Newswise — Today, the International Baccalaureate (IB) announces a series of educational events that highlight its role as a leader in international education. On December 10th, 2012, the IB will sponsor a forum in coordination with The Washington Post. The forum’s theme, Global Education: Raising America’s Global Standing, will highlight speakers with experience in international education and will address how to evolve and improve educational outcomes for American students. The following day on December 11th, the IB will convene a summit on the Common Core State Standards Initiative that will draw together thought leaders from around the U.S. for a day of close examination of the IB framework in relation to the Common Core.
“The IB contributes a unique perspective to the debates surrounding student achievement, standards-based frameworks, and international competiveness based on the experience we’ve gained over the past 44 years working with the national and local standards of schools and governments in over 140 countries,” said Drew Deutsch, Director, IB Americas. The announcement coincides with the start of International Education Week, a joint initiative of the U.S. Departments of State and Education, first held in 2000 and now celebrated in more than 100 countries worldwide. “As a global leader in the field of international education, the International Baccalaureate supports and recognizes International Education Week and celebrates the achievements of students worldwide engaging in international education and meaningful exchange,” said Deutsch, “our objective at the IB is to prepare students for university and to thrive in the global economy.”
The IB has been at the center of international education and exchange since its origin in 1968. More than one million students currently attend IB World Schools across the globe. In 2012, the IB inaugurated the first IB World Student Conferences held in Spain and Canada that enabled IB Diploma Programme students to engage with their peers from around the world to experience what it means to “think globally”. In 2013, IB students will have the opportunity to select from four IB World Student Conferences in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Hong Kong. The conferences provide those who attend with an exceptional opportunity to develop leadership skills and international understanding.
IB students are highly sought after by the world’s top universities and often travel across borders to attend university. An informal survey of over 3,000 IB alumni in 2012 showed IB graduates attended more than 800 universities across 57 countries.
About the IBFounded in 1968 the International Baccalaureate (IB) is a not-for profit foundation, which offers four high quality and challenging educational programmes for a worldwide community of schools. For more than 40 years, IB programmes have gained a reputation for their rigour and high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalised 21st century, and for helping to develop citizens who will create a better, more peaceful world. Currently there are over 1 million IB students attending nearly 3500 schools in more than 143 countries. To learn more, please visit www.ibo.org.
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