Bac to the Future

Audience: Primary Years Programme
Audience: Middle Years Programme
Audience: Diploma Programme
Audience: Research
Audience: General Interest
Session: Block 5: Saturday 2:00 to 3:15, Room: Bayview Room A

The IB celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2008, and has come a long way since Alec Peterson first developed and introduced the concept of the Diploma Programme in 1968. The goal back then was to facilitate the international mobility of students by providing schools with a curriculum and qualification recognized by universities around the world. Today, after decades of operating quietly on the margins of education, International Baccalaureate programmes seem to be more and more leaping into the limelight, sparking controversy and confusion that inevitably accompany innovation. Is IB the best way to improve schools, as supporters claim? Does it have the right programmes to meet the heightened concerns of parents interested in preparing their children for a global economy?
Join Director General Jeffrey Beard and Regional Director Drew Deutsch for an interesting point/counterpoint discussion on these issues and to hear more about how today’s IB programmes are actually a good fit for 21st century needs.


Jeffrey Beard, Director General, International Baccalaureate

"Jeffrey Beard is the Director General of the IB. Previous to this post, Mr Beard was the Division President and Chief Operating Officer for one of the major operating divisions of Syngenta AG, a world-leading agribusiness based in Basel, Switzerland. Mr Beard graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1972 with a bachelor of science in analytical management, and has two graduate degrees, including an MBA from the University of Wisconsin. Mr Beard has a great personal interest in education. He served as president and member of the West Des Moines school board in Iowa for five years. His two children graduated with IB diplomas from the Vienna International School in the 1990s.
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Drew Deutsch, Regional Director, International Baccalaureate

"Drew Deutsch joined the International Baccalaureate in April 2008 as the Regional Director for IB in the North America region. Mr. Deutsch has over 15 years experience in the education services industry with The Princeton Review. He served in a wide range of roles across the company’s K12 Services and Test Preparation divisions, most recently as Vice President of Account Management and Operations where he led a large team of educators to provide high quality interim assessment and intervention programs to school districts across the US.
Throughout his professional career, Mr. Deutsch has had a passion for working with students and educators to improve student achievement. The International Baccalaureate aligns perfectly with this passion and was an important factor in his decision to join the IB. Mr. Deutsch graduated from Georgetown University in 1992 with a bachelor of arts in psychology and received his IB diploma in 1988 from the United Nations International School.
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