Unlike the AP, the IB is an integrated program. Tyson said that by taking both IB and traditional classes her daughter has the best of both educational worlds. She never liked science before, but now she is taking higher level science and doing well. Advocates also point out that the IB program is especially well suited for global nomads and third culture kids, because it helps them create a shared identity with a worldwide community of other IB students. Because the IB curriculum is the same from Dublin to Delhi, it also enables students to preserve their own language and culture and gives them something predictable to hang on to amid constant moves and disruptions.
Most international schools have the IB, which creates continuity and a common curriculum.
These new programs might create an added constituency for the diploma program, but neither is a prerequisite for it. The bottom line for enrolling in an IB program, though, may be that it offers quality education.