{"id":260,"date":"2012-03-30T19:44:01","date_gmt":"2012-03-31T00:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/?p=260"},"modified":"2012-03-30T19:44:47","modified_gmt":"2012-03-31T00:44:47","slug":"why-oakdale-academy-is-not-an-ib-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/2012\/03\/30\/why-oakdale-academy-is-not-an-ib-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Oakdale Academy is NOT an IB School"},"content":{"rendered":"

This two-part piece is from the newsletter of Oakdale Academy<\/a>, a top-notch, Michigan school. <\/p>\n

A PERSPECTIVE ON PROGRESSIVE TRENDS IN EDUCATION: WHY OA IS NOT AN IB SCHOOL<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer. If you are on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; and in that case the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive man.”<\/p>\n

– C.S. Lewis<\/em><\/p>\n

PART I<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a growing trend in the world of education towards inquiry-based learning, student-centered classrooms, and global-mindedness. At the heart of this paradigm shift is the International Baccalaureate, an educational program which \u201caims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.\u201d Indeed, more than 80 schools and school districts in the state of Michigan are member schools according to the International Baccalaureate Schools of Michigan\u2019s website. The number of schools adopting IB worldwide has grown by an average of 12% each year over the last five years. According to\tIB\u2019s website, the total number of students worldwide enrolled in an IB program is 987,000, and \u201ctoday around 50% of all IB World Schools belong to governments.\u201d\tThe IB program promotes challenging academic standards, an emphasis on community service, and lifelong learning. So what could be so wrong?<\/p>\n

At first glance, we seem to have much in common with the stated goals of IB: we want our students to think critically, to love learning for the sake of learning, and to have compassion for their fellow man. Beyond the initial first impression, however, there is great cause for concern.<\/p>\n

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) was founded in 1966 and has been in partnership with UNESCO (a division of the United Nations) since 1970. IBO\u2019s founder, Alec Peterson, was a celebrated secular\thumanist. IBO\u2019s\twebsite states, \u201c[Alec] Peterson shaped the educational philosophy of the IB, based on his own deeply humanist and liberal beliefs.\u201d One of the most permeating beliefs of secular humanism is that man is basically good. Not only is this in conflict with the scriptural concept of human nature being in desperate need of a Savior, but history contradicts this as well. Those responsible for some of the greatest ills against their fellow man were rarely amongst the illiterate, uneducated, and ignorant. Stalin, Hitler, and bin Laden come to mind; all were educated and considered \u201cbright\u201d students. Education alone hasn\u2019t helped humanity to land on the right side of the abortion issue, genocide, pornography, or racism. In fact, it could be argued that we have become increasingly more \u201ctolerant\u201d of all manner of evil as we have become more literate as a society.<\/p>\n

David Sutcliffe, former IBO vice president, wrote a tribute praising Peterson\u2019s vision for IB and its students: \u201cAlec [Peterson] saw special opportunities for schools that were international, that educated young people between the ages of 16 and 19, and that subscribed to rational and humanistic values.\u201d Sutcliffe goes on to express his wish that all students perform a compulsory year of service before being allowed to graduate. \u201cCould we (a long shot this!) imagine a year of service, carefully combined with new cultural exposure, inserted between the first and the second year of the Diploma Programme? No IB diploma would be awarded without a year of service already under your belt!\u201d In addition to the year of service, he also suggested that each graduate of IB be required to fund the education of another IB student in an impoverished region of the world in order to show their \u201cgratitude for the privilege\u201d of being an IB student, although he does not define what he believes would qualify as a year of service or what exactly \u201cnew cultural exposure\u201d would mean for an American student.<\/p>\n

The second part continues to discuss \u201cstudent-centered learning,\u201d and the controversial ethics curriculum in the IB program.<\/em><\/p>\n

PART II<\/strong><\/p>\n

When a school decides to become accredited by IBO, the school must sign an agreement stating that their mission statement must reflect the values of IB. Their documents state that \u201cthe school\u2019s educational beliefs and values reflect IB philosophy. The school\u2019s published statements of mission and philosophy [must] align with those of the IB.\u201d There is complete loss of autonomy. IBO reserves the right to tell a school which books to have in their library, how many international students to have in the student population, how many service hours students should do, and ultimately what values to teach the student. Georges Laforest (IB examiner) admits that \u201cthis role [of teaching the values], formerly fulfilled by the family structure, must today be played by the school.\u201d IBO also requires schools to hire IB experts trained to insure that the curriculum is being implemented properly in each class by every teacher. <\/p>\n

The \u201cvalues\u201d presumably being taught by IB are included at all levels. In the Primary Years Programme, \u201cthe six themes of global significance\u201d are listed as \u201cWho we are,\u201d \u201cWhere we are in place and time,\u201d \u201cHow we express ourselves,\u201d \u201cHow the world works,\u201d and \u201cSharing the Planet. \u201d\tAt all levels, Kindergarten through\thigh school, the ethics curriculum is guided in part by Peter Singer, Ph.D., a controversial ethicist from Princeton University. Dr. Singer is infamous for his essays defending bestiality and \u201czoosexual\u201d relationships. He also asserts that human life is not sacred and killing a newborn infant is not necessarily wrong because the newborn has not yet reached full personhood since they lack the capacity for rational cognition. This also applies to the physically disabled and to the elderly suffering from dementia. Dr. Singer believes that euthanasia is perfectly acceptable in such cases and at times is even the right thing to do. <\/p>\n

An ethics curriculum that teaches these kinds of lessons to nearly one million (and growing) students around the world can lead to nothing but disaster for our future generations. Students are taught that their worth is measured on a utilitarian basis. How would a physically disabled student now view themselves? Certainly not as a unique child of the Living God, made in His image created for His divine purpose. And what happens when students having been taught these \u201cethics\u201d for twelve solid years go on to be doctors, nurses, scientists, lawyers, and\u2014Lord help us all\u2014ethicists at prestigious universities? <\/p>\n

Another catch phrase of the IB program\tis \u201cstudent-centered learning.\u201d While that sounds nice, according to a recent article in the Oakland Press regarding Royal Oak\u2019s implementation of IB, the teacher is no longer an instructor, but rather a facilitator. This devalues the teacher on two levels\u2014 first, by referring to the teacher\u2019s past role as \u201cinstructor,\u201d it dismisses the wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and expertise that our teachers bring to the classroom. Second, it devalues teachers by assigning them a new and reduced role: that of facilitator. I question how thoroughly and efficiently students are able to learn how to read, or how to do Latin, Geometry, Chemistry, or Ancient History when their learning is being \u201cfacilitated.\u201d I can honestly say that I\u2019ve had the privilege of working with a number of passionate teachers, but I\u2019ve never met a passionate facilitator. <\/p>\n

Suppose a school completes the lengthy accreditation process and full implementation, and a few years later realizes that IB is no longer a good fit for whatever reason: moral objections, too time consuming for students, too expensive, too much work for teachers, whatever. It is possible to drop the program, under certain conditions, according to IBO\u2019s website.\tThe school is obligated to continue the program until all students currently enrolled in the Diploma Programme graduate. An arbitration process can then take place, but only in Geneva, Switzerland, and is governed by Swiss law.\tWho pays for the travel, accommodations, and the lawyers specializing in international law? I don\u2019t know what the rights are of U.S. citizens under Swiss law, or even if a school would be recognized as a legal entity under Swiss law. Again, the over-reaching hand of IBO appears to be intended to control and intimidate, rather than enlighten and educate. In conclusion, I am not able to elaborate fully here the many, many concerns regarding IBO and its curriculum, but I have done my homework and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is in direct conflict with our mission and vision for Oakdale Academy.<\/p>\n

References:
\nJanuary 21, 2012\ufeff – Part I: A Perspective on Progressive Trends in Education: Why OA is not an IB School<\/a><\/p>\n

January 28, 2012 – Part II: A Perspective on Progressive Trends in Education: Why OA is not an IB School<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This two-part piece is from the newsletter of Oakdale Academy, a top-notch, Michigan school. A PERSPECTIVE ON PROGRESSIVE TRENDS IN EDUCATION: WHY OA IS NOT AN IB SCHOOL “We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_s2mail":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":266,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260\/revisions\/266"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.mvsd-ib.org\/ib\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}