Unpacking Equity in International Education

• In Event: Decolonizing Education: Activism, Peace, and Pedagogical Transformation

Proposal

This presentation outlines the process and findings of the Equity in Education (EQinED) Group, a working group within the International Baccalaureate Organization's (IB) "Trends in Education" initiative. The group was formed to investigate and address concerns around the role of the IB in perpetuating colonial world views. This topic supports the IB's critical approach to its programmes and influence on education, and it aligns with its strategic goal of ensuring its programmes remain globally relevant. The EQinED Group's work involved a rigorous investigation into systemic structures that have historically marginalized non-Western epistemologies, languages, and cultural practices within global education.

The group's research began with a literature review on definitions of decolonization from around the world. This foundational work included an inquiry into countries like Canada, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Colombia, which consistently highlighted language and local culture as central themes in their decolonization efforts. Based on this, the group commissioned five external academics with expertise in language, culture, and international education to review various IB documents. Most of the experts' analyses pointed towards systemic barriers within the IB's frameworks that can hinder decolonization efforts in schools. Findings from one report noted that while the IB promotes attributes like open-mindedness through its Learner Profile, these can sometimes conflict with local cultural norms. A central theme across the findings was the need to challenge the dominance of English to ensure diverse voices and knowledge systems are truly valued. Another report found a significant "monolingual bias" in the documentation, despite a stated emphasis on multilingualism.

Another analysis, which focused on the IB's authorization and evaluation processes, found that they risk reinforcing colonial structures. This is because the system relies heavily on standardized written documentation and English-centric procedures, which may not recognize oral, community-based, and culturally specific forms of knowledge. This can disadvantage schools that operate in non-Western traditions, as they may struggle to present authentic examples of their strengths in a format the system is designed to recognize. This creates a risk that the IB is perceived to only work for certain types of schools that already align with Western norms.

Based on this research, the EQinED Group has developed three core objectives to guide its future work. The first objective is to identify practical steps for schools to support linguistic diversity and promote cultural plurality. Another objective is to suggest specific language edits to existing IB documents to better align them with the Organization's strategic pillars of equity and inclusion. This will help remove hidden barriers and ensure the language used is not Western-centric or top-down. The last objective is to collaborate with a selection of IB Schools and colleagues in the Organization to understand how to use IB programme’s evaluation frameworks to support cultural and linguistic diversity.

This work will serve as a foundational step toward creating a more equitable and culturally responsive educational framework within the IB. The group's proposed three-year plan includes organizing symposiums with internal stakeholders, working with model schools, and conducting school visits to better understand how they have successfully addressed cultural and linguistic diversity. By addressing these systemic issues, the IB hopes to ensure its programmes prepare all students to become critical and engaged global citizens.

Authors

• Mauricio Joven Bonelo, International Baccalaureate

• Aldo Anzures, International Baccalaureate Organization