International Baccalaureate Waives Fee To Increase Equity And Access To Critical Thinking

“I had a choice between a staircase and an escalator. I chose the staircase.” This sums up the International Baccalaureate (IB) student mindset, according to Siva Kumari, the seventh director general of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the first woman to hold this post. IB pushes students ages 3 to 19 to excel in their studies and in their personal development through its rigorous academic programs. Over 5,000 schools in 150 countries offer IB, and this number may grow even higher to IB’s announcement that it is waiving its candidate registration fees earlier this month.

This decision stands out in a world where elite academic programs like IB that focus on critical thinking are so often treated as a luxury good, reserved for only the most “elite” students at our most “elite” schools. With critical thinking being such an essential skill for preparing today’s learners for the future of work, Kumari recently sat down for an interview to explain this decision and its impact on educational equity; highlight IB’s partnerships with U.S. schools serving large numbers of high-poverty students; and explain how IB’s interest in improving outcomes for IB graduates of color is playing such a powerful role in preparing a diverse population for the future of work.

Colin Seale: What is IB and why would I want to consider it for my child’s education?

Siva Kumari: We want students of all ages to thrive in both personal and academic achievement. We want students, like leaders, to discover who they are from day one. Our IB teachers and coordinators integrate the core curriculum and internationally benchmarked standards of their school or district with what we call a learner profile – so that students embody these key competencies to become inquisitive, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-taking, balanced and reflective – learners as a result of their IB education. We know that employers and universities need this input.

Seale: IB recently announced that it was eliminating one of its exam registration fees. Can you tell me more about how this is aligned with IB’s mission?

Kumari: Our mission is to develop critical thinkers who are well-rounded, multilingual and open-minded citizens—a new generation educated in ways that enable them to respond thoughtfully to global, national and local challenges. We also believe an IB education is uniquely aligned with the ever-evolving demands of the world of work. This decision to lower per student assessment costs is intended to help more students worldwide afford additional subject exams or pursue a full Diploma Programme, as well as help more schools deliver this rigorous preparation for life.  In schools worldwide where the funding comes from the government, the elimination of these fees will be particularly meaningful.

Seale: Why do you believe an IB education is uniquely relevant in the 21^st Century?

Kumari: The 21^st Century, or what the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs report calls the Fourth Revolution, increasingly demands a workforce of truly agile learners. This looks like employees that can learn, unlearn and relearn. For more than fifty years, IB educators have been  preparing students to fully engage, intellectually and mindfully, with the demands of the global economy. We believe our model of learning is relevant now more than ever.  The IB has been a 4.0 in a 1.0 world of education,

Seale: For many, the IB programme has a reputation for being “elite” and only geared toward the gifted. How do you balance this reputation with the work you are trying to do to be inclusive of more students?

Kumari: IB has rightfully earned its reputation as academically rigorous and transformational but we don’t believe that means it should be exclusive. We’ve always believed that our programme is at its best when its integrated into the fabric of any school in any context.

Seale: What do the next 50 years look like for the IB?

Kumari: Unbelievably exciting. We are about students from ages 3 to 18 engaging in meaningful learning and developing skills that matter to them and to the adults. For example, over the last 30 years we’ve grown our partnership with Chicago Public Schools to include more than 100 IB programmes that are serving students who are mostly economically disadvantaged, and who often speak a first language other than English.  And the research shows that CPS IB students outperform their peers when it comes to enrolling in college, and that they are more likely to stay enrolled compared to matched non-IB students. The best universities in the world know the IB student brand, and professors can spot these well prepared engaged learners – we want to enhance this learning with all that modern technologies now make possible – AI, assessing with authentic digital assessments and giving students the capability to do original projects to create a better world. They can. We as adults need to inspire, and ensure that the inspiration in the 12-year system is sustained to deliver the young adults who deliver the best thinking for our collective future.

The conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.