As a frontier IB World School, the Dwight School has long been a leader in educational innovation, as well as a pioneer in the International Baccalaureate in the Americas.
Now, Dwight is continuing that trailblazing tradition by partnering with the IB to pilot the IB Diploma Program online, through the Dwight Global Online School. Dwight Global, a leader in online education since 2014, is the cloud campus of The Dwight Schools, a network of leading IB schools in New York, London, Shanghai, Seoul, and Dubai. In 2021, Dwight Global was ranked #2 Online High School by Newsweek magazine.
In fall of 2021, Dwight Global launched the Diploma Program online through a hybrid model for students enrolled at Dwight’s New York campus. Beginning in September, 2022, Dwight Global’s two-year pilot program will offer students the same opportunity to pursue the widely recognized, challenging IB Diploma Program in a fully online environment.
“We are delighted to present this exciting opportunity to students the world over,” said Dwight Global’s Head of School Louisa Childs. “Dwight Globa’s pilot program is designed to establish the benefits of an online IB Diploma Program. The IB DP will now be accessible to students who would not otherwise receive the chance to pursue this rigorous and highly respected academic pathway.”
The renowned IB program culminates in the IB Diploma Program, a two-year course of study that awards graduates with an IB diploma at the end of senior year of high school.
University and college admissions directors value the IB for the breadth and depth of its curriculum, its rigorous assessments, and its ability to provide an educational foundation for excellence that ensures students succeed at the university level.
IB-educated students are particularly strong in the areas of writing, critical thinking, study skills, and time management. Moreover, the IB program educates the whole student: academically, personally and professionally. Global mindedness, collaboration, cultural awareness, and the willingness to engage with others in a rapidly changing society are all nurtured, taught, and valued hallmarks of an IB education.
What do students have to say about the online IB Diploma Program?
In testimonials, Dwight Global’s first students to experience the IB Diploma Program online overwhelmingly praised both the IB DP, which allowed them to dive deeply into topics, and Dwight Global’s online rollout. Students said Dwight Global faculty were supportive, engaging, and experienced, and that their classes were challenging and rewarding. The IB DP also gave them the chance to collaborate with, learn from, and befriend students from all over the world.
One student wrote, “It’s the best program. It’s perfect for preparing for college and helps you figure out what you want to study. The IB program supports you in every way, connecting your interest with that of a global significance. It makes school and life much more exciting, helps you become more aware of yourself and the environment, and demonstrates the power of your actions. You will recognize the importance of your role as a global citizen.”
Megan Koepsell, Dwight Global’s Dean of IB Studies, elaborated, saying, “International families have always looked to the IB DP as the ‘gold standard,’ and now the program’s excellence will be available to students who travel often for athletic of performing arts pursuits, those who live in remote locations where local schools do not provide the IB DP, and others who benefit from the flexibility of a fully online education.”
The Dwight Schools’ IB history highlights
In 2013, Dwight Schools in New York and London were selected as two of the original six schools worldwide to pilot the DP online for students in non-IB schools through the IB’s Open World School program. That experience led to the founding of Dwight Global the following year. Today, the school offers more than 100 IB, AP, honors, and elective classes for students in grades 6-12, who can also customize their own course of study.
Stephen Spahn, Chancellor of The Dwight Schools, has spearheaded Dwight since 1967 and is distinguished as the longest-serving head of an independent school in the United States.
Dwight Global extends the long-standing IB expertise of all five Dwight School brick and mortar campuses, and especially Dwight New York as a true IB partner. After authorization to offer the DP in 1975, Dwight was the first school in North America authorized to offer the Primary Years Program, the first K-12 school authorized to offer the Middle Years Program in 2000, and the first school in the Americas to provide the comprehensive IB curriculum following authorization to offer the Career-Related Program in 2014.
Childs said the outcome of the Dwight Global fully online IB DP pilot program will inform the IB’s decision to roll out the DP further through online schools worldwide. “We are proud to document the delivery of the IB DP in Dwight Global’s established and collaborative online learning community.”
Dwight Global’s online IB DP pilot program marks a remarkable innovation, solidifying The Dwight Schools’ tradition of excellence in worldwide education, across the globe and into the cloud.
By Caroline Crosson Gilpin
