The IB Degree in Global Studies: A New Way of Thinking and Getting an Education

In the twenty-first century in the United States the world is rapidly changing before our very eyes. Technology is being introduced and mass produced at an astonishing rate. Ideas and gadgets that most people would never dream of are here today at our fingertips. The political makeup of the world is also changing. China is becoming a world power through their capitalist economy. China has the largest amount of people and the biggest source of manpower. In fact, China is even developing their own car manufacturing company that will be producing cars by the year 2009 for a very cheap price. Despite the ever changing world around us, the school system in the United States has fallen behind and American children are getting dumber not smarter. Companies in the United States are recruiting overseas scientists and businessman for their companies because they have a better understanding of the world around them then the children coming out of the American school systems. However, change is on the way.

A series of new schools throughout the United States have crept underneath the radar screen of the public. These schools are called the Baccalaureate schools of Global Studies. Most of these Global education schools are private schools but some are springing up across the nation offering access to students for public education. A news story by Time Magazine featured the public Baccalaureate junior and senior high school in Astoria in New York City. The school has done marvels for children as it has boosted their reading, writing and math scores in an unprecedented rate. The school uses a new type of degree system called the IB degree for global studies. This degree that all high school students must receive in order to graduate, forces students to learn. Students must be proficient in another language such as Spanish or French by the time they graduate. The public school also teaches Chinese which many students are learning and the language has been very successful and popular among students.

New ways of thinking are adopted at these Baccalaureate schools for Global education. Teachers use real life problems and current events in the classroom instead of subjects which students have difficulty relating to. Class discussion instead of teacher notes on the blackboard or lectures are emphasized to promote students to think freely and voice their own opinions. The difference is quite noticeable among visitors to the school. Visitors have reported to be in awe of teachers at the school as the hands of students eager to answer the question shoot up in the air.

It is this culture of learning which so many more schools across the country must adopt and pass on to students. Students must be able to compete on an international level with a global economy that is constantly changing. It is time for the U.S. school system to rise to the top once again.