Evaluation of International Baccalaureate’s Bridging the Equity Gap Project 

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

Through the Bridging the Equity Gap project, IB is developing and piloting a model for building capacity in US high schools serving students with low incomes  The model is designed to remove barriers to students with low incomes DP participation, create pathways in the years leading up to the DP, and deliver services to schools to enhance the success of students with low incomes enrolled in the DP. 

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

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