Why International Baccalaureate (IB) is un-Americanby Allen Quist
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.
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 saidthat 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. Minnesotas 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 theyve forgotten many of the details. [p. 10 of Districts # 6078s implementation plan.]
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 approve 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 authorityour God-given, inalienable human rights or the policies of a particular government. The Declaration of Independencethe 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.
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.
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.
