What price IB?

1. International Baccalaureate (IB) is an
international system of education. It is run by a
non-governmental organization called the International Baccalaureate
Organization (IBO) headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It was organized
in 1968 by European diplomats who wanted their children to have a common
undergraduate program. In 1996, however, IBO formed a “partnership” with
UNESCO in order to create what both UNESCO and IBO call an “international
education system.” 
       
One of the IB World Schools web sites defines IB as follows:

What makes the program international?

IB programs exist in schools in 90 countries worldwide. Every spring,
IB students around the world take identical exams on the same day in
various subjects. These exams are sent to other parts of the world [after
being sent to Geneva] for grading. [Grading] is based on an international
standard.

In addition, IBO insists that it will train and certify teachers for
IB­ at the expense of the local school district, of course.

2. International Baccalaureate promotes world
citizenship. The web site quoted just above says: “The IB
curriculum encourages students to think globally.”
Dr. Ian Hill,
Deputy Director of
IBO, has
said that the goal of IBO is the promotion of “world citizenship.”
Either United States citizenship or “world citizenship” must have
priority in our education program. Which will it be?  IB gives
priority to world citizenship.
 
3. International Baccalaureate views state
education standards as being subservient to, and interpreted by, the
worldview of IB. Minnesota’s School District # 6078 describes
the secondary role of state standards under IB when it states:

The authors point out that everything contained in the standards does
not constitute “an enduring understanding­[which] refer to the big ideas,
the important understandings, that we want students to ‘get inside of’
and retain after they’ve forgotten many of the details.” [p. 10 of
Districts # 6078’s implementation plan.]

This means that state standards under IBO must be taught from the
perspective of the worldview of International Baccalaureate. The IBO
ideology has primary importance; state standards have lesser importance.
It is not the intent of the Minnesota Legislature for the Minnesota State
Standards to have secondary standing. 

4. International Baccalaureate endorses the
UN Universal Declaration
of Human Rights [UDHR]. As is stated in the IBO article
“Myths and Facts.”

5. By endorsing the UDHR, IBO has agreed to
promote the United Nations along with the actions and treaties of the
United Nations [UDHR Article 26, paragraph 2, which states,
“Education shall … further the activities of the United Nations …”]. IBO
promotes the actions and treaties of the UN even though many of these
actions and treaties have not been approved by, or ratified by, the United
States. Such treaties not ratified by the United States include the
Biodiversity Treaty, the Treaty on the Rights of the Child, Agenda 21,
the Kyoto Treaty and the Treaty establishing the United Nations
International Criminal Court.

6. By endorsing the UDHR, IBO promotes the
United Nations as being the highest court of appeals on issues of human
rights. UDHR states: “These rights and freedoms may in no case
be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United
Nations” [article 29, paragraph 3]. This means that IB promotes the view
that the United Nations has higher standing than the United States
Supreme Court on issues of human rights involving U.S. citizens.

7. By endorsing the UDHR, IBO undermines the
foundation principle of the United States that human rights, such as the
rights to life, liberty and property, are inherent and inalienable, and
must be protected by government, as is stated in our Declaration of
Independence. The issue is which has greater standing and
authority–­our God-given, inalienable human rights or the policies of a
particular government. The Declaration of Independence, ­the philosophical
foundation of the United States, insists on the former. The UDHR insists
on the latter, as stated, once again, as follows: “These rights and
freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and
principles of the United Nations” [article 29, paragraph 3]. The view of
human rights held by the United States is the foundation of liberty. The
view of the United Nations is the foundation of totalitarianism.

8. IBO also
endorses the Earth
Charter, a document that has not been ratified by the United States
because it contains numerous provisions contrary to the nature and
interests of the United States. By its endorsement, IBO agreed to the
following endorsing statement:

We, the undersigned, endorse the Earth Charter. We embrace the spirit
and aims of the document. We pledge to join the global partnership for a
just, sustainable, and peaceful world and to work for the realization of
the values and principles of the Earth Charter. We pledge to join the
Global Partnership in Support of the Earth Charter Initiative for a
sustainable way of life AND urge all governments to endorse the Earth
Charter. 

The Earth Charter is housed in the “Arc of Hope” and is correctly
identified by the World Pantheist Association as a Pantheistic
document.  Besides Pantheism, the Earth Charter advocates:
 
1. The redistribution of wealth between nations and within nations [Art.
10.a.]
2. Same-sex marriage [Art. 12.a.]
3. Spiritual education [Art 14.d.] which means education in
Pantheism.
4. Military disarmament [Art. 16.d.&e.]
5. Creation of an international agency to make the Earth Charter binding
on all nations [in “The Way Forward” action-plan.]

9. Many of the IBO instructional materials are
now being written, or overseen, by the UN. The
IBO
website says:

The Global Teaching and Learning Project of the UN in New York
accepted an IBO tender to produce two teaching booklets about UN global
issues. … The project has been undertaken by the International
Baccalaureate Curriculum and Assessment Centre in Cardiff using
experienced curriculum writers from around the world, principally in IB
World Schools, and having UN input and approval of the 20 units
completed. They will be copyrighted by the UN, with acknowledgement to
the IBO for its work, and disseminated to the governments of all member
states for use in schools. 

Conclusion: The foundational
principles of the United States are summarized in the Declaration of
Independence and are properly called the “twelve pillars of freedom.” In
addition to what IBO promotes, it rejects all 12 of these Declaration
principles. Amendment X of our Bill of Rights clarifies that all the
rights in our Bill of Rights are inherent and inalienable (as also stated
in the Declaration of Independence). IBO rejects article X or our bill of
Rights, however, and by so doing rejects the entirety of our Bill of
Rights. International Baccalaureate is un-American.  

Allen Quist is Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Bethany
Lutheran College, Mankato, Minnesota, and is a former three-term
Minnesota state legislator. He is also author of three recent books on
the federal education system. This article is posted with permission of EdWatch, on whose site it originally appeared.