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No lies are *acceptable.* I do think that IB encourages the kids to think critically about the course though and most regular American high schools prefer regurgitation of whatever the textbook says.\
Oh, and just for the record, I suppose you would hate this part of our IB program. The kids had done an entire program on various countries, but the important part of the program involved this exposition of the Gettysburg Address.
Massey Ranch, Pearland, Texas! What are the odds that I personally know a family that pulled their son from Massey when IB was implemented and the Gifted and Talented class was eliminated! They have since moved out of the district entirely, because of IB. Greg Brundt is my "go to" guy who calculates which IB HS drops off the list, every time IB's numbers change. Since March, 2009, 105 U.S. schools have dropped IB! The most common reasons for dropping IB are 1.) Cost 2.) Lack of student interest
The kids are very cute, Nana. Most kids are cute. I'm afraid I have a double ear infection right now and am almost completely deaf, so I can't hear what they are saying. Here's what really bugs me about IB, and I have seen it over and over and over again .... whenever IB comes under attack, the schools trot out the children to show how "wonderful" it is. They rally kids to skip school and attend Legislative meetings. Or they have a panel of IB students address their experiences.
Imho, this is very unfair. If I were to critique what the children are doing or saying, I would get accused of "attacking children".
I am NOT attacking children. I am attacking a very expensive product which is not a good fit for American public schools. The children are the victims.
But I'm very glad that you said that lies are not acceptable. On this we can wholeheartedly agree. Let me just add that IB does not hold the patent on critical thinking and that one has to KNOW (have knowledge) of a subject before one can think critically about it.
Last edited by ObserverNY; 08-21-2012 at 12:18 PM..
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Originally Posted by ObserverNY
WHOSE "world class standard"? The IB PYP is NOT a curriculum and there are no IB assessments at the PYP level. You drank the Kool Aid.
IB is an outrageously expensive, proprietary program(me) based out of Geneva, Switzerland which operates under Swiss Law. At the PYP and MYP levels, IB is nothing more than a collection of "themes" which promote Progressive "beliefs and values". There is absolutely zero evidence that the IB PYP or MYP improves student's academic achievement.
Anecdotal comparison of the relative success and level of preparation between my peers that graduated from IB programs and from "regular" classes in HISD schools strongly disagrees with the above. The IB kids came out of high school ready for college as opposed to "ready for the TAKS test".
Anecdotal comparison of the relative success and level of preparation between my peers that graduated from IB programs and from "regular" classes in HISD schools strongly disagrees with the above. The IB kids came out of high school ready for college as opposed to "ready for the TAKS test".
With all due respect, "anecdotal comparison" is all IB has.
This is important. Remember the 2009 stimulus bill (ARRA)? Are you aware that over $10 Billion in ARRA money was allocated to Title I schools which implemented "innovative programs"? I have personally uncovered two districts that misappropriated Title I funds for IB. When they were called out on it, they claimed they were using Title II money for IB.
Well, I'll give IB that much. IB is very innovative when it comes to grabbing U.S. taxdollars. They even published a glossy pamphlet on how public schools should get their hands on that money:
I'm surprised your school combined AP and IB classes. We're being told by the IB folks we can't do that and if it happens our certification as an IBDP school will be witheld.
They combine AP with IB in our district as well. We were told that you can include the AP designation in brackets after the IB course title, but only for certain courses. There's some kind of course audit form that the teachers and principals must file - you should talk to the principal and find out more if it's something that concerns your student.
There's nothing wrong with students pursuing IB (from a purely parent/student perspective), but colleges tend to prefer AP. Personally I think IB is a waste of money, all around. AP is more worthwhile. But I would never join some group trying to abolish it in any way.
Oh well then, Dew enlighten me on your opinion of IB! Because if you are not commenting on IB anywhere in this thread, then I'm pretty sure that is what is considered "trolling".
Congratulations. You can see my post count AND my rep count and you are the first person who has ever accused me of trolling. I state the reasons I won't sign your petition (I happen to be passionate about freedom of choice in education and not having a totalitarian society) and you think I'm trolling. Unbelievable.
OK - I have no problem with the IB program being in schools. I also think we should be teaching Karl Marx, Mein Kampf, Letters From a Birmingham Jail, The United States Constitution, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee , Ghandi's writings on non-violence, the writings of Elizabeth Custer, the Magna Carta, the history of the Holy Roman Empire, John Kennedy's Inaugural Address, why the League of Nations failed and I think our children should be allowed to read Huckleberry Finn without everyone setting their hair on fire because it has the N word in it. How's that? I'm not afraid of teaching American children that there is a whole big world out there.
Last edited by DewDropInn; 08-21-2012 at 01:03 PM..
No, I pay taxes, I just think you're blowing IB out of proportion.
My point was that there are more specious things to worry about, IB is not one of them in my book.
That's fine. You are entitled to think whatever you want and I am entitled to think what I want. That's why I love this country. You may think I am "blowing IB out of proportion", but I don't. IB is the educational tool of the UN and is directly tied to the UN's Agenda 21. Part of the very expensive IB teacher training involves integrating the radical Agenda 21 policies into everyday classroom activities. Oh, they won't call it Agenda 21, in fact IB supporters often flat out deny any affiliation with the UN.
Personally, I consider the state of public education in the U.S. to be very important. I know I have made a difference in helping to curtail and remove IB from many public schools across the country. I have saved taxpayers millions of dollars in school taxes from spending that money on an educational scam. I do not get paid for my efforts in anything other than thanks from the parents in districts affected.
Yes, I disagree with IB's base socialist philosophy. If you support socialism, you have that right, but I do not. In this plenary address by former IBO Director General George Walker, you will see how he mocks me (Mrs. Long Island) and urges IB supporters to "stand up" against me.
Congratulations. You can see my post count AND my rep count and you are the first person who has ever accused me of trolling. I state the reasons I won't sign your position (I happen to be passionate about freedom of choice in education and not having a totalitarian society) and you think I'm trolling. Unbelievable.
OK - I have no problem with the IB program being in schools. I also think we should be teaching Karl Marx, Mein Kempf, Letters From a Birmingham Jail, The United States Constitution, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee , Ghandi's writings on non-violence, the writings of Elizabeth Custer, the Magna Carta, the history of the Holy Roman Empire, John Kennedy's Inaugural Address, why the League of Nations failed and I think our children should be allowed to read Huckleberry Finn without everyone setting their hair on fire because it has the N word in it. How's that? I'm not afraid of teaching American children that there is a whole big world out there.
I don't care whether you sign my petition or not. I posted it to start a discussion on IB. You have "no problem" with it. So be it. Thank you for finally stating your position.
You are correct, there are only 781 IB HS's in the U.S., 90% of those are public. It was 2004 when they brought IB into our HS (650 students). I was an involved parent, I served on hiring committees, the first site-based management team, VP of SEPTA, etc. I had heard some talk about IB, but I thought it was just going to be a nice little addition to the overall HS experience, kind of like the science research division.
BUT ..... what the BoE did not tell parents was that it was eliminating ALL Honors and AP courses in 11th and 12th grade. It was IB or the most basic (Regents) level. IB eliminated choice. I fought to bring back the choice of AP (and won on paper) and then they also created some malapropism called "Honors by Achievement" which none of the teachers or the Guidance Department knew what to do with. Basically, we went from 14 AP courses to 3 (2 of those were offered in 9th and 10th Grades).
While you may not have seen much of a difference in "worldview", I can show you how IB seeks to engage students to "take action" and fund-raise for left-wing causes. So much of all that is IB, imho, is downright phony and pretentious. Even the name ..... HS students aren't earning a real "degree" or baccalaureate. It's an alternative HS diploma which isn't even awarded until July, well after regular HS graduations. For example, this year in our HS, 40 students were full IB "candidates". Yet only 27 actually earned the Diploma. Yet all 40 were "recognized" on the graduation program and marched with their special IB sashes.
I always wonder how those 13 or so students who spent their last two years in HS feel when they fail to earn the diploma. Sure, they get their local diploma, but not the "coveted" IB Diploma. And let me tell you, getting the school district to release the actual results is a Herculian feat. Every year I have to fill out a FOIL. Every year, they make me wait the full 20 business days before releasing the documents. Why? If IB is something they are so proud of, why not share the results with the public?
You lost me at "left-wing".. where exactly does IB promote a left-wing agenda (or maybe a lot has changed in the past 10 years)? Please be more specific. I completed the IB program and also went to a university that's pretty infamous for its left-wing agenda.. and I have yet to be brainwashed by the "left".
However, I do agree that IB is a bit over-glorified by the schools that offer it. When I went to school (a public magnet high school), the teachers spouted their propaganda about how success with IB equated with success in getting into a good university (when in fact, we wouldn't know our IB scores and diploma status until after college admissions.) The high school's prestige and funding were very tied with students' IB performance in my case.
I don't think IB should be banned but it should be given as a choice (AP and/or IB.) In your school's situation, it's unreasonable to replace AP courses with IB. But in any case, this is mainly your school's responsibility, not IB's.
You lost me at "left-wing".. where exactly does IB promote a left-wing agenda (or maybe a lot has changed in the past 10 years)? Please be more specific. I completed the IB program and also went to a university that's pretty infamous for its left-wing agenda.. and I have yet to be brainwashed by the "left".
However, I do agree that IB is a bit over-glorified by the schools that offer it. When I went to school (a public magnet high school), the teachers spouted their propaganda about how success with IB equated with success in getting into a good university (when in fact, we wouldn't know our IB scores and diploma status until after college admissions.) The high school's prestige and funding were very tied with students' IB performance in my case.
I don't think IB should be banned but it should be given as a choice (AP and/or IB.) In your school's situation, it's unreasonable to replace AP courses with IB. But in any case, this is mainly your school's responsibility, not IB's.
Well, I could have said communist, but that would have resulted in accusations of me being a McCarthyite.
The IBDP is a whole different animal from the PYP and MYP. In large high schools, maybe there is a place for it if there is enough student demand, although I personally think it's a waste of money.
My real concern is at the PYP level where IB forces its programme upon the entire school. Take a look at this guide to the PYP:
However, in examining these factors during the years since the inception of the PYP, one aspect of PYP
schools emerges, not only as the most significant, but also as the common ground on which PYP schools
stand, the essence of what they are about: this is the kind of student who we hope will graduate from PYP
schools, the kind of person we would proudly call an internationalist.
in·ter·na·tion·al·ist [in-ter-nash-uh-nl-ist]
noun
1.an advocate of internationalism.
2.an expert in international law and relations.
3.( initial capital letter ) a member or adherent of a communist or socialist International.
What I have found, repeatedly, across the U.S., are Superintendents and BoE's that are hellbent on implementing IB. They bring it in through the back door and when parents finally find out about it, it's too late. The individual administrators will fight like the devil to silence any opposition. I can honestly say that I have not come across any other single educational "program" that has caused as much divisiveness and controversy as IB.
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