IB Program, Anti-American?

This week a bill that sailed through the House, hit a dead end in a Senate Committee through a claim by Sen. Dayton of anti-Americanism and promotion of the U.N. Agenda. HB 266 would increase funding for the International Baccalaureate(IB) program. The bill's sponsor, Rep. Carol Spackman Moss is trying to keep the bill alive by appealing to the Rules Committee for a new hearing. Source

Here are a few things I learned today about the IB program, judge it for yourself.

This statement is from the IB's official website:
"We encourage international-mindedness in IB students. To do this, we believe that students must first develop an understanding of their own cultural and national identity. " Source

Clearfield High School has the IB program available, here is their explanation of the program:
"The International Baccalaureate is the most highly respected high school academic program in the world. Students graduating with an IB Diploma are given top consideration for scholarships and acceptance by colleges and universities both nationally and internationally. The program is a rigorous two-year course of study emphasizing both the sciences and humanities. It is designed with an international focus and encourages research, extracurricular involvement, creative development, and community service, as well as academic achievement. Its focus is the development of the whole person. The courses must be taken in the 11th and 12th grade years." Source

As far as college credit for the courses, the University of Utah's policy is this:
Students with an IB Diploma will receive 30 semester hours of General Ed or elective credits. The Diploma eliminates the General Ed requirements in science, fine arts, humanities, and social sciences. Gen Ed English will be waived for students with 5 or better on the English HL test. The waiver of math credits is based on the math taken and test score received. The American History Department requirement will not be waived. Without the full Diploma, students will be given 8 semester hours for every higher level IB test taken and passed with a score of 5 or better. Source

It is hard to believe that this program could be feared as indoctrinating. Frankly, it sounds better than the AP deal I did in high school. Just because a program is based outside the United States, just because it recognizes the importance of teaching more histories and cultures than our own, and just because it is different than what we did in high school - does not make it Un-American. I have always felt the more I learn about the world, the more grateful I am to live here in the U.S. This bill needs to be reconsidered.


On a side note: Sen. Christiansen's SB 190 requires all high school classrooms to have an American Flag and U.S. Constitution displayed. So these courses would be taught under the red, white & blue.