A message from Olli-Pekka Heinonen: An update on the review of the DP

The main reason I joined the IB was the global community’s commitment to exploring new ways to improve teaching and reshape learning. As I look to our future, I want to share with you my excitement around the way we are thinking about innovation, starting with an update on our review of the Diploma Programme (DP).  

The DP, like all the programmes across our continuum, has evolved over its life through organic and planned processes led by the experiences of our teachers and students, and shaped by insights from academia, learning sciences, the needs of employers and the challenges of the world around us. To evolve our approach to innovation, in 2019 we began reviewing the DP as a whole programme to ensure it continues providing the best learning experience and preparation for students in the context of the world they will shape.  

We are in the early stages of this work, in which we have been conducting research and exploring trends in feedback from a wide sampling of stakeholders across the IB community.  

Taking the time and making the space for our whole community to get involved in co-developing solutions will guarantee their quality, as we make our future together. This is a conversation that—by its nature—will never really end.  And, in the best traditions of the IB, we will get the most out of that conversation when we listen carefully and deeply to one another.   

Thank you for your continued commitment, support and enthusiasm as we innovate and collaborate to create a better and more peaceful world together. 

Olli-Pekka Heinonen
Director General