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If the superintendent of schools and certain Board of Education members have their way, Greenwich Middle Schools and Greenwich High School will soon be committed by legal contract to an expensive, unproven transformation of our education into IB. These International Baccalaureate programs, based in Europe, are divided into three categories: elementary or PYP, middle or MYP, and high school, which includes a diploma program or DP.
Currently, Greenwich has two IB elementary schools, which went through a complete Board of Education approval cycle. The PYP is relatively benign with no extravagant price tag, and many parents have been satisfied with the results.
The middle and high school programs, on the other hand, are expensive and remove local control of teacher training, school procedures and curriculum. Experience around the United States show that many honors and AP courses are eliminated, the IB Foundational Concept of Globalization takes precedence over traditional American education and IB owns the work product of our children, to mention a few of the disadvantages.
If a school district signs an IB contract, it is committed legally on an ongoing basis. Some U.S. school districts that have tried to remove IB have been sued by liberal groups, such as the ACLU. For more on the background on IB rules and regulations, visit its website at www.ibo.org/become/guidance.
So far, stealth tactics have been used to push IB. Private meetings at Havemeyer with the superintendent and "a committee" with no public minutes have guided this process. Parents and taxpayers should call each of the eight Board of Education members to find out where they stand on this important issue.
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