KR, there is a MAJOR argument going on about IB at Upper St. Clair HS, a little is
here. The program itself is at
http://www.ibo.org/. From their site:
"IB programs help North American schools to:
-add international perspectives to their academic offerings
-measure teaching and learning against an international standard
-satisfy the educational needs of culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse student populations
-build students’ confidence in their learning abilities
-develop students’ capacity to think critically and act compassionately in a complex, ever-shrinking world
-connect their teachers to a world-wide community of teachers working on best educational practices
-implement the most effective classroom practices from around the world
-provide their teaching faculty with the opportunity to develop and expand their professional skills in the areas of school leadership, examining, curriculum writing, program evaluating, school mentoring and leading workshops."
From what I understand (I only know one person who's been through it), it's akin to a K-12 Advanced Placement program with an international emphasis.