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What Can I Do?

Most parents are overwhelmed by the prospect of tackling IB in their schools. TAIB has found that the #1 fear of parents is that there will be backlash against their children if they voice their objections. We're going to be perfectly honest with you, that possibility does exist. But if you remain silent, nothing will change. You are your child's best advocate
 
Let’s begin with districts which have not yet started the IB application process, a preemptive strike is the best approach:

1. Keep your ears open for chatter that emphasizes an international approach to education or emphasis on foreign language immersion
2. Listen for mention of any proposed “magnet” or “pilot” programs
3. Make sure your PTA leadership is aware that there are parents who object to bringing IB into your district and educate them with facts to support your objections
4. If your district is considering redistricting and is hosting any sort of “feasibility study”, be sure to attend the public meeting and bring as many people with you as you can.
5. Familiarize yourself with the cost of IB in advance of any public discussion - be ready to produce documentation for back up
6. Request minutes from meetings of any committee that may have met to discuss IB - request inclusion on committee
7. Put your Board of Education Trustees and Principals on notice in writing that you are opposed to IB and hope if they want your continued support, that they won’t go down that road
8. Use your local papers to write letters to the editor if talk gets serious - school districts hate negative press
9. Talk to the teachers - ask them what they think of IB and let those that oppose it know that you have their backs - most will want to remain anonymous and that’s ok, but some of the bolder ones with tenure may come forward
10. Spread the word - the more taxpayers who understand the potential impact of an IB program, the better. Direct parents and taxpayers to Truth About IB via fliers and e-mails.


For districts that have already begun the IB application process but are not yet authorized:


1. Know that a district is free to STOP the IB application process at any point - there is no contract
2. Demand open and honest reporting of all monies spent on the IB process to date and under what section of the budget those monies were approved
3. Utilize school e-mail lists to alert parents to any upcoming Board meetings when IB may be on the agenda - look for code phrases that specifically omit the word IB, such as “high school course scheduling” or “curriculum review”
4. Obtain your school’s mean SAT scores and number of AP and National Merit Scholars from pre-IB years (5-10 years worth if possible) - once a school becomes IB, any sort of data becomes very difficult to get your hands on. Keep this data for comparison.
5. Remain calm - don’t allow emotions to get the better of you - IB supporters will attack you personally, call you names and try to get you to react. Don’t play their game.
6. Let the Board know in no uncertain terms that if they insist on pursuing IB, you will vote NO on their budget next time around.
7. Write your Republican Congressperson, speak at the Chamber of Commerce and senior citizen centers. There is power in numbers. A Board’s #1 priority is getting its budget passed, if it fears a program is too controversial, it will drop it in favor of winning support for the budget.
8. Keep an eye out for ad hoc groups seeking to fundraise to donate money for IB. Identify their political allegiances and make them known.
9. Write letters to your local paper
10. Get parents out to meetings and encourage them to sign up for public comment.


For districts which have already purchased IB, hope isn’t completely lost:


1. Elect new Board Trustees who didn’t drink the Kool Aid
2. Keep track of the money spent on IB and the number of IB Diploma recipients
3. Double check any stats put out by the district to promote IB - the tendency to double count and exaggerate by using percentages instead of actual numbers is prevalent with IB
4. Inform taxpayers who don’t have school-age children how their money is being wasted on IB
5. Write letters to your local paper
6. Question with boldness, hold to the truth, speak without fear.


As Americans, we are blessed with the right to own property and in most cases, the right to have a voice when it comes to public education. The Progressives who support IB count on the trust and apathy of busy parents to rubber stamp their agenda without question. With billions of dollars at stake, we can no longer afford to sit by silently.


 

"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical." - Thomas Jefferson

What All Parents & Students Should Know BEFORE Enrolling in IB

An International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma from Wooster (or any school) is a great accomplishment.
  
The problem with WCSD and many other districts is that they only tell one side of IB.  Most districts use the International Baccalaureate Organization's (IBO's) excellent marketing materials and do a very good job presenting the positive aspects of IB.  This article will focus on, the other side of IB.  

HERE IS WHAT MANY DISTRICT DO NOT TELL PARENTS AND STUDENTS PRIOR TO THEIR ENROLLMENT IN IB:


1) IB will increase college costs for most graduates compared to their fellow AP studentsbecause  AP is much more accepted for college credit than IB.  Most colleges that do give credit for IB only give credit for the IB HL classes (2 year courses).  
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/ap-vs-ib.htm
UNR is similar to most colleges,
http://www.unr.edu/admissions/admissions-resources/ap-ip-tests

Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews is the nation’s number one IB proponent, co-author of Supertest: How IB Can Strengthen Our Schools, admits colleges give more credit for AP than IB, 
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/02/u-va_discriminates_against_sma.html

It is likely that colleges give more credit for AP classes because they are college level classes.
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
IB classes are not college level.
http://www.ibo.org/recognition/

Per IBO rules when IB/AP classes are combined as they are at Wooster, the IB course material must take priority.  Students then take both the IB and AP exam.  

It is common for districts boast about how well IB schools do on Jay Mathew's Americas Best High Schools list.  WCSD is no exception, they typically boast about how well Wooster does on the list.  But this list is flawed because it ONLY considers the number of advanced exams students take NOT how many are passed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-brown/newsweeks-top-high-school_b_213159.html


2) For the IB Diploma over the course of two years, students must meet all requirements in the link below and take: 3 SL (standard level) classes, 3 HL (higher level) two year classes, the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class, write the extended essay, and complete 150 hours of community service.  Article 15 of this IBO document states the minimum test scores and all the other requirements to obtain the IB Diploma.   
http://www.ibo.org/become/guidance/documents/DP_regs_en.pdf  

Most colleges do not give credit for IB SL classes, the TOK class, or the extended essay.  

Here is an article from IBO's website,
http://www.ibo.org/ibaem/conferences/documents/ValuespaperRMarshman.pdf
On page 6 of 8 in refereing to the TOK class it says (emphasis added), 

"In their essays and oral presentations they (the students) grapple with questions like

  • What makes evidence good enough to justify belief?
  • What justifies the name of art?
  • Do we act ethically out of social duty, religious belief, universal principle or self interest?
  • When can it be right to disobey the law?
  • Can suicide bombers be right?"

At many colleges the most credit you can obtain for IB is 9 semester units.  On the other hand, top AP students who graduate with up to 10 AP classes can obtain up to 30 semester units and can enter numerous colleges including, UNR and BYU, as sophomores.
Jay Mathews provides the perfect example in this article,
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/02/u-va_discriminates_against_sma.html

Here is specific AP vs. IB college credit information for 23 top colleges:
http://www.princeton.k12.oh.us/HighSchool.cfm?subpage=416


3) Most districts distort the benefits of IB but; IBO does NOT claim IB will improve student performance.  The research (including one dissertation) shows IB will NOT improve student performance. 
http://myinclinevillage.com/2011/03/01/ib-does-not-improve-student-performance.aspx


4) The reasons most schools state for dropping IB are: 1) Cost, 2) Lack of student improvement with IB, 3) Less flexible than AP, 4) Lack of participation in IB classes, 5) Lack of college credit for IB.
http://myinclinevillage.com/2011/06/16/what-all-school-board-members-should-know-if-considering-ib.aspx


5) Some parents object to IB on religious grounds,
http://www.theambroseschool.org/documents/parent-insights-documents/a-perspective-on-the-international-baccalaureate/
http://www.wpaag.org/International%20Bbaccalaureate%20Program%201.htm
http://www.gtbe.org/news/index.php/1/22/186.html


6) IB is a non-governmental organization (NGO) of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) the United Nations (UN). 
http://www.ibo.org/partnerships/governments/

IBO and UNESCO work out of the same building in Switzerland (toward the bottom of the page):
http://www.ibo.org/partnerships/governments/

If you do not agree the UN's ideology it is probably best to avoid IB.
http://myinclinevillage.com/2010/07/16/even-jay-matthews-admits-colleges-give-more-credit-for-ap.aspx

Here is an article where Mr. Olabiyi Babalola Joseph Yai, Chair of UNESCO’s executive board, said: "UNESCO'S role is to think global governance.  That is why the Organization was founded."  
http://www.infowars.com/unesco-chair-admits-organization-was-founded-to-push-global-governance/

Here is a link to more articles and a video on the IB/global governance connection,
http://myinclinevillage.com/2010/09/01/is-ib-mission-to-promote-global-governance.aspx

IBO does not go out of their way to say IB is an NGO of UNESCO; in fact, some IB proponents will attempt to deny this fact.  


7) At the elementary level (PYP) IB is required school wide.  PYP will not improve student performance,
http://www.grandcanyonnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=9167

IBO states the goal of PYP is to "develop attitudes," and get the students to "take action."  
http://www.ibo.org/pyp/curriculum/index.cfm

Unless you want your elementary child in a UN sponsored programme that will develop attitudes and get them to take action, but will not improve student performance, it is best to avoid a PYP school. 

Since IBO and most districts do not tell parents IB is an NGO of UNESCO, many parents whose children are in IB do not know this fact.  One mother had her daughter in IB for nine years and didn't know IB is a UN sponsored programme.  When she discovered this fact, everything she had been going through for nine years finally made sense.  Here are her comments,
http://myinclinevillage.com/2010/11/20/one-florida-mother-who-had-her-daughter-in-ib-for-years---talks-about-programme.aspx


8) According to WCSDTV; Epistemology is being taught in Wooster’s IB programme,
http://wcsdtv.blogspot.com/


9) The current trend with districts is to use IBO's great marketing materials and a few buzz words including: "critical thinker," "world citizen," and "create a better and more peaceful world through education," to RUSH IB implementation.  Throughout the country IB is implemented before parents and the community understand all aspects of the programme.  Sometimes superintendents and school boards vote, behind closed doors, to totally change a school and implement IB with little or no input from teachers, parents, or the community.  Once IB is in place it can be very difficult to remove.  IB has divided many communities around the country.  The site that best covers these issues and "the other side" of IB is: www.TruthAboutIB.com


10) AP may be best for gifted students, especially if they hope to earn as much college credit for their high school classes.  According to Pedro Martinez, Deputy Superintendent of Clark County School District (Las Vegas), and IB proponent, “in my old district, Chicago gifted students usually take the AP classes.” 
According to Duke University, "AP for Gifted students is still a good choice."
http://www.tip.duke.edu/node/895 


11) At the high school level IB can be a good fit for some students and obtaining the IB Diploma is a great accomplishment.  

After hundreds (probably thousands) of hours of research on IB, I think the programme is best for average and above high school students who are willing to work very hard, and who know in advance the amount of college credit they can expect with IB.  

Any parent considering the PYP should read paragraph 7 and the associated links above before enrolling their student in the programme.


PARENTS AND STUDENTS DESERVE TO KNOW ALL THE FACTS ABOUT IB PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT!


John Eppolito
john@Jtahoe.com
Former K-12 teacher
Father of four children grades 1-8


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All you need to know about the International Baccalaureate Programme (but were afraid to ask)