The book critically examines the motivations behind the rise of International Education and international schooling, proposing a unique 'demand-supply' framework to analyze this growth. It delves into the factors influencing the increasing popularity of these educational models, providing insights into their implications for global education trends.
The book explores the transformation of post-16 education in England, highlighting the emergence of various qualifications alongside A-Levels, such as the International Baccalaureate and Cambridge Pre-U. It critiques the perception of this diversity as clutter, suggesting it instead reflects the evolving demands of capitalism. The text discusses the implications of educational resource allocation, emphasizing a divide between elite knowledge workers and the broader workforce. It offers insights into contemporary curriculum developments, particularly in elite private schools and new educational models like free schools and Academies.
International Baccalaureate in America
The three main programmes of the Geneva-registered International Baccalaureate (IB) have grown enormously since the 1990s and have seemingly found their ‘home’ in the United States. However, the IB has provoked opposition, initially from concerned parents, and lately by conservative agencies. This book charts the growth of the IB in America and offers a set of frameworks for conceptualizing the history and nature of this attack. It explores the distinctly paleo-conservative philosophy behind this attack, and reveals the influence of the American historian Russell Kirk, alongside Edmund Burke. The book examines the notion that the IB is un-American, and concludes that for some people in America global education is fundamentally unnatural and must be resisted.