By CAROLINE PORTER and STEPHANIE BANCHERO

WSJ

An educational curriculum that originally catered to the children of globe-trotting diplomats is making rapid inroads in K-12 public schools across the U.S., boosting test results and academic readiness even at inner-city schools.

Houston, Chicago, Tampa, Fla., and other cities are embracing the International Baccalaureate program as a way to overhaul low-performing schools, attract middle-income families who might otherwise favor private schools, or offer more choice.

 

Scott Dalton for The Wall Street Journal

Carlos Soto, International Baccalaureate coordinator at Northline Elementary in Houston, talks with students.

"It's not a program for the elite," said Samuel Sarabia, who runs the IB program for Houston Independent School District, where 10 schools have IB programs, including two where the majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Five more low-income schools are in the midst of an IB conversion process run by the nonprofit International Baccalaureate group.

The program began in Geneva in the 1960s as a two-year high-school diploma offering for the children of diplomats and itinerant business executives. It later expanded into elementary- and middle-school programs.

Today, there are 1,651 IB programs in the U.S.—including 1,493 public schools—up from 503 in 2003. About 90% of them are in public schools, and most are aimed at U.S. students, not the children of diplomats.

Officials tout the programs' emphasis on critical thinking. Unlike the traditional model of teachers imparting knowledge in a lecture format, IB programs emphasize individual and group projects governed by a philosophy of "international mindedness." Students are required to take a second language.

The schools teaching the curriculum are reviewed every five years by the international IB group to make sure they stay true to IB philosophy.

"We felt we needed something that would give us a kick in the pants," said Brian Doyle, principal at the Houston district's Northline Elementary, where 97% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and two-thirds are English-language learners.

About 84% of Northline's fifth-graders met state standards on science tests in 2011, up from 65% in 2008.

Some education officials compare IB to the College Board's Advanced Placement program, which involves special classes and exams that can bring college credit, though AP courses generally are limited to higher grades.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel said last year the city would add 11 high-school and six elementary-school IB programs over the next few years in low-income and middle-class communities, nearly doubling its current offering.

Mr. Emanuel pointed to a 2012 study by the Consortium on Chicago School Researchat the University of Chicago that showed students who graduated from one of the district's high-school IB programs between 2003 and 2007 were 40% more likely to attend four-year colleges than peers who graduated from a traditional program. The report looked at the impact of the program at 12 neighborhood high schools.

In Florida, IB has grown to 131 programs from five in 1987, according to Ralph Cline, executive director of the Florida League of International Baccalaureate Schools, a membership association that supports IB programs.

"We have to compete with private schools and charter schools and we think IB is an attractive option," said Stephen Hegarty, spokesman for Hillsborough County Public Schools in Tampa..

Yet some parents are concerned that IB programs are too theoretical. "It's frustrating to see that instead of doing spelling bees or history reports, they are spending about six weeks of time focusing on poverty or saving white tigers," said Kelly Mann, a parole officer in Waco, Texas, whose two daughters are in IB programs. As with all elementary-school IB programs, the entire school converted and traditional classes aren't offered.

Schools typically incur a cost of $150,000 or so to prepare for the program, which could include expanding lab or library space. They also must pay the IB group about $10,000 in annual fees plus $700 per student for tests given in 11th and 12th grades, as well as teacher-training fees.

School districts pay the costs typically with a combination of general funds, grants and donations.

Stacy Lozer, a mother of three boys and parent-teacher organization president in Indianapolis, said she has seen improved teaching quality since her district began converting all 11 of its schools to the IB format.

"I feel like the IB money invested in our school system has come back tenfold in the education process," said the management consultant, who noted that her fifth-grade son has studied Mandarin since first grade.

Write to Caroline Porter at caroline.porter@wsj.com and Stephanie Banchero atstephanie.banchero@wsj.com

A version of this article appeared June 17, 2013, on page A3 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: More U.S. Schools Go International.