Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

I call BS and think you are troll or disgruntled employee. We are a former Basis family, we left for a specific HS which was always the plan. The community was great. The challenge at a MS/ HS school like Basis DC is that students come from all over the city and mostly get there on their own. That dynamic required a different way of thinkng to build the community. There has been an effort to do this by using room parents to organize activities, in addition to school wide events.

Most of the staff and administration were caring and passionate about what kids are capable of doing.

I think the model is tremendous. As a charter school in DC, they had to take anyone who applied. They grossly underestimated how far behind some children would be, and how long it would take to remediate and the severe behavioral problems they woulkd encounter. As a rigorous, private school model I would absolutely choose Basis. They can select students, admitting children who were bright, wanted to learn, are on grade level, and who don't hijack the learning environment with their behavioral problems.

If you have no experience with the school, your comments are not really germane to this discussion. However, it is obvious you like to bloviate asnd detract from any new venture.

This thread is about BASIS McLean, so actually it's your comments that are not really germane to the discussion.

As a satisfied customer, I believe my experience is germane. Bless your heart, being snowed in with your family is making you cranky.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

I call BS and think you are troll or disgruntled employee. We are a former Basis family, we left for a specific HS which was always the plan. The community was great. The challenge at a MS/ HS school like Basis DC is that students come from all over the city and mostly get there on their own. That dynamic required a different way of thinkng to build the community. There has been an effort to do this by using room parents to organize activities, in addition to school wide events.

Most of the staff and administration were caring and passionate about what kids are capable of doing.

I think the model is tremendous. As a charter school in DC, they had to take anyone who applied. They grossly underestimated how far behind some children would be, and how long it would take to remediate and the severe behavioral problems they woulkd encounter. As a rigorous, private school model I would absolutely choose Basis. They can select students, admitting children who were bright, wanted to learn, are on grade level, and who don't hijack the learning environment with their behavioral problems.

If you have no experience with the school, your comments are not really germane to this discussion. However, it is obvious you like to bloviate asnd detract from any new venture.

This thread is about BASIS McLean, so actually it's your comments that are not really germane to the discussion.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

I call BS and think you are troll or disgruntled employee. We are a former Basis family, we left for a specific HS which was always the plan. The community was great. The challenge at a MS/ HS school like Basis DC is that students come from all over the city and mostly get there on their own. That dynamic required a different way of thinkng to build the community. There has been an effort to do this by using room parents to organize activities, in addition to school wide events.

Most of the staff and administration were caring and passionate about what kids are capable of doing.

I think the model is tremendous. As a charter school in DC, they had to take anyone who applied. They grossly underestimated how far behind some children would be, and how long it would take to remediate and the severe behavioral problems they woulkd encounter. As a rigorous, private school model I would absolutely choose Basis. They can select students, admitting children who were bright, wanted to learn, are on grade level, and who don't hijack the learning environment with their behavioral problems.

If you have no experience with the school, your comments are not really germane to this discussion. However, it is obvious you like to bloviate asnd detract from any new venture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

I call BS and think you are troll or disgruntled employee. We are a former Basis family, we left for a specific HS which was always the plan. The community was great. The challenge at a MS/ HS school like Basis DC is that students come from all over the city and mostly get there on their own. That dynamic required a different way of thinkng to build the community. There has been an effort to do this by using room parents to organize activities, in addition to school wide events.

Most of the staff and administration were caring and passionate about what kids are capable of doing.

I think the model is tremendous. As a charter school in DC, they had to take anyone who applied. They grossly underestimated how far behind some children would be, and how long it would take to remediate and the severe behavioral problems they woulkd encounter. As a rigorous, private school model I would absolutely choose Basis. They can select students, admitting children who were bright, wanted to learn, are on grade level, and who don't hijack the learning environment with their behavioral problems.

If you have no experience with the school, your comments are not really germane to this discussion. However, it is obvious you like to bloviate asnd detract from any new venture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

I call BS and think you are troll or disgruntled employee. We are a former Basis family, we left for a specific HS which was always the plan. The community was great. The challenge at a MS/ HS school like Basis DC is that students come from all over the city and mostly get there on their own. That dynamic required a different way of thinkng to build the community. There has been an effort to do this by using room parents to organize activities, in addition to school wide events.

Most of the staff and administration were caring and passionate about what kids are capable of doing.

I think the model is tremendous. As a charter school in DC, they had to take anyone who applied. They grossly underestimated how far behind some children would be, and how long it would take to remediate and the severe behavioral problems they woulkd encounter. As a rigorous, private school model I would absolutely choose Basis. They can select students, admitting children who were bright, wanted to learn, are on grade level, and who don't hijack the learning environment with their behavioral problems.

If you have no experience with the school, your comments are not really germane to this discussion. However, it is obvious you like to bloviate asnd detract from any new venture.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is Chris interested in the schools at all or is he just a profit driven salesman?

I think it's hard to work at BASIS and be truly interested or invested in the schools. There's no effort to build community and excellence at current schools, it's all about expansion. We get used to thinking of the school as a product. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the families and students are individuals with their own unique hopes, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. To us, they become numbers. It's sad, really.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is low interest in BASIS in McLean, IMO, because families in this area have access to great public and private options apart from BASIS, which include educational opportunities that BASIS cannot or will struggle to provide - e.g., post Calculus math + theater + soccer + crew + choir + yearbook + community service clubs + debate teams + dozens of AP options + choice of several languages + even driver's ed. In other words, in McLean, one can create an experience much like BASIS at a more traditional school setting (not in Tysons Corner office building). It might work better whetr there are plenty of smart kids but less options ....

Agreed. An office building isn't a school. But, BASIS isn't a school. It's a for-profit business for the Blocks where students are a number, admins come and go each year, admissions staff are pressured to perform and paid bonuses when they do, and students are just a number. That sounds way better than a public school! Let's all pay for that!

I attended an open house and it was packed with parents and students. Ideas were discussed back and forth and I found the administration to be open and approachable. The school sounds like a very similar model to Nysmith, from the office building facade to the for profit status. Nysmith is a very popular school in NVA and attracts kids from as far as Arlington to Leesburg.

I am sure that there will be bumps in the road with a new school but I find it very hard to believe that they aren't getting the interest they expected. Maybe it's not translating to applications yet but it will. Maybe because there's rolling admissions, people aren't feeling pressured to complete the process yet?

Anonymous wrote:This thread has become useless as its impossible to tell the players without a score card. The detractors sound like nervous competition not current employees trying to enlighten others.