Dwight Global Online School -- #2 Best U.S. Online High School -- Partners with the International Baccalaureate to Pilot the Diploma Programme Online

The Cloud Campus of The Dwight Schools — An Innovator in Global Education — Collaborates with the IB to Share Expertise and Make Education More Accessible

NEW YORK, Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dwight Global Online School — ranked the #2 best online high school in the U.S. by Newsweek — was selected by the International Baccalaureate (IB) as a partner to pilot the delivery of the two-year Diploma Programme (DP) in an online school environment. The pilot is designed to gain insights into the benefits of this pedagogical model and to make the DP more accessible to more diverse cohorts of students unable to attend a brick-and-mortar school. Dwight Global Online School (Dwight Global), a leader in online education since 2014, is proud to document the benefits of delivering the DP in a collaborative online learning community.

Dwight Global is the cloud campus of The Dwight Schools, a network of leading IB World Schools in New York, London, Shanghai, Seoul, and Dubai, extending a world-class independent school education to students everywhere. In fall 2021, Dwight Global launched the DP online through a hybrid model for students enrolled at Dwight's New York campus. The same opportunity will now be offered to all students who wish to have a robust DP online experience through the two-year pilot beginning this fall.

"We are delighted to partner with the IB to shape and evaluate the latest pedagogical models for delivering the comprehensive Diploma Programme. As a frontier IB World School, Dwight has long collaborated with the IB to develop solutions to global educational challenges, innovate, and share expertise with schools worldwide," said Stephen Spahn, Chancellor of The Dwight Schools, who has spearheaded Dwight since 1967 and is distinguished as the longest-serving head of an independent school in the U.S. "We share the IB's goals of increasing access to education for all through innovative online pedagogy. We also believe that the IB curriculum, culminating with the DP, offers students the finest educational foundation for excelling personally, academically, and professionally in our rapidly changing world."

"The IB aims to increase global access to the Diploma Programme for more diverse cohorts of students. Therefore, we are excited to partner with Dwight Global Online School and provide students with more opportunities to participate in the DP," said Matt Costello, IB Chief Business Development Officer.

The DP: The "Gold Standard" in College Preparation
The Diploma Programme, spanning grades 11-12, is recognized by university admissions directors around the world as the "gold standard" in college preparation based on the breadth and depth of the curriculum. According to the IB, DP graduates are better prepared for university and are more likely than non-IB graduates to remain enrolled and prosper. DP graduates also report that the curriculum prepared them well for college coursework, particularly in the areas of writing, critical thinking, study skills, and time management.

Goals of the Pilot
The pilot is designed to discover the advantages that a fully online DP can offer both students and schools. It will investigate: what the educational model looks like, its feasibility, capability, cost, etc.; and whether students have similar assessment results as those in brick-and-mortar schools. Included among the many students worldwide who could benefit are those who require different ways of accessing education, including students who:

• Are displaced or refugees
• Travel frequently for extended periods
• Have an illness, disability, or social-emotional challenges
• Live in remote areas 
• Are pursuing passions outside school and need time for training
• Are homeschooled

The pilot will also explore how the model might impact schools themselves and how the IB can support them. Pilot data will provide the IB with intelligence to make strategic decisions about the future of IB programmes, as well as how they may engage with pilot providers in yet-to-be determined services, such as online examinations.

"We are especially excited to partner with the IB to open the door for more students around the world to reap the enormous benefits of a DP education. Dwight Global has a proven track record of building a vibrant, collaborative community of educators and learners online, including a diverse cohort of students that matches those who the IB is seeking to reach," said Dianne Drew, Global Education Director of The Dwight Schools and former Chair of the IB Global Heads Council. "We created Dwight Global to mirror the Dwight in-person school experience with added accessibility and flexibility, and look forward to sharing our expertise, learning outcomes, and proof of concept with the IB and fellow pilot partners."

Dwight Global's Innovative Roots
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 Programme. That experience led to the founding of Dwight Global the following year. Today, the School offers over 100 IB, AP, honors, and elective classes for students in grades 6-12, who can also customize their own course of study.

Dwight Global extends the long-standing IB expertise of all five brick-and-mortar schools in the Dwight network and especially the New York School's legacy as a true IB pioneer. After authorization to offer the Diploma Programme in 1975, Dwight was the first school in North America authorized to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) in 1997, the first K-12 school authorized to offer the Middle Years Programme (MYP) in 2000, and the first in the Americas to provide the comprehensive IB continuum, following authorization to offer the Career-related Programme (CP) in 2014.

More about The Dwight Schools: The Dwight Schools network reaches across the globe and into the cloud igniting the spark of genius in every child. Each IB World School shares the same mission of creating a better world through education. The first Dwight School was founded in New York in 1872, followed by campuses in London in 1972, Seoul in 2012, Shanghai and Dwight Global in 2014, and Dubai in 2018. Graduates of all Dwight Schools attend leading colleges and universities worldwide.

Media contact: Laurie Silbersweig

SOURCE Dwight Global Online School