Washington Post columnist caps off IB celebration

March 14, 2012

Martha Allman and Jay Mathews

More than 300 students from International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes from around the state visited Wake Forest last Wednesday.

The IB Programme is a rigorous course of study that presents a liberal arts curriculum from a global perspective, university-level work, and required examinations that are developed and marked on an international standard. It is among the most challenging high school curricula offered.

Visiting students attended a mock class, took a tour of campus, and were greeted by admissions officers in Byrum Hall.

Additionally, longtime Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews met with faculty members in the education department, spoke to state and local school administrators, and told a crowd in Wait Chapel that IB is what he believes is right in American education today.

“If you think it’s important that students know how to do a research paper before they come to college, you should advocate for IB,” Mathews said. “IB is the most successful writing program in America.”

Wake Forest shares the ideals and philosophies of the IB Programme, including a liberal arts focus, academic rigor, faculty/student interaction, undergraduate research, and the expansion of global community through international study.

“Pursuing the most rigorous curriculum (such as the IB Programme) signals academic motivation and intellectual curiosity. Excelling in that curriculum suggests that the student is well prepared for academically strenuous college classes and is likely to be a successful member of the campus community,” Dean of Admissions Martha Allman recently wrote in a guest column for the Washington Post.

To learn about one successful first-year student from Winston-Salem’s Parkland High School, visit the Wake Forest News Center story or listen to this report from WFDD’s Keri Brown.