Programme impact and quality assurance research (Schools Division)

The Research department in the School's Division is responsible for coordinating communication between the different IB research divisions, for being the first point of contact for stakeholder questions about research, for administering research resources such as the Jeff Thompson Research Award and the International Education Research database, and for undertaking or commissioning research that investigates IB programme outcomes and assures the quality of the IB's services to schools.

Programme impact and quality assurance research agenda [PDF]

Programme impact

The IB’s research on programme outcomes seeks to investigate the impact of IB programmes and understand the value of an IB education by identifying the qualities and characteristics that distinguish IB schools and students. Studies are conducted both internally and externally by universities, research organizations, and our research department. Areas of inquiry include, but are not limited to: student performance, programme implementation, the learner profile, and standards alignment.

Programme impact studies

Quality assurance

As part of IB’s commitment to providing high quality educational services to the IB community, the research department, in collaboration with IB leadership, is responsible for designing, implementing and maintaining quality assurance frameworks for IB professional development and school services. The frameworks employ multiple methods for the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative information, allowing the IB to continuously monitor the quality, consistency, and effectiveness of these services across the world as well as to identify areas of need.