Teachers play a pivotal role in the decision to implement an IB program. In recognizing the importance of teachers, IBO provides many opportunities for teachers to learn about the programs and participate in their development.
Professional Opportunities for Teachers
IB offers many levels of training for school faculty wanting to learn about the programs. Information for workshops can be found on the IBO website, http://www.ibo.org/ibna/workshops/ . The subregional organization, GIBS, http://www.commack.k12.ny.us/chs/gibs/, is also a useful resource.
Once a school is authorized teachers have many opportunities to participate in the development of the curriculum and assessment, consult schools as they pursue authorization, and train other teachers. For a more complete list of the opportunities available for teachers, visit the volunteers section of the Volunteers section of the IBNA website, http://www.ibo.org/ibna/volunteers/ .
Information on the IB Programmes for Teachers
If you are not familiar with the programs that IB offers or if you want to learn more, the IBO website, http://www.ibo.org, is a valuable resource. In particular, the curriculum pages provide information on the different subject areas. Two brochures on the IBO website, A School’s Guide and A Basis for Practice, provide very good overview of the programs.
Diploma Page Programme: http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum
Middle Years Programme: http://www.ibo.org/myp/curriculum
Primary Years Programme: http://www.ibo.org/pyp/curriculum
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Q&A with an IB Coordinator
Langston Hughes Middle School is a diverse school in Fairfax County, Virginia, that follows a whole school approach to the Middle Years Programme, meaning every student in the school is participating in the program. Because the Middle Years Programme covers grades 6 through 10, Langston Hughes Middle School partners with a high school, JEB Stuart High School, that also offers the IB Diploma Programme. Students who complete the MYP are given the opportunity to continue in the IB Diploma program in 11th and 12th grades.
In order to learn more about their whole schools approach, please read the article from the IBNA Journal of Best Practices.
In addition, read the Q&A with the current MYP Coordinator at Langston Hughes Middle School, Jim Albright.
The IB was featured in Edutopia in 11/2006.
IB Schools in New Jersey
For the most current list of schools in New Jersey, visit the IBO website. As of January 2006, the schools in New Jersey include the following:
Bergen County Academies
Bernards High School
Cherry Hill High School West
Henry C. Beck Middle School
Hoboken High School
Linden High School
Newark Academy
Rosa International Middle School
Thomas Paine Elementary School
West Morris Central High School
West Morris Mendham High School
Recognition for the IB programmes
The IB programmes are widely recognized for the quality and high standards:
- Newsweek’s list of “Best Public Schools” in 2007 included 172 IB World Schools located in 26 states and the District of Columbia. Two additional articles mentioning the IB, “A Global Test Gains Ground” and “The Principal Principle,” were also included in this year's edition.
- The US Department of Education has increased recognition for the IB programs by including IB in the funding for both the GEAR UP and the Small Learning Communities programs. These programs offer more than $400 million of funding for programs that increase student achievement and college preparation.
- In November 2007, Minnesota awarded $2 million to six school districts to expand the IB in the districts, preparing more students for rigorous courses and post-secondary education.
- In November 2007, the Thomas B. Fordham Institute released a report, AP and IB – Do They Deserve Gold Star Status? The authors, Chester Finn and Sheila Byrd, found that the IB program and assessments are “rigorous, fair and intellectually richer than almost any state standard and exam for high school that we’ve seen.” In addition, they recommended that policy makers “either make state high school exit requirements and assessments more like” IB or allow “credits to serve as proof that students have met rigorous high school exit expectations.”
- A recent article in The American Educator, “Up Close, Typical State Biology Standards Don't Have the Content or Coherence of the International Baccalaureate,” by Paul R. Gross, author and emeritus professor of life sciences, former vice president and provost, University of Virginia, commends the IB biology curriculum for having “tighter quality control over the syllabi, as well as the mounting and grading of assessments, so that results from schools all over the world are intercomparable.”
- Time magazine reports in 12/2006 how IB offers ways to orient US students and schools to a global economy.
- Newsweek’s 2005 Challenge Index identifies 4 IB schools of the top 10 public schools in the US. Jefferson County IB School is number one.
- A 2005 issues of Macleans magazine recognizes top schools in Canada. 5 IB schools appear on the top of the list.
- NASSP announces the 2005 principal of the year, Mel Riddile, at JEB Stuart HS in Fairfax County, VA.
- A 2001 article in Education Week calls IB the “Cadillac of education programs”
Educators and university admissions professionals also recognize the quality of IB programmes and students:
"It may be the best-kept secret in high school reform." The IB program, he said, is generally regarded as "the gold standard of high school curriculum in admissions circles."
Barmak Nassirian, Associate Executive Director
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers
As we become more and more of a global society, and our schools represent a greater diversity of students, it is essential that the schools' curriculum and instructional strategies reflect the changing landscape of our educational environment. To this end, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) provides rigorous academic programmes and assessments, a high quality teaching staff and an unwavering commitment to prepare students to be citizens in an international community. IBO is to be commended for its visionary approach to promoting a more peaceful world by engaging students, staff and community in a greater awareness of, and appreciation for, differences between and among the peoples of the world.
Dr. Gerald Tirozzi, Executive Director
National Association of Secondary School Principals
There will be an increasing premium on educational systems that can travel more easily across borders and meet the needs of globally organized businesses and social services. For example, the well-known Geneva-based International Baccalaureate secondary school programme is now used in [over 700] schools throughout the world; and the International Baccalaureate Organization has developed elementary and middle school curricula. Such trends and systems may not directly challenge individual and cultural identity; indeed their success across the globe presupposes that they do not clash with local values in Detroit, Denmark or Delhi.
Howard Gardner
One of the advantages of an IB curriculum is its structure and quality. It is a coordinated programme, well established, well known and well respected. We know the quality of IB courses, and we think the IB curriculum is terrific.
Christoph Guttentag, Director of Undergraduate Admissions
Duke University
Research and Case Studies on the IB
There have been numerous studies done on the impact of IB programs. In order to view a presentation of the studies, click here.
How does a high school with strong AP offerings bring in IB? Read a case study from Binghamton High School, which has successfully implemented both programs.