In Defense of International Baccalaureate
There have been a lot of comments about the International Baccalaureate program on this blog. I thought it would be best to get someone at IB's New York office to set the record straight. One document that office recommends to clarify some of the misconceptions regarding the IB programs is available at http://www.ibo.org (.pdf)).
In addition, Elizabeth Brock, head of research, development, and communications for IB North America, says:
The IB is committed to providing rigorous, international education to students from around the world. In the United States, the IB has received much support from governments and policymakers, including the U.S. Department of Education and local school districts, to increase student achievement and to turn around low-performing schools. The core of our curriculum provides students with critical thinking skills, second-language skills, and an understanding of other cultures in order to prepare them for success in a global economy. We recommend that individuals visit their local IB schools to see the curriculum in action and to speak to students and teachers about the impact of the curriculum on their development and on the school as a whole.
Some facts about the IB: The IB is almost entirely supported by school fees. A small amount (currently about 1 percent of our annual budget) is received through donations for development projects. In developing our curriculum and assessments, we consult with international educators around the world in order to provide all of our students, in all of our countries, with an equal assessment of their work. The IB model is flexible, allowing schools to make many decisions about program implementation locally. The IB does not own or manage any schools. The IB provides curriculum and a process for authorization, assessment, and evaluation. The IB diploma is recognized in more than 2,000 universities in 74 countries. Over 900 universities in the U.S. alone recognize the IB diploma. (This number represents an increase from approximately 275 in 1995.) The IB works proactively with colleges and universities to gain broader recognition for the IB diploma. Several states, such as Texas, Colorado, Georgia, and Florida, have special recognition of the IB diploma that grants IB diploma students a minimum number of credit hours at any of the state universities.
The bottom line: U.S. News , working with our partner School Evaluation Services, a K-12 education data research business run by Standard & Poor's, remains committed to our goal of incorporating International Baccalaureate data into our next edition of the U.S. News America's Best High Schools rankings. We look forward to making a more definitive announcement about our use of the IB in our Best High Schools ranking methodology in the near future.
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Reader Comments
wheelhouse
Well, well, well. I'm glad I bothered to read back a few pages. The layout of this blog is simply awful.
>>>>>>>>>>>>Face it, Observer: your behavior is more than slightly obsessive.
To sum up: I certainly understand that folks sometimes don't like to support public programs with which they don't agree...but where does that attitude end? Should public schools stop installing or maintaining elevators because most students don't need wheelchairs?>>>>>>>>>>>>
And this.. from a university Professor? Obviously not a Professor of anything to do with pre-law. People like you are the reason I have become obsessive over this program, exactly the reason. Prior to my IB Obsession, I was the VP for our district's SEPTA, that would be Special Education PTA. In the State of NY, there are no specific laws which protect the rights of the gifted, unlike NC and a couple of other States, so addressing the needs of gifted and talented students fell under the SEPTA umbrella, as well as the needs of the students with disabilities. Those students, specifically those who have the misfortune of being confined to a wheelchair, Wheelhouse, are protected under a Federal Law, you may have heard of it, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ring a bell? So your snarky question as to whether public schools should stop installing elevators because most students don't need wheelchairs (a Federally mandated requirement) vs. using public money to fund a non-mandatory controversial foreign program, demonstrates your complete lack of understanding of civil rights, civics and U.S. sovereignty.
But perhaps you were an IB grad yourself. ;-)
to Sue of NY
Since your district is considering the MYP in an effort to "raise academic standards", allow me to refer you to a doctoral thesis which studied MYP vs. Non-MYP:
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04172006-173212/unrestricted/DissertationDeborahRJackson.pdf
Please feel free to present these results to your administrators as scholarly evidence that MYP will NOT improve your academic standards.
[CONT.}
MYTH: IB programs are pilot programs for UNESCO and the UN, developed for the purpose of
creating an “international education system.”
FACT: The IB was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in 1968 as a non-profit educational foundation. Its original purpose was to facilitate the international mobility of students preparing for university by providing schools with a curriculum and diploma recognized by universities
around the world. Since then its mission has expanded, and it now seeks to make an IB education available to students of all ages. The IB, along with approximately 400 other organizations, is part of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). This relationship with the United Nations and its agencies does not extend to curriculum development or assessments.
In 1996, IBO officially formed a partnership with UNESCO to create what it called “a universal curriculum framework for world peace.” According to the UNESCO website, “UNESCO leads the global Education for All movement, aiming to meet the learning needs of all children, youth and adults by 2015.” It is also important to note that funding to IBO from UNESCO has continued to the present day and is evidenced in any of IBO’s Annual Reports under Contributors. Ian Hill, IBO’s Deputy Director, has been quoted as saying, “The primary goal of IBO is the promotion of World Citizenship.”
IBO is guilty of lying by omission. Whatever value or benefit can be found within the DP in terms of educational rigor must be countered with the knowledge that IBO lies about its true agenda and relationship with UNESCO. From its intellectual origins in 1948, to its current agreement with UNESCO for “Peace Education” which is in effect through 2010, IBO is undeniably philosophically and fiscally committed to integrate UNESCO’s educational goals into its curriculum. It is therefore completely disingenuous and misleading of IBO to frame the two statements above as “myths”. IBO’s “facts” merely confirm the “myths”, but also take it a step further by attempting to deny its primary goal of creating an “international education system”.
I, for one, am sick and tired of IBO and its supporters calling those of us who have researched this organization's history and documents being called liars and conspiracy theorists. If parents can't trust an organization to tell the truth about its origins, philosophy and fiscal ties, how can we possibly trust the same organization to teach children how to "know what they know" ?
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