Evaluation of International Baccalaureate’s Bridging the Equity Gap Project

SRI studied the implementation and outcomes of a new consulting model designed to increase the participation and success of low-income students in IB’s Diploma Programme. SRI also examined national postsecondary trends for low-income DP students.

In 2014, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB) launched Bridging the Equity Gap. Funded by the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, this project was intended to increase the number of low-income students participating and succeeding in the IB Diploma Programme (DP).

Through the Bridging the Equity Gap project, IB developed and piloted a model for building capacity in U.S. high schools serving low-income students. The model was designed to remove barriers to low-income students’ DP participation, create pathways in the years leading up to the DP, and deliver services to schools to enhance the success of low-income students enrolled in the DP.

SRI evaluated the pilot project and examined the outcomes of low-income DP students in the five participating schools. In addition, SRI analyzed IB and National Student Clearinghouse data to determine postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and graduation trends for low-income DP students relative to their higher income peers over the last decade.

The evaluation combined quantitative analyses of student demographic and performance data, teacher and student surveys, and interviews and focus groups.

Co-Principal Investigators: Katrina Woodworth and Kyra Caspary

Related Publications

International Baccalaureate National Trends for Low-income Students 2008–2014