The ‘internationalisation of public schooling’ in practice: A ‘Skeptical Reality’ approach

The ‘Internationalisation of Higher Education’ is well discussed, and relatively well theorised. An established model (e.g. Knight, 2004) identifies four distinct strategies, in practice. These involve: governance; operations; support services; and human resource development. Yemini (2013 p.475) has offered an adjusted model for application in the context of ‘public schooling’: governance; curriculum; operations (activities); and support services. My chapter will deal specifically with the ‘curriculum’ aspect of this broad framework, and the somewhat unexpected and largely under-reported entry into the public schooling sphere, in some nation-states, of the programmes of the International Baccalaureate (IB), beyond the traditional, core base of ‘pioneer’ private international schools’ (see Bunnell, 2013). This phenomena has particularly involved the IB’s ‘flagship’ Diploma Programme (IBDP) but the Middle Years Programme (MYP) and the Primary Years Programme (PYP) are also involved.