International education: The International Baccalaureate, Montessori and global citizenship

Abstract

The International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and Montessori education both claim to promote values associated with global citizenship in order to help prepare students for new challenges presented by an increasingly globalized world. While the IB’s secondary programs are widespread in international schools, Montessori programs at that level are comparatively few. This article compares and contrasts IB and Montessori secondary programs with respect to the promotion of global citizenship, and explores the scarcity of secondary Montessori programs in general and in the international schools community in particular.