Can the International Baccalaureate (IB) make a better and more peaceful world? Illuminating limits and possibilities of the International Baccalaureate movement/programs in a time of global crises

Welcome to this special issue of Globalisation Societies and Education, which brings together scholars, practitioners, and researchers from all over the globe to address the questions of whether and how the 1968-established International Baccalaureate (IB) may be a legitimate form of educational provision for the betterment of a rapidly changing world. The diverse ‘IB World’ currently involves 5,760 schools offering a mixture of four programmes from K-12. This editorial begins by identifying the short circuits, limits and enablers with regard to the IB’s stated mission:

The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

By also regarding the claims made by the organisation in reference to this mission statement, where:
The IB develops inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through education that builds intercultural understanding and respect.

We value our hard-earned reputation for quality, for high standards and for pedagogical leadership. We achieve our goals by working with partners and by actively involving our stakeholders, particularly teachers.

We promote intercultural understanding and respect, not as an alternative to a sense of cultural and national identity, but as an essential part of life in the 21st century. (IBO Citation2022)

It ambitiously sets out to encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. This foreword then outlines the context of our enquiry through the scope of this original special issue and follows by laying out each article in brief. The concluding discussion returns to the aims of the special issue and briefly considers where the contributions collectively leave us.