Basis Schools
{{Short description|Primarily Arizonan charter school operator}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = BASIS Curriculum Schools, Inc.
| pronounce =
| formation = {{start date and age|1998|11|p=1}}
| founder = Michael and Olga Block
| founding_location = Tucson, AZ
| type = 501(c)(3)
| tax_id = 86-0908854
| revenue_year = 2016{{cite web|title=Basis Schools Inc Form 990 2015|date=9 May 2013 |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/860908854|publisher=ProPublica|access-date=27 January 2018}}
| website = {{URL|basiscurriculumschools.com/home.php}}
}}
BASIS Curriculum Schools, Inc. is a global network of both public and private schools that use the BASIS Curriculum.{{Cite web|title=BASIS Curriculum Schools|url=http://basiscurriculumschools.com/home.php|access-date=2020-08-31|website=basiscurriculumschools.com}} BASIS Curriculum Schools are made up of BASIS Charter Schools, BASIS Independent Schools, and BASIS International Schools.
BASIS Curriculum Schools are managed by BASIS Educational Group, LLC (stylized as BASIS.ed), a for-profit charter management organization based in Scottsdale, Arizona.{{cite web|last1=|first1=|date=|title=BASIS.ed|url=http://www.basised.com/|access-date=October 30, 2018|website=BASIS.ed website}} In April 2019, the five independent BASIS Schools in New York, California, Washington, and Virginia were purchased by Spring Education Group.{{Cite web |last=Brody |first=Leslie |date=29 April 2019 |title=Parents Voice Concerns Over Sale of Basis Independent Schools |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/parents-voice-concern-over-sale-of-basis-independent-schools-11556583203 |access-date=6 July 2024 |website=The Well Street Journal}} BASIS Curriculum Schools seek to prepare students, in the elementary through high school level, to be competitive globally. This is done through extended homework hours, lecture-driven classes, an emphasis on success in standardized tests, like Advanced Placement tests, and an opportunity to graduate early or complete a senior project.
BASIS Curriculum Schools utilize a LET/SET model for PreK-4th grade education. The term LET stands for Learning Expert Teachers, who serve as homeroom teachers and accompany students throughout the day. SETs are Subject Expert Teachers who teach individual subjects. Once a child enters the middle school program in 5th grade, LETs are no longer utilized and no longer have a homeroom and instead navigate between classes on their own.{{Cite web |title=Teaching at BASIS |url=https://basised.com/careers/teaching-at-basis/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=BASIS Ed |language=en-US}}
History
The first BASIS Curriculum School, BASIS Tucson, was founded in Tucson in 1998 by Michael Block and Olga Block, intending to educate students at an internationally competitive level.
In 2003, BASIS Scottsdale was opened. In 2010, BASIS Oro Valley was founded. A year later, BASIS opened three schools at once in Chandler, Peoria, and Flagstaff.[http://azdailysun.com/news/local/education/basis-applies-to-become-k--school/article_8238db4b-954e-5fee-9162-a1be1ae4763b.html "Basis applies to become K-12 school"]. Arizona Daily Sun, December 09, 2014 MICHELLE McMANIMON BASIS continued its expansion by opening another school in Tucson and one in Phoenix proper in fall 2012, along with their first non-Arizona school, located in Washington, D.C. In 2013, BASIS opened its tenth and eleventh Arizona campuses in Ahwatukee and Mesa, and the second non-Arizona campus was added in San Antonio, Texas. BASIS also began its primary (K-4) program at the original BASIS Tucson site. In 2014, BASIS opened in Prescott, AZ. In 2015, BASIS opened its sixteenth Arizona school in Goodyear, AZ.{{cite web|url=http://basisschools.org|title=BASIS Schools - BASIS Schools|publisher=}} In the following year, BASIS Independent McLean opened in McLean, VA.
BASIS was featured in the documentary film 2 Million Minutes: A 21st Century Solution, which examined differences between charter schools' curricula and conventional public schools.{{cite news|last=Cavanagh |first=Sean |url=http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2009/09/two_million_minutes_in_a_coupl.html |title='Two Million Minutes,' in a Couple Paragraphs - Curriculum Matters - Education Week |newspaper=Education Week |publisher=Blogs.edweek.org |date= 22 September 2009|access-date=2012-06-11}} In response to the documentary, Newt Gingrich and Al Sharpton visited a BASIS campus to deliver speeches on the importance of education in America.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/SchoolGrounds/63114 |title=blogs - School Grounds - Sharpton and Gingrich Visiting BASIS |publisher=Azcentral.com |date= |access-date=2012-06-11}}* http://www.azfamily.com/news/Scottsdale-school-wins-international-recognition-274832381.html {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20150124150224/http://www.azfamily.com/news/Scottsdale-school-wins-international-recognition-274832381.html |date=2015-01-24 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/chandler/article_0254fd44-1e8b-11e4-b5a6-0019bb2963f4.html|title=BASIS Chandler ranks among world's best in international test|work=East Valley Tribune}}{{cite web|url=http://www.raisingarizonakids.com/2014/05/basis-scottsdale-ranked-best-high-school-az/|title=Early prep earns BASIS Scottsdale "best" AZ high school - Raising Arizona Kids Magazine|date=9 May 2014 |publisher=}}
They opened BASIS Independent Bellevue in Washington for the 2022-2023 school year.{{cite web |last=Schools |first=BASIS Independent |title=BASIS Independent Bellevue Summer Campus Tours |website=BASIS Independent Schools |url=https://info.basisindependent.com/basis-independent-bellevue-campus-tours |access-date=2022-11-28}}
Locations
There are currently 59 BASIS Curriculum schools. 43 of these are public charter schools found in Arizona, Louisiana, Texas and Washington, D.C. Six of these are private BASIS Independent Schools found in New York City, Northern Virginia, Silicon Valley, California and Bellevue, Washington State. Ten are privately owned international schools found in China, Bangkok, Thailand and the Czech Republic. There are plans to open more international schools in China for the 2023-2024 school year in Shenzhen and Wuhan.{{Cite web |title=BASIS Curriculum Schools |url=https://basiscurriculumschools.com/home.php |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=basiscurriculumschools.com}}
Successes
BASIS schools have regularly topped U.S. national school rankings, earning the top five spots and more among the U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools 2017 rankings,{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/rankings-overview|title=U.S. News & World Report Best High Schools|last=|first=|date=October 30, 2018|website=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602050231/http://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/rankings-overview|archive-date=2016-06-02|access-date=}} and earning the number one spot on the list of America's Most Challenging High Schools published by The Washington Post.
Controversy
Both BASIS schools and their parent organization have been criticized and controversial. Critics contend that Basis fails to provide adequate financial transparency and accountability as it uses for-profit management companies.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/20121119editorial1121-charters-transparent.html |title=Charter transparency |publisher=Azcentral.com |date= |access-date=2012-12-17}} Another investigative article in 2010 questioned the founders' salary compared to the teachers and other public school administrators.{{cite web|url=http://azstarnet.com/news/blogs/senor-reporter/sr-reporter-basis-school-execs-salaries-rose-fast/article_a428653c-d706-11df-9137-001cc4c002e0.html|title=Basis School Execs Salaries Rose Fast|publisher=Azcentral.com |date= |access-date=2013-10-20}}
Other critics take issue with BASIS's accelerated curriculum and general educational philosophy. Some argue that BASIS focuses too much on standardized testing.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/10/13-ways-high-stakes-standardized-tests-hurt-students/|title= 13 Ways High-Stakes Standardized Tests Hurt Students|work=washingtonpost.com |date= |access-date=2014-05-19}} Critics also point out that BASIS's performance in national ranking systems like the U.S. News & World Report is largely a function of Basis's singular focus on mandatory Advanced Placement (AP) testing, as these ranking systems give great weight to the percentage of students at a school that take the AP tests.{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/articles/2014/04/21/how-us-news-calculated-the-2014-best-high-schools-rankings|title= US News "Best Schools" Ranking System|publisher=usnews.com |date= |access-date=2014-05-19}} Critics also take issue with BASIS's attrition rates (senior classes are typically a third to a quarter of the size of the fifth-grade class) and argue that BASIS achieves good test scores in part by weeding out under-performing students.{{cite web|url=http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2013/04/conservatives-on-basis-charter-print-the-legend.html |title=conservatives on BASIS print the legend |publisher=blogforarizona.com |date= |access-date=2013-04-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501003341/http://www.blogforarizona.com/blog/2013/04/conservatives-on-basis-charter-print-the-legend.html |archive-date=2013-05-01 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.tucsonweekly.com/TheRange/archives/2014/04/23/basis-and-university-high-are-top-us-high-schools-which-means|title= BASIS and University High are Top U.S. High Schools, which means...?|publisher=tucsonweekly.com |date= |access-date=2014-05-19}}{{cite web|url=http://blogforarizona.net/basis-charters-education-model-success-by-attrition|title=Success by Attrition|publisher=blogforarizona.com|date= 17 April 2013|access-date=2014-06-22}} In 2013, the District of Columbia Public Charter School Board rejected a request from BASIS DC to expand, citing concerns about the high number of students who had withdrawn from the school since it opened.{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-charter-board-rejects-request-from-basis-to-expand/2013/04/16/32a735ee-a69a-11e2-8302-3c7e0ea97057_story.html|title=DC charter board rejects request from BASIS to expand|work=washingtonpost.com|date= |access-date=2014-06-24}}
Arizona BASIS schools solicit contributions from parents, an unusual practice for publicly funded schools. BASIS Scottsdale asks $1,500 per student. BASIS teachers make less than the average public school teachers in the state, although BASIS.ed contends that bonuses make teacher compensation competitive. Teachers typically receive bonuses for students' scores on Advanced Placement exams.{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2018/05/07/basis-charter-schools-seek-big-donations-parents-subsidize-low-teacher-pay/473963002/|title=At Basis charter schools, another way to boost teacher pay: Parent donations|publisher=Arizona Republic|date= May 7, 2018 |author= Craig Harris |access-date=2018-11-08}}
Most recently, a controversy has sparked over the BASIS independent schools' affiliation with the Chinese Communist Party. Fred Zuliu Hu, the CEO of Primavera Capital Group, which controls Spring Education Group, was named as a previous one-time senior member of the CCP. As a result, Florida's Department of Education suspended scholarships to other schools owned by Spring Education group. Following the publication of a New York Post article calling out Hu's alleged affiliation, Primavera Capital Group responded, claiming “Your characterization of Fred Hu in the article is incorrect. He is not a member of the CCP or any other political party. He was not a CCP member at the time when he was an executive at Goldman Sachs.”{{Cite web |title=Hu, Fred Zuliu（胡祖六） |url=https://www.bschool.cuhk.edu.hk/staff/hu-zuliu-fred/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=CUHK Business School |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Vincent |first=Isabel |date=2023-10-04 |title=NYC private schools owned by 'Chinese Communist Party-linked boss' |url=https://nypost.com/2023/10/04/new-york-city-private-schools-owned-by-chinese-communist-party-boss/ |access-date=2024-07-08 |language=en-US}}
References
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Category:Charter schools in Arizona
Category:Charter management organizations
Category:Educational institutions established in 1998
Category:1998 establishments in Arizona
Category:Education in Scottsdale, Arizona
Category:Education in Tucson, Arizona
Category:Education in Chandler, Arizona
Category:Education in Pima County, Arizona