George Washington High School in Denver, US has struggled with racial divides between IB and non-IB students for years.
As students saw divides getting worse, critical voices claimed the school’s IB programme was fuelling the problems by attracting only smart kids. Adding to that a large achievement gap and high teacher turnover pushed the school district to act.
Instead of getting rid of the IB programme, the school decided to unify their community by offering IB classes to students of all backgrounds. As part of this new approach, kids of different backgrounds regularly get together in groups, to address social and racial stereotypes – a truly eye-opening experience, according to the students themselves.
Hezekiah Hall is participating in the exercise: “When I heard them (IB students) talk, I honestly thought, 'they’re human beings,'" he said. "It was just really eye-opening.”
Making their IB Diploma Programme available to more students, the school has managed to bridge the divides between students and create a school culture dominated by energy and enthusiasm.
Marcus Lee, IB economics teacher, attests to the positive change: "There was a different tone. There was a greater willingness to really be transparent and speak frankly," he said, referring to the new working climate.
Cheyenne Quinones, another George Washington High School student, is showing new pupils around on the school premises. She said: “I didn’t really want to be here, but now that I see there’s some type of change happening, I’m proud of what we’re doing.”
Read the full article on Colorado Public Radio’s website.
