The perception that the Geneva, Switzerland-based International Baccalaureate Organization's academic programs offer just what American students need in today's more globally competitive environment seems to be catching on. After decades of obscurity and slow expansion, the pace of growth in IB--including courses of study for the primary and middle school years as well as the better-known high-school-level programs--has quickened considerably. Favorable word of mouth among educators--along with an endorsement from President Bush and glowing accounts in national magazines--has helped catapult IB into U.S. classrooms. More than 225 American schools so far this year have started offering at least one IB program, bringing the U.S. total to 800. This article reports on how the academically demanding IB program is catching on fast in U.S. schools amid heightened concern about preparing students for a global economy. [This article was produced by Editorial Projects in Education, Bethesda, MD.]