Navigating the US Higher Education Crisis: The Role and Sustainability of an IB Education

Article by Carrie Guillen

The US elections have been the center of strong emotions and perspectives around the globe. US constituents have wondered about big issues and who would be the best candidate to deliver the goods, with education near the top of the list for young voters. (Mangan) A recent survey of registered US voters highlighted that younger generations are focused on the need for higher education reforms to meet the demands of the workforce. Improving education and workforce opportunities are at the top of the list, with these top reform requests:

     

      • Expand apprenticeship programs, so more people can earn a living while they learn a skill.

      • Provide better guidance for students to find training and career options that fit their needs and can lead to jobs with sustainable wages. 

      • Make it possible for more people to be hired based on their skills and not whether they hold a college degree.

      • Emphasize K-12 and higher education curriculum that prepares students for jobs in high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industries. 

    In contrast, the most pressing issue for higher education institutions seems to be the declining enrollment numbers across numerous institutions. Many universities and colleges have focused their concerns on their dwindling numbers, post-COVID-19. Some universities have already folded. Simply put, more and more students are choosing to forego the traditional four-year route. 

    For this article, I interviewed three women who have lived and worked in expat circles and have children who have attended international schools. Their voices are interwoven throughout. 

    One of the ladies I spoke to stated her high school senior applied for an internship over the past summer. When the company realized the student was not yet 18 years old, they explained they couldn’t take him on. He expressed his interest in trying again the following summer before going away to university. He was told he shouldn’t even bother with a university education. The company would train him in the areas they wanted him to learn, but more important for them were the soft skills he demonstrated during his interview. Those soft skills need to be taught. For these higher educational institutions, reimagining higher education is a must, for them to not become obsolete. The wave of change is upon us.

    The reasons why higher education enrollment dropped in the last decade and why the younger generations are deciding against higher education will help inform forward planning. It boils down to three facts:

       

        • Higher Education hasn’t aligned itself with the workforce. With the emergence of AI, current employment trends no longer focus on traditional skills that come with a higher-ed degree. The need has turned to honing ‘soft skills’ that are transferable across work fields.

        • The shrinking population of America’s teenage population.

      Armed with this information, it seems what is crucial for the next wave of university-goers, is a complete overhaul of higher education. 

      Where does one start with such a daunting task of changing over more than 100 years of stagnant practices? 

      The good news is that there is a program already in place in primary and secondary education, where critical thinking and soft skills development are embedded into the curriculum. The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme© initially took hold in international schools across the globe. Some countries have even adopted it in their national schools. Unfortunately, national systems do not always implement the programme with fidelity.

      International schools first entered the scene when businesses expanded and began sending their employers overseas. For the transition to work, an educational system had to be provided for the children of these employees, enabling them to continue with their goals for the future. International students need a program that is portable, as they tend to move in two-to-three-year intervals. One woman I interviewed, is a long-time international educator and former head of schools in the area. She stated “International schools focus on more than just achieving high standardized test scores. The international students’ needs of emotional learning and adaptability are different from local school students. In order for universities to continue, they will need to redefine the purpose of school, taking emotional learning into account. 

      Each interviewee stated the same reasons for choosing an international school for their children.

      The biggest reason was having a school teach primarily in their home language. The second reason was to ensure their children were given the academic outcomes and reliable pathways to global higher education. Making sure schools can provide quality teaching is based on accreditation. It is the mark of a quality school. Non-accredited schools should be avoided because they lack outside accountability to a standards-based education.

       Because countries have different standards of measuring academic curriculum and rigor, the IBDP was borne to create an international program, accessible across borders, that sufficiently prepared students to enter the most elite universities across the globe. The beauty of this program is that it is more than academically rigorous; students choose six courses, that are at university entry level. The courses are divided into six subject disciplines and are taken as a two-year program during the last two years of high school. This allows students to gain depth, as well as a well-rounded foundation in the six subject areas. 

       

      The heart of this program, however, goes beyond academics. It focuses on core principles or “Approaches To Learning” (ATLs) that are embedded in the curriculum and therefore promote life-long learning. The idea of education focused on teaching students content is no longer viable with AI on our doorstep. The need for teaching students how to learn crosses all disciplines. This is especially true with the GenZers. 

      These ATL skills are the very premise of the soft skills that companies are desperately crying out for. In an article published by Intelligent.com, companies complained about the GenZ population, stating, “1 in 6 Companies Are Hesitant To Hire Recent College Graduates.” The sentiment is that “Although they may have some theoretical knowledge from college, they often lack the practical, real-world experience and resilience required to succeed in the work environment.”

       These IB ATLs emphasize that ‘learning how to learn’ is fundamental to an individual’s success, not only in educational settings but in the world setting, building the resilience that employers say is often lacking by developing critical self-management and social skills starting in the primary years. 

      IBDP is gaining traction across the globe, however, the highest number of schools offering IBDP is in the US. So when a family is moving abroad, it makes sense that they would seek schools offering the IBDP. There are many national programs around. The US has the Advanced Placement (AP) program. The UK offers the A-Levels, and the European schools offer the European Baccalaureate. One of the parents that I spoke to who has children attending the European School, stated “I love that my child’s best friend is from Italy and that he’s becoming proficient in several European languages at the same time.” However, as I mentioned, these national curricula focus on academics. There is no current program, other than the IB, that synthesizes academics with the skills that go beyond the classroom. 

      Because of IBDP’s success, more and more schools are taking it on board. However, one must incorporate the program with integrity. Some schools offer the program, without fully embracing the philosophies behind the program. It is meant to bring people together by focusing on a problem-solving mindset and producing global citizens, individuals who can appreciate and hone the skills that are valuable to every culture. The heart of the IB Organization is the premise that it should be accessible to everyone. It has room to be a rigorous program while allowing students equal access through individuation. Not all students are STEM-oriented, and not all are strong in humanities. The IBDP, when administered correctly, allows students to select a program that enhances their strengths. It also allows for students who need learning support, as the curriculum encourages different teaching techniques to reach all learners. 

      A one-size-fits-all is an antiquated approach to teaching. IB focuses on the true purpose of education; to enable students to direct their own learning pathway and develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive and make a lasting difference. Because it is student-centered, it is easy to provide accommodations for students who need them, while not sacrificing the learning outcomes.

      In Estonia, where I currently reside, there are not many schools offering the IBDP. That makes the choice easier, however, distinguishing between them is still challenging. Going back to accreditation ensures that a school has a quality stamp of approval. 

      For US citizens, the concept of a high school diploma is the document and milestone of completing secondary education. In order to award a high school certificate, a school must clearly publish its requirements leading to the award of the certificate. Americans looking for schools overseas and those who anticipate having their children possibly attend a US university are also reassured if an overseas school is recognized by the US State Department and assisted by their Office of Overseas Schools. A school, such as the International School of Estonia, is accredited by NEASC, an accrediting body in the US, as well as being endorsed by the US State Department. The school profile is the easiest way for schools to communicate their graduation requirements, along with other pertinent information for parents, like test scores and university acceptances, in helping them decide what outcomes might be within their own child’s grasp. 

      As the route to higher education has become more fierce and competitive, I believe teaching kindness and compassion along with the prerequisite soft skills that the corporate world is looking for, are a must that every school, no matter where they are, needs to focus on. The world has become much smaller over the past 50 years, and being collaborative is necessary to be successful. As a parent, I am so grateful my kids completed the IB Diploma. The skills they learned prepared them very well, not only for university but for being productive and contributing members of society.

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

       

      Carrie copy.jpgCarrie has lived and worked internationally for over 20 years. She attended university in the US and earned her Master’s in counseling at the University of San Francisco. Her career began as a family therapist working in a private school. At only 22, she felt she needed more experience to do the job justice. She decided to be a children’s social worker for the city of Los Angeles and that gave her a lot of experience! It’s a hard job and after 6 years she decided to go into education. She earned her state counseling credential and began working as a middle school counselor and shortly transitioned to high school, advising students in university placement, which she thoroughly enjoyed. After a few years, she and her family (twin children aged 4) moved to the Philippines where they stayed for nine years. They then moved to Egypt and lived there for several years, where her children graduated from high school before her and her husband moved on to Colombia for two years. She was last working as the Assistant Director of College Counseling in South Korea before moving to Estonia in September 2024.

      Works Cited:

      Belkin, Douglas. “Americans Are Losing Faith in College Education, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds. ”WSJ, 31 March 2023, https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-are-losing-faith-in-college-education-wsj-norc-poll-finds-3a836ce1?mod=hp_lead_pos6 . Accessed 31 October 2024.

      “Facts and figures.” International Baccalaureate, 8 October 2024, https://www.ibo.org/about-the-ib/facts-and-figures/. Accessed 30 October 2024.

      “Find an IB World School.” International Baccalaureate, 2021-2024, https://www.ibo.org/programmes/find-an-ib-school/. Accessed 31 October 2024.

      Jobs For the Future. “No Dead Ends: Survey of Registered Voters.” Jobs For the Future, September 2024, https://info.jff.org/hubfs/Policy%20-%20Files/JFF_Policy_NoDeadEnds_VoterSurvey2-Sept2024_Memo_MorningConsult_Revised_092724.pdf. Accessed 30 October 2024.

      Mangan, Katherine. “Here’s What Voters Want the Next President to Do for Higher Ed.” Chronical of Higher Education, no. October 8, 2024, https://www.chronicle.com/article/heres-what-voters-want-the-next-president-to-do-for-higher-ed?sra=tru.

      “1 in 6 Companies Are Hesitant To Hire Recent College Graduates.” Intelligent, 13 September 2024, https://www.intelligent.com/1-in-6-companies-are-hesitant-to-hire-recent-college-graduates/. Accessed 31 October 2024.

      “School Profile.” International School of Estonia, 2024, https://ise.edu.ee/about-2/mission-vision-2/school-profile/. Accessed 31 October 2024.

      “What is an IB education?” International Baccalaureate, 30 April 2024, https://ibo.org/professional-development/free-learning/what-is-an-ib-education/. Accessed 28 October 2024.

      Wood, Sarah. “See How Average Student Loan Debt Has Changed in 10 Years.” USNews.com, 21 October 2024, https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/see-how-student-loan-borrowing-has-changed. Accessed 31 October 2024.