Reception
The IBDP was described as "a rigorous, off-the-shelf curriculum recognized by universities around the world” when it was featured in the December 10, 2006 edition of Time magazine titled How to bring our schools out of the 20th Century. The IBDP was also featured in the summer 2002 edition of American Educator, where Robert Rothman described it as "a good example of an effective, instructionally sound, exam-based system." Howard Gardner, a professor of educational psychology at Harvard University, said that the IBDP curriculum is "less parochial than most American efforts" and helps students "think critically, synthesize knowledge, reflect on their own thought processes and get their feet wet in interdisciplinary thinking." An admissions officer at Brown University claims the IBDP garners widespread respect.
In the United Kingdom, the IBDP is "regarded as more academically challenging and broader than three or four A-levels" according to an article in the Guardian. In 2006, government ministers provided funding so that "every local authority in England could have at least one centre offering sixth-formers the chance to do the IB." In 2008, then Children's Secretary Ed Balls abandoned a "flagship Tony Blair pledge to allow children in all areas to study IB." Fears of a "two-tier" education system further dividing education between the rich and the poor emerged as the growth in IB is driven by private schools and sixth-form colleges.
In the United States, criticism of the IBDP has centered around the claim by opponents to the program that it is anti-American, according to The New York Times. Early funding from UNESCO, and the organization's ties to the United Nations are cited as objectionable. The cost of the program is also considered to be too high. One school district in Pittsburgh in the United States attempted to eliminate the IBDP based on political objections. In Utah, funding for the IB was reduced after State Senator Margaret Dayton objected to the program which she considered anti-American by promoting values of the United Nations, although she later stated that she regretted her choice of words.
Read more about this topic: IB Diploma Programme
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