BASIS SCHOOLS

T H E NE W W

A Y TO E

X C E L L E N T ED U C A T I O

N

Valerie Stannard

WHAT IS THEIR MISSION?• BASIS seeks to provide an accelerated liberal

arts education at internationally competitive levels for all students.

• The rigorous college preparatory education at BASIS readies students for:

• competitive admissions processes• helps them become eligible for scholarships • prepares them to prosper at top colleges • enriching lives.

WHAT’S SO DIFFERENT ABOUT BASIS SCHOOLS? ANSWER: THEIR

PHILOSOPHY• BASIS seeks to educate American students at an

internationally competitive level.

• BASIS prepares middle and high school students to compete with their peers in countries with highly performing educational systems, such as Finland, Canada, Japan, and Korea with:• Raised academic expectations, implemented through accelerated

curriculums that push students to reach their highest potential.

• The BASIS educational philosophy, which is quite straightforward, rests on three legs: A rigorous curriculum, student accountability, and knowledgeable and effective teachers.

RIGOROUS CURRICULUM• They implement an internationally

benchmarked and challenging liberal arts curriculum.

STUDENT ACCOUNTABILITY• They teach students to take responsibility for

their educational achievement.

• They hold students accountable for mastering grade level material through Comprehensive and Board Examinations.

• They teach students organizational and study skills in the early middle school grades.

KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EFFECTIVE TEACHERS

• BASIS recruits and hires knowledgeable and effective teachers who are capable of conveying difficult concepts and content to young students.

• BASIS rewards teachers for the learning gains made by their students through the Annual Teacher Fund, a private fundraising campaign that raises private dollars to provide top quality teachers with salary supplements and bonuses.

• BASIS gives its expert teachers a large degree of autonomy in curriculum design and pedagogy.

THE BASIS MODEL:A WORLD-COMPETITIVE

CURRICULUM• On the whole, quality of American education has been declining.

• BASIS offers the type of education students receive in top performing education systems around the world and type of education American students will need to compete in the global economy.

• The BASIS curriculum is consistent with the highest international academic standards and is designed to help students develop academic and organizational skills, as well as a deep knowledge base.

• Their goal is to motivate students to reach their highest academic potential and prepare them for the demands of college and the workforce.

THE BASIS MODEL:INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED

ASSESSMENTS• Throughout the U.S., many schools claim to offer

rigorous college-preparatory education but fail to offer data to validate their claims.

• At BASIS, they ensure all students have mastered the material they will need for success in future years by implementing Comprehensive exams and comprehensive external benchmarking systems, or Board Examination systems, like the Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) program.

NATIONAL R

ANKINGS

THE BASIS MODEL:OPEN ENROLLMENT AND TUITION

FEES• BASIS schools are open-enrollment public

charter schools which do not administer entrance examinations and do not charge tuition.

• Any student can attend if there is space available; a registration lottery determines admissions if there are more students interested than the school can accommodate.

WHY ARE THEY THE FUTURE?

• Competitiveness around the world is becoming more intense.

• Americans are losing jobs to those from overseas who’ve had adequate schooling.

• The school is the best of both worlds: a combination of the best European and American educational traditions.• European: Academic rigor.• American: Promoting creativity, problem solving, free

expression, and a sense of community.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE?

WHY SHOULD WE CARE, CONT.• The future of the U.S. depends on our ability to compete in global

markets using creativity and innovation to develop differentiated products and services.

• The key to creativity and innovation is an educated workforce.

• Other countries, like India and China, are realizing that education is the key to global competitiveness and are investing in their children's education.

• Most Americans feel that the U.S. is well positioned to compete using its creativity and innovation.

• (As many as 20 percent of Americans are functionally illiterate, and our high school math and science achievement test scores rank near the bottom of industrialized nations.)

WHY SHOULD WE CARE, CONT.• Creativity and innovation are not reserved for the intellectual elite.

• Everyone needs to be educated to contribute to our global competitiveness, but many Americans are receiving less than a basic education.

• The high school graduation rate and achievement scores of urban public school students are abysmal compared to our better suburban schools.

• BE CONCERNED, because there will be few employment opportunities for poorly educated Americans in the future.

• U.S. manufacturing, once a haven for the poorly educated, will become increasingly high tech as low-value-added labor is replaced by technology.

• Modern manufacturing will require more mind than muscle.

WHY SHOULD WE CARE, CONT.• Few U.S. college graduates receive technical degrees.

• As a culture, we seem to value law or political science more than engineering or science, but we need engineers and scientists to compete in an increasing technological world.

• The U.S. has the best technical colleges and universities in the world, but many of our engineering graduate students are foreigners.

• Soon, China will graduate ten times (and India five times) more engineers and scientists than the U.S..

WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM?

• Strong math and science programs in elementary school and builds on that foundation in high school = BASIS Schools.

• Adequate basic education = BASIS Schools.

• THIS NEW SCHOOLING SYSTEM COULD SAVE US FROM OURSELVES!! BELIEVE IN IT AND

EMBRACE THE NEEDED CHANGE!!

STILL NOT CONVINCED?Well, here are some parent reviews of children who attend a BASIS School.

FIVE STAR RATING• Three of my children go to this school. We absolutely LOVE it!! I cannot believe how

much they are learning. They come home and have such interesting discussions with us, and we feel they are truly being prepared for life. Some people worry about sending their kids to Basis because they definitely have to work hard. My feeling is kids need to be taught to work and we have trouble with that in our American culture. Basis provides a way for me to instill work ethic in my kids. They do have sports and a lot of extra curricular activities, however, it isn't like a public school where there is a lot of money for these things. The sports at Basis can't compare to public schools. but the education is so good it is a worthwhile trade. I played four years of volleyball in high school, and it never got me anywhere in life. I would have been better off spending my time studying at a school like Basis. Furthermore, most of the kids at Basis care about school and come from homes where school is emphasized. There is peer pressure to succeed. I like that. My kids have been much less exposed to the moral "junk" they would be getting in public school by going to Basis. We love it!!

• Posted April 4th, 2012 by a parent on www.greatschools.org

STILL NOT CONVINCED?Well, here are some parent reviews of children who attend a

BASIS School.FIVE STAR RATING

• BASIS teachers all have Bachelors degree. BASIS teachers stay at school for hours to help students. BASIS teachers are included in at least one extra curricular or an elective. BASIS students have a higher chance of getting into a college. BASIS students have a 100% passing grade on AIMS. BASIS students are able to graduate by eleventh grade due to the advanced curriculum. 100% percent of BASIS students are accepted into four year colleges. BASIS school have been visited by well known colleges (I.e. Harvard, Yale, U of A, etc.) BASIS schools are very well supported by many parents. To sum it all up: Great School ~BASIS Students

Posted March 31st , 2012 by a parent on www.greatschools.org

STILL NOT CONVINCED?Well, here are some parent reviews of children who attend a BASIS

School.FIVE STAR RATING

• This is our daughter's second year at BASIS, and we couldn't be happier!! When we moved to AZ- before we had children, I was told of the state of the schools in Tucson. As a medical practitioner, who often helped to write contracts with TUSD, I learned quickly that this wasn't where I wanted my children to obtain their education. After K-4 in a catholic school, our daughter transferred to BASIS. Yes, they have homework, but not 3-4 hours per night!! She averages 2 hours per night. The teachers and staff at BASIS are outstanding. They all offer several additional hours per week for tutoring if your child has questions and to work on homework. The educators there truly care about my child and have gone the extra mile to provide guidance when needed. Our daughter is not a "brainiac" by any means, but she is achieving great things at BASIS, and we are very grateful for the opportunities BASIS has given her.

Posted January 26th , 2012 by a parent on www.greatschools.org

LINKS• https://www.basisschools.org/

• http://www.insyte-consulting.com/InTheNews/Editorials/USNeedsToManufactureBetterEducation

• http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=1560&page=1&state=AZ