colleges no matter where you go to high school. There was an era in which taking the most advanced classes your school offered and doing well on the SAT was sufficient, and that is long over.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 13:17     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
You’re a jerk, PP. The parent above may well have done her due diligence. But it’s not easy for the uninitiated to see through the BASIS hype. From what I’ve observed at BASIS, the UMC seniors who crack MIT, Ivies etc. come from families that pay and hustle like mad to round out their kids’ high school educations. Everybody at BASIS with a super bright and industrious kids can’t swing it. It’s tempting to pretend that a BASIS education alone is enough. It’s not.
Anonymous
Post 01/21/2025 11:10     Subject: Do parents choose Latin/BASIS over Deal/J-R?
Anonymous wrote:We're on the inside. We know the pros and cons. We're tired of hearing admins and other parents claim that BASIS is wonderful. We're not as impressed with academics as we thought we'd be. We can do better by our children. This will be our last year.


Bye.

Do better research next time.