Your Child’s Tomorrow Begins Today

(NAPSI)—Today’s children will experience a future that few of us can even imagine—one that’s both exciting and intimidating. Entire industries have sprung up that simply didn’t exist a decade ago. New fields of study, new career paths, new outcomes.      New Opportunities      While most people recognize that the world is changing, you wouldn’t know it from looking at most public schools. How are they responding to this challenge?     In many cases, by doing the same thing they’ve always done. Teaching the same curriculum in the same way, year after year.      As a result, according to research from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, only about 30% of high school graduates report feeling well-prepared for life after graduation.      These schools are sending millions of students into a future they’re not prepared for. And in the face of this data, those schools are doing very little to change those outcomes.      As the principal at Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Academy of International Studies, my goal is to empower a new generation with the skills to thrive in an ever-changing, increasingly diverse, globally minded, and collaborative workforce.      Parents can choose a different path for a future that will require innovators.      The International Baccalaureate (IB)®      When a school equips students with a range of transferable skills that are essential for success in the workplace and in life, that school is preparing them for this exciting future.      Perhaps the best example of this is the International Baccalaureate programme, or IB.      For more than 50 years, IB has encouraged students to think, to question, and to grow. From its home office in Switzerland, IB creates a curriculum to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable, confident, and caring young people” all around the world.      IB may be less well-known than the Advanced Placement (AP) program, but that’s primarily due to the AP’s prevalence.      A distinct advantage of IB is that it begins preparing students for the Diploma Programme in grade six. Students enter into the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) which prepares students to develop critical thinking, inquiry, and research skills. Through the MYP, students become more internationally minded and are tasked with proposing solutions to current global issues, which prepares them to enter into the Diploma Programme in grades 11 and 12.     The Diploma Programme is internationally recognized with a growing number of colleges and universities exchanging IB course grades for college credit (as is done with AP). Students select from courses that not only prepare them for college but promote global thinking, such as Global Politics, Environmental Systems and Societies, and Theory of Knowledge.     At its core, IB prepares students for college and beyond, asking students to present their knowledge and thinking in multiple ways, rather than through just one exam.     Today, there are more than 5,000 IB schools in the world, from Buenos Aires to Seoul, from Vancouver to Cape Town. There are 22 IB schools in Connecticut.      Ready For The Future      Six miles north of Hartford sits the Academy of International Studies: a 6-12 IB school free to all students in the capitol region.      Here, education is exciting, the facilities are state-of-the-art, and the community is supportive.      As Taylor, a 7th grader puts it: “All the teachers are really connected, and that helps students to be connected. It’s like one big family.”     When 70% of high school graduates feel unprepared for life after school, International is the kind of school that provides a solution.      “The Academy of International Studies really does help prepare you for life,” says Meijin, class of 2022. “There are so many life skills you learn here.”      True to its name, International sends its students on life-defining trips, with recent ventures to Brazil, Cuba, France, the Galapagos Islands, South Africa, and Spain.      What’s more, 95% of our student body goes on to attend college—including some of the most prestigious schools in the world. After all, the hallmarks of an International education are right in line with what college admissions offices value most.      Families that want a secure tomorrow for their children, should consider the Academy of International Studies.     Learn More      For further facts, visit www.chooseinternational.org.  Yesenia Hernandez is the Principal at Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) Academy of International Studies.