<p>The URL below is for an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on attacks on the International Baccalaureate program. My S1 graduated with an IB diploma from Southwest H.S six years ago. It was a terrific program. One of the teachers quoted, Mr. Denysenko, was his teacher for AP US History. Indeed a conservative politically, he is an excellent teacher who encouraged the students to express opposing points of view, as long as they backed their arguments up with facts. It's ironic that the program is being attacked as "un-American" by right wing extremists, since this teacher was in fact one of the few teachers my son had in Minnesota who was an articulate conservative. However, I would say that his ability to teach students to think for themselves and not just reflect the prevailing point of view (which in the Twin Cities tends to be liberal) is typical of the IB program. S1 has since racked up some impressive academic achievements, as do many graduates of the program. It's unfortunate that knowledge and academic achievement are viewed as a threat to our values by some.</p>
<p>Oh well....:) We discussed this last year. It is an expensive program but I think great for some kids. I will be at an IB training session this summer in the SouthWest and I think there will be some discussion on how fast IB is gaining acceptance and notoriety in the States. My son did the full Diploma. It was the right type of program for him and he loved it and did well. He was tested in so many different ways and he being a great speaker did fine on his orals. And the tests were mostly essay, and he does better on essay than multiple choice. It works on the different intelligences. In the end, he outdid the good students which blew me away.</p>
<p>IB is awesome, hardwork but definitely a great program. I repeatedy find these extremist , almost fanatical, right wingers to be moronic. How can education be "un-american". America prosperity owes a lot of it to the intelligence of its people and the many opportunities for a good education.</p>
<p>In Fairfax County, the lower-performing schools advanced course offerings were changed from AP to IB. This was done to attract the stellar students in AP schools to these IB schools (like a mini-magnet). 6 years later (with the notable exception of 1 maybe 2 IB schools), parents look down on the IB schools and fight to pupil-place their kids into AP schools.</p>
<p>Something's gone wrong in my local system's IB program, as fewer kids are getting the full Diploma. Last year more got the IB Certificate. I would say that that is the point where the school system should be looking at whether or not it's worth it to keep it, as it's expensive.</p>
<p>my younger son is in the middle years IB program ( and will continue through with the full diploma) and my older son is considering completing school at an IB school.</p>
<p>I am impressed with the program, but it all depends on what you want. I want my kids to have a global outlook -- not a focused, narrow, "america is the only answer" view. So, for us, it is perfect. I want them to tnink for themselves, understand other people's points of view and be able to step outside the box -- and to me, that is what IB is trying to teach.</p>
<p>From what I've read about the IB controversy the main problem these people have with the program is that they believe it teaches moral relativism as opposed to moral absolutism (obviously religious morals). They opposed the IB "based on ideological grounds because it teaches a sense of global citizenship which is contrary to what it is to be an American." As an American who just graduated from an IB world school I find that attitude troubling and frightening. The IB was a truly enlightening and rewarding program for me.</p>
<p>I'm a right-wing conservative (but not of the religious variety) and I am excited and thrilled that my girl will be starting in an IB program next fall.</p>
<p>The program is more popular in certain areas than others. I know there are quite a few IB schools in North Carolina. It all depends on the state and its school districts. It's also popular internationally, particularly in Europe.</p>
<p>how do the adcom of the prestigous universities like ivy league assessment on IB program in term of admission as I heard they prefer AP than IB, to what extend is that true and why?</p>
<p>My daughter is finishing up her first year of pre-ib and it is everything we thought it would be. In our county you must be a good student, receive teacher recommendations, write an essay, and take a math test to be accepted into this anti-American program. We drive twenty miles to go to an old school in a poor neighborhood and it is fantastic. We are lucky we only will have to pay for the testing her senior year. We wanted our daughter to go to this program not only for it's global thinking, but for the fact that you have to be a well-rounded student. The school that she goes to is very diverse in population and ideology and she loves it. To remain in this program she has to keep her grades up, if she does not keep up her grades she will be sent back to the school she should be attending. The bottom line it was a choice, and we are lucky that every school in our district has one or two special programs. Our students can enroll in programs from graphics, to forensics to food science. I am extremely thankful that we can choose a public school that fits our daughter so well. </p>
<p>p.s. the program at her school keeps on growing we had 75 full ib students graduate this year.</p>
<p>I would like to second recycle98's question about how IB is viewed by highly ranked LAC's and other "good" colleges. My son is currently on track for full diploma but is thinking of pulling back to do only two certificates (still take the classes) as the testing is expensive, and he'd like to have more time to work on Habitat for Humanity. He is wondering, however, how that change would affect his application to Pomona, Williams, Stanford -- the reaches for everyone.
Any ideas?</p>
<p>Our school system has 4 high school IB magnet programs. The one closest to us is the largest high school in our state. There is an IB "feeder" Middle school just down the road. Many start out in the IB program there because it is the "cool" school to go to and their friends from Middle sch. are going there. Since the school is so overcrowded it is impossible to get in from outside the sch. zone unless you apply to do IB. From what I have heard many,many of these students drop back to only do the certificate instead of the diploma once they have secured their place in the school. My friend"s daughter graduated with an IB diploma in 2001. There were less than 30 students getting the diploma that year in a school of 2500. </p>
<p>Another school in our system is in such bad shape (horrible test scores, high poverty and drop out rate, lots of crime in area) that there have been threats of closing the entire school down if things don't improve. So an IB program has been installed in that school in the hopes of attracting some top students to help turn things around. It will be interesting to see what happens there. I have a feeling the kids won't be knocking down the door to get in that school as opposed to the one I mentioned above.</p>
<p>Those are the most relevant threads I found. If you look through a few you might find a variety of answers. Some say the IB is very helpful in admissions others say not at all.</p>
<p>The point of my original post was not so much about the merits of IB, but the nature of the attacks on it. It is legitimate to evaluate the program's merits overall and the manner in which it is being implemented at specific schools. I disagree with critics who think that the program itself is somehow a threat to patriotic values.</p>
<p>That being said, I would like to point out that the IB diploma can have importance for those contemplating study at a foreign university, either for graduate or undergraduate work. Since the IB exams and papers are not graded at the student's high school, but are sent around the world to IB teachers, there is some guarantee of comparable standards. Here is a quote from the Cambridge University website on admissions for international students: "If you are studying examinations other than GCE A level, Scottish examinations or the International Baccalaureate, it is important to get in touch as early as possible to discuss the appropriateness of the qualifications you are taking as a preparation for Cambridge." As I recall, even when S1 was applying for graduate study at Cambridge the IB diploma was considered a plus.</p>
<p>Allmusic
When I first began seeing IB referred to on this board, I had no idea what it was and had to look it up. It may not be"regional" but I think it is primarily found in larger urban /suburban areas. I checked my state (Illinois) and all the program except one are in Chicago. I also looked up Iowa and there are no IB programs. So I do think that it is not that it is that widespread at least in the midwest.</p>