In this article originally published in the March 2015 edition of IB World magazine, IB’s new director general, Siva Kumari discusses the changes to International Baccalaureate and her continued focus on the program’s mission.
(Notre Dame continues to be the only Catholic school in the U.S. with all three levels of the International Baccalaureate.)
With the ongoing pressure of targets and deadlines, many educators might place "fun" relatively low on their list of priorities, but IB Director General Dr. Siva Kumari believes a sense of excitement is just what classrooms need—and the new IB strategy is just what is needed to effectively deliver it.
The IB launched its new strategic vision for 2015-19 earlier this year, and from the outset, IB staff at all levels, regardless of job titles, were integral to its formation. Consultation took place across IB offices producing "very rich and real" conversations among staff, said Kumari, who became IB director general in January 2014.
The IB community was consulted throughout the year, too, and the result was a "realistic" strategy that places the IB on a firm foundation and on an exciting trajectory following significant structural changes over the past five years. While the plan was to deliver a strategy to the IB Board in April 2015, Kumari felt that she, the staff and the IB community were ready to seek approval for the strategy in the November 2014 board meeting.
"Using this strategy, the IB will continue to deliver curricula that ensures schools and teachers are key players in designing meaningful learning, and that the IB has a role in creating the best in international education for schools to deliver," Kumari said.
"The major themes are about creating an IB that is closer to and deeply respectful of the value and needs of its community of educators," she said. "This includes a strong focus on infusing research into our curriculum development process and an outside-in view when delivering our services, ensuring that the value of an IB student and an IB education is better understood by parents, employers and universities. We also have a passion for creating an organization that can fully employ current technologies to think in new ways."
Focusing on quality not growth
The IB has set its sights on maintaining quality. "We didn't specifically talk about targets, or that we need to grow by 'x%'," Kumari said. "Our current rate of growth is reasonable. We are more focused on how we keep improving the quality. This is most important in the long run.
"Developing our programs in line with current research about age-appropriate learning, assessment techniques and content renewal is what the IB does well. We work with our schools to make changes and continuously improve," she added.
"We want to share this research with our schools so they can use it with their parents. Furthermore, we want to try to connect with experts of particular subject areas. For example, in mathematics, maybe we could connect with mathematical societies around the world and seek their input. This keeps the IB aligned to the original promise of being that link between tertiary and secondary education."
Embracing technology
Through the delivery of this strategy, the IB is using technology as a tool to further connect the IB community. The online platform, Agora, will allow teachers to swap and share ideas wherever they are in the world, and welcome non-IB teachers to tap into this resource for their development and that of their students.
"We've taken a very strong view about technology in this strategy and we want to fully exploit it for the good of our schools," Kumari said.
"We want to work in significantly different ways so we can reach far more of our schools more effectively, contain costs and better engage and connect people. We hope that, through technology, our community will continue to feel a stronger sense of connection to the IB.
"The IB operates in a creative and unique ecosystem within a community that believes in sharing, and in a mission of creating a more peaceful world. Our new strategy creates a professional learning community, and through Project Agora, the IB can share good educational practice from the worldwide community of schools.”
She said there are schools around the world that really need these resources, and teachers who do not have access to this type of professional development. Non-IB teachers can also benefit from a wealth of knowledge and can utilize resources for implementation in their schools.
Although technology will certainly help the IB progress, Kumari will ensure that the organization doesn't get caught up in the "technology tsunami" and will remain grounded and focused on what is important for students.
Building on the mission
The strategy builds on the IB's mission statement and aims to remind schools why they stay with the organization.
"The emphasis of what the IB is about is the most exciting aspect of the strategy," Kumari said. "It's about owning up to the privilege we've had so far and the potential we have for the future. We are reconnecting to our mission and that is really exciting."
Kumari felt there was a need to re-focus on the IB's mission, and bring the organization back to its founding principles. "It's important for any organization that is 46 years old, has had considerable growth and completed an ambitious structural change, to re-focus.
"The mission provides a definition of education; and the purpose of the IB extends beyond getting students to tertiary education. There is also a higher ambition with the mission – to create a better world through our students, schools and our work, serving as a great reminder of the need for the IB."
Turning a vision into reality
Discussing how the strategic vision for 2015-19 will become a reality, Kumari said the IB attracts individuals who have similar values, and it needs to continue to attract those who are striving towards its core mission.
"We have created a global organization with a complex structure, but the IB will continue to pull together, irrespective of where we are located in the world, to ensure we are steering the ship together in the same direction,” she said.
"This strategy is focused on thinking about schools first and not us. I am deeply hopeful that it will make a marked difference for all IB World Schools."
(Republished with permission.)
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.