October 2, 2008 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Kindergartners at Thomas Jefferson Elementary, in Baltimore, study the work of Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet for art class. Fourth graders learn about both Meso-American shamans and Doctors without Borders for a unit on how medicine has evolved. Third graders look to buildings in Morocco for a lesson on architecture. Spanish classes for all students begin in preschool.
Thomas Jefferson is one of a small but growing number of elementary-grade programs authorized as an International Baccalaureate World School. Approximately 1,300 schools in North America and the Caribbean offer the program, with a global budget of $94-million. Most of the money is provided by the fees that schools pay to participate in the program.
The International Baccalaureate program was designed in 1968 to give high-school students around the world an international education. Students take regular subjects with an eye toward other countries’ perspectives so they might learn to “live, learn, and work in a rapidly globalizing world.” The group began the Primary Years Programme in 1997.
But the program isn’t just about other countries: It also emphasizes personal involvement in learning and community service. Students are expected to ask questions and make connections in their studies, and learn independently about subjects that catch their interest. In 2007, the program started a three-year effort to encourage students and teachers to focus on issues such as global poverty, infectious disease, and peace and conflict.
At Thomas Jefferson, students started a recycling program as part of their community-service effort.
“We see our students taking on more responsibility,” says Sara Huppert, the IB coordinator at the school. “If they see trash on the campus, they pick it up. They really have taken ownership of the recycling.”
Here, students at Thomas Jefferson Elementary perform an Israeli dance during a celebration marking the school’s authorization as an International Baccalaureate World School.
