Fair? You expect fair when it comes to IB? Be thankful that the district isn't FORCING students to be in an IB PYP.

This is all about Title I and RTTT money. Without even looking it up, I'm willing to wager that there is a higher percentage of Title I students in Temple Terrace than there are in Lewis and Kimbell.

When are Floridians going to wake up to the social engineering scam called IB?

www.truthaboutib.com

For the record, the first responder referring to "truthaboutib" website should note that it's a tea party idealist site and should be considered as an opinion from that perspective.

eeka boig,

LOL! Yes, a "tea party idealist site" (aka American Constitutionalists) as compared with IBO's internationalist Marxist ideology. However, if you voted for Obama, don't bother reading the tons of information on www.truthaboutib.com. Just keep lapping up the propaganda.

shewithnoname you mean the archaic elitist propaganda of the tea party? You see, that's the thing, what you constitute as "Marxist socialism" I constitute as "normal, free thinking and a means to progress in a rapidly changing global environment" So we have choices, most tea party folks I know are home schooling their children, getting ready for the final battle. Middle of the road to liberal kinds, doing magnets, charters, etc. It's nice to have choices.

eeka boig,

"Archaic and elitist"? That's certainly an interesting labeling of freedom of information, facts and promotion of academic achievement. Yes, many free-thinkers are homeschooling their children, nowadays. They are tired of fighting the Progressive bureaucracy that has turned our public schools into Marxist indoctrination centers. It's not just IB (although IB is indoctrination on steroids), it is rampant throughout the system.

The elitism label should be properly tagged to the IB programs as it costs approx. $200,000 a year, per site, to run IB, over and above what it would cost to run a traditional elementary school.

It is nice to have choices. Unfortunately, when IB takes over a district, choices are eliminated. In the PYP, G & T classes are eliminated. At the HS level, Honors and AP classes are eliminated in all but the largest of HSs.

Unfortunately, Liberals only like "choice" when it's their choice and that choice is paid for with everyone else's money.

The school board did not want to harm Lewis with a brain drain by making it within the Riverhills IB priority area.

Yes, but IB is a good fit for some schools.

"Advanced academics"? I see that MacFarlane Park uses "History Alive" for Social Studies. Have you bothered to read through any of your daughter's History Alive textbooks? http://macfarlanepark.mysdhc.org/textbooks&curriculum

Cindy Rose launched an all out effort to have the 3rd Grade "History Alive" textbook removed from her child's elementary school in Maryland. This poorly written series of textbooks are extremely biased from a Progressive viewpoint and in 8th Grade, purport to preach Islam. Btw, did you know that IBO is partnered with the Aga Khan's Development Network?

http://conservativeteachersofamerica.com/2012/06/16/conservative-parent-stands-against-textbook-in-marylan/

http://separationofchurchstate.tribe.net/thread/854e2789-92d4-41c9-8ab7-6ab0aa527012

So you needed the UN brainwashing for that? Why can't your school just teach languages, music and advanced academics without that? It's not as advanced as you think, unless you're talking about attitudes. It's all marxist one world government. Here is IB dissected for you, as the parents in one school district found out their children were being checked for UN values every two weeks and were furious.

Why do children have to be subject to UNESCO's political agenda just to learn? That is child abuse !

www.mvsd-ib.org

So I asked a colleague whose daughter is going to an IB school if he felt there was a socialist flavor to it. His comment was that his daughter is learning to be a global citizen where the entire planet and it's peoples are relevant and important, and to be considered and learned about. He is quite pleased with the school for the most part, although he wishes they had a more thorough gifted program. I like the thinking that we are not just "Americans" but part of a global community, with an emphasis on care of the planet and consideration to peoples of other beliefs, cultures and colors. Another parent i know loves that there are more things going on culturally, intellectually and artistically and her child is way ahead scholastically as well as socially. I do think that Florida schools in general are poor. I grew up in Miami and got a very mediocre education until I went to college. Currently I like the various choices we have with the various magnets, charters, homeschooling etc. I think I will continue to survey parents of the various available programs (particularly IB) and weigh a decision on that rather than a completely biased website such as the truthaboutib, We have several young associates that work in my firm that came from IB high schools and the are some of the best and brightest, so I'm thinking IB has a lot to offer.

eeka boig,

A global citizen. That's fantastic. Do tell, who issues passports for global citizens ..... the UN? Isn't your daughter an American citizen? Don't you want her to learn what her Constitutional rights are as an American citizen? Do you really need the UN teaching your child to "care for the planet"?

And so eeka you have just described a POLITICAL world view which should NOT be promoted on the public tax dollar! Some people still believe in the constitution and national sovereignty, NOT one world government under the UN.

IB has no curriculum except UNESCO projects which are folded into EVERY subject area.

It's brainwashing. Period!

eeka boig,

You didn't answer my questions. My point, which you clearly seem to be missing, is that American public schools don't need to purchase a "philosophy" from a Swiss foundation. The PYP is NOT a curriculum. Did you know that many PYP schools use Rosetta Stone for Language B? Now why would they have to purchase Rosetta Stone on top of IB if IB actually had a curriculum? The answer is: they wouldn't.

Are you incapable of teaching your child how to recycle and be eco-friendly without IB? What on earth do vacations to Japan have to do with anything? My children have traveled all over the world .... all without IB. They both earned their college degrees (real baccalaureates) in 4 years, all without IB. I took Latin and French in HS, guess what? No IB. My chemistry teacher spoke 7 languages without IB. Benjamin Franklin taught himself Greek and Latin, all without computers and IB.

Well, there's a sucker born every minute. Good luck to the suckers who buy into this joke of a program.

Nothing wrong with languages which most of us had in the fifth grade WITHOUT the UN influence. Nothing wrong with being a steward of the planet. But one world gov't is shameful treasonous stuff that should NOT be promoted in our schools!

i sent this comment two weeks ago? weird.

They are teaching kids to be world socialists, nothing more. There are no academics in IB... the biggest misconception that is sold to parents who want their kids to have the best. Believe me, this is not the best, it's the worst.

This is typical. When most people find out what IB really is, the DO NOT WANT IT. And school officials push it ahead no matter.

Shameful.

Jennifer,

How could the IB PYP sound like a curriculum when it's NOT a curriculum?

You're more excited about your kid being brainwashed into the UNESCO way of life? SAD.

eeka boig,

The truth is biased? TAIB is not trying to sell the public anything, merely providing information about IB that IBO won't tell you. IBO, on the other hand, has specifically targeted American taxdollars via Title I and RTTT to further expand its footprint in American public schools. Over 40% of all IB schools in the world are in the U.S.A. .... why? Because we are the wealthiest country and also the only one that mindlessly demands more and more money be spent on education WITHOUT producing better results.

TAIB worked with the gentleman Frank DiGeorge (pro bono) for a year and a half to stop the implementation of IB in his village.

IB is a completely Progressively biased program. We have tried fighting it strictly on the cost and lack of curriculum basis to no avail. Districts obfuscate and attempt to minimize the cost of IB and cling to hearsay accolades regarding the program. TAIB calls attention to what IB actually IS, not what it isn't. It would be bias if TAIB were selling an alternative product or making money off of "bashing" IB. IBO's net worth is over $100,000,000.

I am the administrator of TAIB. Jay Mathews is IBO's #1 media mouthpiece and IB promoter at WAPO. Here is his review of my website.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/07/post_5.html

eeka boig,

Please forgive my inability to figure out what you are trying to say. You state: "Good article but still from a conservative perspective" and then go on to cite Jay's ridiculously left-wing comment about TAIB's alleged "raging paranoia". How could anyone in their right mind possibly consider WAPO part of the "conservative" media?

The student/parent/anonymous pro-IB comments I receive come into the info@truthaboutib.com mailbox. I am the only one who reads them and I copy and paste them sans edit into the pro-comment page. The vast majority are vile, threatening, arrogant and ignorant. IB should be ashamed of its defenders.

Jay Matthews has a financial interest in promoting this horrific program... are you surprised? I have no other interest in it other than exposing it to save the country from the UNESCO/UN interlopers who should be run out on a rail.