Promoting the DP

Example 1

Universities are enticed by it.
Students are prepared for their future as life long-learners modelling the attributes of the Learner Profile by it.
Perspectives and different opinions are explored through it.
Deep meaningful questions are asked and students are academically challenged as a result of it.
Authentic service to others is provided as an intrinsic part of it.
Growth, learning and the ability to critically reflect result from it.
A commitment to continuous improvement flourishes because of it.
Our future relationships with our communities, families, workplaces and the environment will depend upon it.

Example 2

We believe in each and every student and that all of us should make a difference in the world. Students learn to expect differing perspectives, effectively communicate their ideas, and experience the messiness of the world. Our program is proven preparation for university and provides students with future-thinking skills to choose their own path in life with confidence. 

Example 3

The IB offers breadth and depth.  Students can learn to devise and treasure questions, to act on their curiosities, to speculate and to create a cycle of continuous learning.  It creates high expectations, developing skills, knowledge and understanding, as well as encouraging attitudes to learning and metacognition. 

IBDP is quite simply one of the best educational experiences on offer today. It is the gold standard in international Post-16 education and has been shown to provide the very best preparation for even the most competitive universities.

For me though, the magic of the IB lies in instilling in every young person that their studies are only a small part of what makes them who they are; it emboldens them to find ways to truly make a difference in the world. 

Change the world by acting together (focussing on the IB mission, the importance of collaboration, experiential learning and action)

We inspire - you change the world

It's not about the 45 (referring to the 45 points)

“Speaking with a colleague, who is Head of an IB world school, she commented that it is an exhausting challenge daily and yet she was inspired by the mission everyday – by the mission of raising awareness to world peace. By TOK kids who were learning how to think critically about complex world issues. By CAS where students were being open to a human ecosystem beyond themselves, with empathy. The Learner Profile – learning in the IB is not just cognitive but it is whole body and wellness focused. The Extended Essay where students learn to stretch beyond themselves and see a much wider world. And the focus on collaboration and teamwork of the whole school community, that it is not just about doing something and getting an individual grade at the end of a long programme, it is about learning how to be with people. She said that daily I am challenged but also inspired.”

Why IB? Revisiting the Question 10 Years Later, by John Falino

In 2013, I wrote a piece after the conference in New Orleans that addressed the “Why IB?” question for the first time … and I now find myself coming back to it once again as we start to move beyond the pandemic.

So “Why IB?” Here’s why…

The Program is Fully Inclusive: Perhaps the greatest quality of the IB Program is that all students receive meaningful and equitable access to the curriculum. At DFHS, all students enrol in at least two IB DP courses, all of our teachers are IB trained (including special education), students take an average of four IB DP courses before graduating, and all students fully access the IB MYP while completing a Personal Project. In addition, the qualities that are outlined in the IB Learner Profile, coupled with our earlier work using the IB Excellence and Equity Framework (E2), made our recent district wide focus on DEI (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) a natural one for our school. As always, our focus continues to be on creating a welcoming environment for all students while providing a curriculum that is truly representative of the diverse student body that we have at DFHS. This approach and philosophy is at the very core of the IB.

It Promotes International Mindedness: The curriculum and pedagogy of the IB focuses on international perspectives while emphasizing the importance of students exploring their home culture and language. A fundamental IB principle is for students to “think globally and act locally,” and at DFHS we recently moved to “IB CAS for All” for students in grade eleven along with a service learning venture that all sophomores engage with upon completion of the IB MYP Personal Project. In Dobbs Ferry, this mindset has prompted our students to make incredible contributions within our village while allowing them to focus on the implications of their actions on a global level. Over the past few years we have also seen a rise in both new students and exchange students from around the world who have chosen to attend our school because we are an IB World School. This new development has not added to the richness and diversity of our school community, but has further allowed our students to examine all core disciplines from multiple perspectives and respective “ways of knowing.”

21st Century Learning: The theme of this year’s conference, “Embracing Innovation, Inspiring Change,” speaks once again to the IB’s commitment to preparing students with the skills needed for success beyond the brick and mortar of schools so that they may make a difference in all corners of the world. DFHS was well ahead of the curve on this front when we introduced a full 1:1 Chromebook program back in 2013, and we shared our story at the IB World Conference in Chicago in 2015. Our focus at that time was on how our 1:1 further promoted equity while allowing students to further develop the ever important 21st century “ATL” skills. Those same skills, as it turned out five years later, were put to the test and were ultimately on full display as we navigated the pandemic with greater ease and continuity than most other districts. As we now move to a “post-pandemic” world that is radically different from what we knew only a few years ago, this current generation of students will continue to compete for jobs and services that are yet to exist. In doing so, those same skills will once again be called upon as they will need to adapt, solve problems, collaborate, and communicate with colleagues in what is now a full interdependent world.

The Research is Growing: A great deal of research has been conducted by the IB and outside agencies to determine the degree to which students are prepared for success in the more competitive colleges and universities in the world. Findings repeatedly show that IB students are not only accepted at higher rates, but graduate within four years at a higher percentage and with higher overall grade point averages. This point has been verified to us by our own graduates who come back to our school each year to discuss the high level of preparation that they had as a result of the IB DP and how, in some instances, they felt “over-prepared.”

The IB Community: IB teachers are members of a special community of educators from around the world. As such, teachers are able to network and collaborate with colleagues that are both local and overseas, and this was especially an advantage for us as we navigated the pandemic. This year’s conference will be a wonderful opportunity to see some of the colleagues that we met during the pandemic “in person” for the first time. In addition to traditional “training,” all IB teachers participate in roundtable discussions with colleagues from local schools and have access to the My IB. This resource provides IB teachers with resources, updates, a robust program resource center, and an opportunity to connect with other IB teachers and Heads of School from around the world.