Two of Four “Open World Schools” Piloted in U.S

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, November 23, 2012 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim.  They’re called, “global learners,” because they’re students
in a pilot project that’s being introduced in only four schools in the world –
one in Florida, one in Michigan, one in Switzerland and one in Japan.  Global
learners in Florida go to Sarasota’s Booker High School and will participate in
the International Baccalaureate Open World online courses as partners of
Riverview High, a local International Baccalaureate (IB) school.  On Monday,
October 29th, Representatives from the European International Baccalaureate
Organization (IBO) visited Sarasota’s Riverview and Booker high schools, as the
first schools in the world to demonstrate their participation in the Open World
school movement.  
 
The first phase of Open World puts students online for their courses, so
interested parents will be hard-pressed to know what they’re learning.  Next,
Open World will involve students in community service projects and, ultimately,
provide specialized lectures and seminars, currently being developed to train
them as “international-minded” global learners.  
 
In 1965 the IBO formed in Geneva as a foundation under Swiss law.  Its
experimental project launched in 1967 was offered for use in 20 schools in
1970.  By 2004, it had been implemented in over 1,450 schools in more than 115
countries; 502 were in the U.S., of which 55 were primary, middle and secondary
schools located in D.C, Maryland and Virginia.  Those numbers have steadily
increased.Although IB was formed to provide a western system of education for the children
of U.S. diplomats, today it is essentially an arm of UNESCO.  When American
schools join IB, they agree that IBO-UNESCO will train the teachers, write the
curriculum, compose the important tests (that are sent to Geneva for scoring)
and dictate the values, attitudes and worldview that will be taught students. 
The Ten Commandments have been replaced with the 10 values of IBO-UNESCO and one of the subjects required by IB includes the History and Culture of the Islamic
World.
 
A parent of children required to enroll in the IB program warns, “Administrators
do not tell you that the current IB program for ages three through grade 12
promotes socialism, disarmament, radical environmentalism and moral relativism,
while attempting to undermine Christian religious values and national
sovereignty.”  She was talking about the regular IB curriculum.  I shudder to
think what Open World students will be learning.  For Georgia Insight I’m Sue
Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.