Poll: Farmington Schools' International Baccalaureate Program Gets Mixed Reviews

The new International Baccalaureate (IB) program is either a wonderful opportunity for students or a dangerous curriculum that indoctrinates students with anti-American sentiments.

Public testimony during a review of the program at Tuesday's Farmington board of education meeting spanned a wide range of opinions. The district at last fall, and 120 freshmen are enrolled.

According to a curriculum review published on the district's website, students take subjects in six core areas: language A1, second language, individuals and societies, math and computer science, arts and experimental sciences. Program director Polly Bachrouche said the district offers more course choices within that framework than any school in Michigan. 

Teachers who have taken the IB training said the program is different from advance placement (AP) classes in its emphasis on dialogue, reading international authors and in the number and types of assessments that gauge student progress. The coursework is generally considered more rigorous and focuses more on teaching students how to think, than on memorization. 

Students praise IB

Five IB students who traveled to the Dominican Republic over spring break – Abhijay Kumar, Rahul Gannapureddy, Kyla Roland, Jessica Khoury and Kate Kreiss – described a program that makes them want to come to school every day. 

Kumar said he feels more freedom than in a regular classroom and students, rather than teachers, lead the discussions. The district's signature Dialogues in Diversity class, in particular, led him to attend diversity conferences and get involved in the school's diversity committee.

"This program put me on such a different journey that I didn't expect," he told board members. 

"You learn how to talk to people who have different views than you, in a constructive way," Kreiss said. "I personally believe the IB program is preparing me more for the real world." 

Critics: IB is un-American

Adults who spoke argued that the program is in conflict with American values and ideals. 

Board member Murray Kahn said students who spoke glowingly of the program used some of the same language he had read on the IB program website.

"I'm hearing indoctrination," he said, "and it concerns me a lot, because of where this program originates." 

He and others criticized the program's emphasis on globalization, its ties to the United Nations and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), and the fact that student test are graded by the IB organization, which is located overseas. 

Irving Ginsberg, who ran for a school board seat last fall, said the district has not held "an extensive public discussion" about costs, objectives and processes of what he said is a "major transformation" of the district's educational system.

Calling the program "un-American," he said there are "very troubling aspects of the IB Program that need to be addressed in a public forum". He cited a number of concerns, including conflicts he observed between the program's foundational teachings and America's Declaration of Independence. 

Another speaker, Alan Whitmore, said the IB program does not go far enough when it comes to STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) courses, given the number of jobs the state already needs to fill in those fields. 

Catherine Cost, assistant superintendent of instructional services, said while tests are graded outside the country, students are still taking classes typically expected of freshmen, like civics (American government) and economics. 

"They are learning in an environment that is international," she said. 

Cost said 130 8th graders are expected to enter the program this fall.