What the IB did for me was really stress the importance of higher order thinking skills that we all know are critical for learning. The lifelong learner concept really came alive for me as a teacher. The whole experience truly makes you, the teacher, become a lifelong learner. - Joe Kennedy, Head of School West Sound Academy Washington State

The IB prepares students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. The IB is more than a set of rigorous academic standards The IB is a community forged by passionate educators after the challenges of World War II An IB education

In the 1950s, a small group of passionate educators asked themselves difficult questions. Can education cultivate intercultural understanding? Can education reap peace? Can peace be taught?

By the 1950s and 1960s the world was changing. Smaller, interconnected world International affairs Interdependent national economies The dawn of a new era

An emerging, highly mobile professional class faced a difficult challenge. Continuity of education, regardless of location A need for international academic standards An ideal and a necessity Alec Peterson Schools Across Frontiers The creation of an international baccalaureate had ceased to be solely an internationalist idea and became a practical necessity.

In a parallel development, many governments all over the world realized they had to invest in higher education to remain competitive. Increase in university student population Reevaluation of the role of high school Here comes everybody

Suddenly, high school may not be enough. Was high school adequately preparing students bound for university? A need for international academic standards. Time for high school to grow up

Paris, 1949: A group of educators convened to find a solution. An international diploma at the end of high school Knowledge of a second language and conduct research on a topic of global significance Une bonne idée - a single international diploma

1968: The Birth of the IB Beirut Copenhagen Geneva Manchester New York City St. Donat's (Wales) Tehran The first International Baccalaureate Diploma exams were piloted in seven cities:

1968: Diploma Programme (16-19 yrs) 1994: Middle Years Programme (11-16 yrs) 1997: Primary Years Programme (3-12 yrs) Highest concentration of IB World Schools Argentina Australia Canada China Ecuador Mexico IB provides an educational continuum India Mexico Spain United Kingdom United States

Key Elements of IB Programmes: Cross-cultural study of a broad range of subjects Language learning Learning across disciplines Learning to learn Inquiry Action and reflection oriented community service The three IB programmes form a continuum of education

Inquirers Knowledgeable Thinkers Communicators Principled The IB Learner Profile Open-minded Caring Risk-takers Balanced Reflective The IB Learner Profile defines the universal attributes strived for by members of the IB community around the world.

IB educators prepare students to become representatives of their own nations and cultures: The IB is more than a set of high academic standards Principled, multilingual, and possessed of the highly-developed critical thinking and interpersonal skills required to bridge gaps in understanding across cultures.

Where do we work? Whom do we serve? 140 countries 880,000+ students 3,000+ schools A tradition of academic excellence designed for the 21st century David Conley Educational Policy Improvement Center Study 2009 We have learned that its not enough for students to study content In isolation… they must think deeply about the big questions of the disciplines. The IB standards seem to be particularly well suited to achieving these aims.

The IB has a long-standing, institutional commitment to our educators growth. Whether you are brand new to the IB, or a 20- year veteran, the IB strives to offer challenging workshops and other exciting opportunities for your professional development. The IB believes in investing in educators

An IB educator helps develop internationally-minded people who, recognizing our common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better, more peaceful world. What an IB educator does Rather than learning about a subject, an IB teacher learns how to teach a subject and how to assess students. This is very valuable. Without the guidance and training from the workshops, we would practically be lost. Dra. Celina Garza Quintanilla, Centro de Investigacion y Desarrollo de Educacion Bilingue (CIDEB), Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico

When you become an IB educator, you become part of a 60-year old international movement to create a more peaceful world through education. You are the future of the IB The IB educator We strongly believe the IB gives students the possibility to study at an international level, compete internationally with other students, and learn many things about the world through very innovative pedagogical methodologies. Liliana Gomez, Diploma Coordinator Gimnasio Feminino Bogota, Colombia

An international network of educators Online network of 70,000 teachers Online curriculum centre (OCC) facilitates communication among teachers across the world

Ecuador 22 state-funded IB World Schools in 19 provinces United States Miami Beach, Florida K-12 IB World Schools Peru Free Diploma Programme education for top-performing students Throughout the Americas, governments are funding state schools offering IB

Transforming the educational experience for students around the world. IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant Increasing access to IB The Diploma Programme stands out among other high school curricula available today in the US public education system because it offers a rigorous, aligned, and integrated instructional system that … is transformative for minority and low-income students McKinsey Study Commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Preparing students for the future Lets meet the students…

My IB education certainly laid the foundation for many of the successes I am grateful for now. The IB programme taught me how the power to think and the will to act could shape my life. Darrell Bennett Jr. Morehouse Valedictorian Harvard Law School The many faces of the IB

My passion is education and I owe my discovery of that passion to the IB programme and the IB community. My personal IB education experience was such an awakening, so inspiring that Ive committed myself to giving others a rich educational experience both here in America and, one day, in Ethiopia. Yourdanos Refu, IB Diploma Graduate / War Refugee The many faces of the IB

Beyond academics, the Middle Years Programme helped me to discover who I am and who I would like to be. Safeena Meckalai, IB Middle Years Programme Graduate Educator / Filmmaker / Activist The many faces of the IB

Our Mission The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.