Decisions being made...

I teach at a high school that offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It's not something that most folks are familiar with, but it's an impressive educational program.

Quick summary of the IB program from my experience with it...feel free to skip it if you know this stuff already...

The IB program is an internationally-recognized, high-standard of education that's administered out of Wales (you know, like next to England). If a student successfully completes the program, their education is impressive and thorough enough that they could go to pretty much any country and head to university with good success. Students who get the IB diploma have to take rigorous courses in science, math, native and foreign languages, social studies, philosophy, and (oten) fine arts). We've had the program for twenty or so years here at PHS, and anybody who comes out of it is really studly.

Turns out that Upper St. Clair HS - near Pittsburgh also has the IB program - or at least they had the program. The school's website describes themselves thusly...

Welcome to the Upper St. Clair High School website. Three times recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and named as a New American High School by the Federal Department of Education, Upper St. Clair High School is a four-year, comprehensive school with a strong emphasis on preparation for college.

In their second controversial act since they came into office, the Upper St. Clair school board voted to cease their IB program.

According to the article discussing the decision, the board's professed reason for cancelling the program was a smple cost-cutting measure, as the smaller class sizes often required a larger per-pupil expendature than was being made for the rest of the student body. Comments made before the final board meeting, however, suggested that the board also felt that the IB program promoted non-American values.

Local newspapers wrote editorials about the issue leading up to the final vote, and residents were able to comment both before and after the final - for now, anyway - board meeting.

We've not - that I know of, anyway - heard any such complaints or rumblings of removing the IB program from good ol' PHS, and I certainly hope such rumblings never come our way, and I do understand that in times of financial shortage, certain services have to be curtailed, and all...but...

The IB program is not, in any way at all, anti-American or Marxist - as some notes in the articles suggest were threatened. The program does require students in some courses to read materials that explore disparate philosophies - governmental, economic, moral - and to then come to conclusions on their own, and often to further question those conclusions as they learn more and read further.

---

In retrospect, this whole issue (at least the anti-American charges) come from a similar vein as yesterday's post for me. I would much rather that I - and my students and all people, in general - be given as much open knowledge as we can give them. Let me - and them - come to whatever conclusions.

Cutting off access to information to keep people thinking your way is no way for leaders in a free society to behave. It's hackneyed and cliche, but the mind is like a parachute, it works better when it’s open.

---

Ipromise that tomorrow's post will be back in the Antonio Banderas blog vein - totally frivolous...