Kappa Delta Pi Honor Society in Education () is an American honor society for education. It was formed in 1911 at the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

as one of the first discipline-specific honor societies.

History

Kappa Delta Pi grew out of the Illinois Education Club, founded by Dr. William Begley at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1909.Robson, John, ed. (1963). ''Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities'' (17th ed.). Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press, George Banta Company, Inc. pp. 613-616.Shepardson, Francis Wayland, ed.
Baird's Manual of American College Fraternities, 12th edition
'. Menasha, Wisconsin: The Collegiate Press/George Banta Publishing Company, 1930. pp. 481-482. ''via'' Hathi Trust. In May 1909 the club affiliated with Pi Kappa Mu, with plans on becoming a chapter. However, when Pi Kappa Mu began plans to merge with Phi Kappa Delta, the club withdrew as this merger meant that it would have to give up its coeducational status.Hall-Quest, Alfred Lawrence (1938).
Kappa Delta Pi 1911-1936
'. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 38-39. – via Hathi Trust. Instead, the Begley and the club's members formed the first chapter of a coeducational national honorary educational fraternity. Kappa Delta Pi was formed as an educational fraternity that would provide a fellowship for education students and promote excellence in education. ''Alpha'' was installed at the University of Illinois on March 8, 1911. It was registered with the State of Illinois as Kappa Delta Pi on June 8, 1911. A second chapter, ''Beta'', was established at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

in 1912. This was followed by ''Gamma'' at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

in 1915 and ''Delta'' at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

in 1916. Its Laureate Chapter was established in February 1924 to honor people who had made outstanding contributions to the development of professional education, similar to the National Academy of Science of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and Education reform, educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century. The overridi ...

was inducted as the first member of the society's Laureate Chapter. By 1930, Kappa Delta Pi had chartered 62 chapters. In 1932, it changed from being a "fraternity" to a "society". The society's publication, ''The Educational Forum'', was first published in 1936. By 1963, the society had initiated 177,782 members and had 294 active chapters, 12 inactive chapters, and 16 alumni chapters. Kappa Delta Pi was a member of the Association of College Honor Societies from 1974 to 2008. As of 2025, Kappa Delta Pi has more than 20,000 active members and more than one million initiates.

Symbols

The name Kappa Delta Pi was selected from its motto "Knowledge, Duty, Power". The fraternity's values or pillars are Community, Belonging, Leadership, and Celebration. Its colors are purple and gold. Its flower is the violet. Kappa Delta Pi's insignia is a gold key that is shaped like a scroll, pierced by a stylus, and bears the Greek letters , with the letter placed on top of a beehive.Hall-Quest, Alfred Lawrence (1938).
Kappa Delta Pi 1911-1936
'. New York: The Macmillan Company. pp. 208-209. – via Hathi Trust. The scroll represents the ancient scrolls of papyrus, the earliest documents of learning, the stylus symbolizes the first tool used to make letters and symbols, and the beehive represents toil. It was made a key for men and a pin for women. Kappa Delta Pi published the scholarly journal ''The Educational Forum'' and the weekly online weekly ''The Teacher Advocate.'' It also published the peer-reviewed ''The Kappa Delta Pi Record'' from 1964 to 2023.

Membership

Membership is open only to the top twenty percent of those entering the education field. In addition, undergraduates must have a 3.0

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

, and graduate students a 3.50 GPA. Membership for active professionals varies. The society's Laureate Chapter is limited to sixty living members at any time.

Activities

Chapters provide local members with networking, leadership, service, and professional development programming. Members can participate in professional development through the Kappa Delta Pi website. Kappa Delta Pi solicits contributions to fund educational programs for the society and its members.

Governance

Kappa Delta Pi is led by the executive council, which consists of nine elected members. Its members are elected by chapter delegates at its biennial national convention. The society's headquarters is in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

Chapters

As of 2025, Kappa Delta Pi has chartered more than 860 chapters, with 543 active collegiate chapters and four active professional or alumni chapters.

Notable people

Notable members

Michael Apple Michael W. Apple (born August 20, 1942) is an educational theorist specialized on education and power, cultural politics, curriculum theory and research, critical teaching, and the development of democratic schools. Apple is John Bascom Profess ...

, educational theorist * Harry Broudy, philosopher *

James B. Conant James Bryant Conant (March 26, 1893 – February 11, 1978) was an American chemist, a transformative President of Harvard University, and the first United States Ambassador to West Germany, U.S. Ambassador to West Germany. Conant obtained a ...

, chemist * J. William Fulbright,

United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

and

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Howard Gardner Howard Earl Gardner (born July 11, 1943) is an American developmental psychologist and the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Research Professor of Cognition and Education at Harvard University. He was a founding member of Harvard Project Zero in 1967 ...

, developmental psychologist * Henry A. Giroux, scholar and cultural critic * Maxine Greene, philosopher *

Robert Maynard Hutchins Robert Maynard Hutchins (January 17, 1899 – May 14, 1977) was an American educational philosopher. He was the President of the University of Chicago, 5th president (1929–1945) and chancellor (1945–1951) of the University of Chicago, and ear ...

, philosopher *

William Heard Kilpatrick William Heard Kilpatrick (November 20, 1871 – February 13, 1965) was an American pedagogue and a pupil, a colleague and a successor of John Dewey. Kilpatrick was a major figure in the progressive education movement of the early 20th century. ...

, pedagogue * Alfie Kohn, author and lecturer *

Jonathan Kozol Jonathan Kozol (born September 5, 1936) is an American writer, progressivism in the United States, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on public education in the United States. Education and experience Born to Harry Ko ...

, activist and educator * Nel Noddings, philosopher * Merry Ann Thompson Wright, President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution

Laureates

Since 1924, 293 eminent educators have been named to Kappa Delta Pi's Laureate Chapter. * Grace Abbott (1936), social worker and director of the

United States Children's Bureau The United States Children's Bureau is a federal agency founded in 1912, organized under the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families. Today, the bureau's operations involve improving child a ...

* Arthur S. Adams (1959), president of the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...

(1932), settlement activist, reformer, social worker, and sociologist *

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

(1926),

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

scholar who was rector of Campbeltown Grammar School, rector of the Free Church Training College, and principal of the new London Day Training College *

, activist, sociologist, and writer *

Mortimer J. Adler Mortimer Jerome Adler (; December 28, 1902 – June 28, 2001) was an American philosopher, educator, encyclopedist, popular author and lay theologian. As a philosopher he worked within the Aristotelian and Thomistic traditions. He taught at ...

(1992), philosopher who taught at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

;

encyclopedist An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into articles or entries that are arranged alphabetically by artic ...

who served as chairman of the ''

Encyclopædia Britannica The is a general knowledge, general-knowledge English-language encyclopaedia. It has been published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. since 1768, although the company has changed ownership seven times. The 2010 version of the 15th edition, ...

'' board of editors * Edwin Alderman (1926), president of the University of Virginia * Florence E. Allen (1944), Associate Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and senior and chief judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of K ...

James Rowland Angell (1933), psychologist and 16th President of Yale University *

(2011), educational theorist and professor emeritus of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education * Frank Aydelotte (1953), president of

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

Bill Ayers William Charles Ayers (; born December 26, 1944) is an American retired professor and former militant organizer. In 1969, Ayers co-founded the far-left militant organization the Weather Underground, a revolutionary group that sought to overthr ...

(2000), co-founded the militant organization the

Weather Underground The Weather Underground was a far-left Marxist militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, or simply Weatherman, the group was organized as a f ...

; professor in the College of Education at the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a public research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus established under the Universi ...

* William Bagley (1928) director of the School of Education at the

and professor of education at

Teachers College, Columbia University Teachers College, Columbia University (TC) is the graduate school of education affiliated with Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, Teachers College has been a part of Columbia University since ...

Liberty Hyde Bailey Liberty Hyde Bailey (March 15, 1858 – December 25, 1954) was an American Horticulture, horticulturist and reformer of rural life. He was cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey ...

(1945),

horticulturist Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

, reformer of rural life, and cofounder of the

American Society for Horticultural Science The American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) is a professional society for horticultural science based in Alexandria, Virginia. Founded in 1903, the mission of ASHS is to promote and encourage national and international interest in scienti ...

* Stephen Ball (2015), sociologist and former

Karl Mannheim Karl Mannheim (born Károly Manheim, 27 March 1893 – 9 January 1947) was a Hungarian sociologist and a key figure in classical sociology as well as one of the founders of the sociology of knowledge. Mannheim is best known for his book '' Id ...

Professor of

Sociology of Education The sociology of education is the study of how public institutions and individual experiences affect education and its outcomes. It is mostly concerned with the public schooling systems of modern industrial societies, including the expansion of ...

at the

Institute of Education The UCL Institute of Education (IOE) is the faculty of education and society of University College London (UCL). It specialises in postgraduate study and research in the field of education and is one of UCL's 11 constituent faculties. Prior t ...

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

* Harold R. W. Benjamin (1949), educator and writer * David Berliner (1997), professor and dean of the

Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education The Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate School of Education (known as FIGSE) at Arizona State University was established in 1954. It disestablished in 2010 by Provost Elizabeth Capaldi amidst strong objections from faculty, students, and releva ...

* Martha Berry (1941), founder of

Berry College Berry College is a private university in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian principles in 1 ...

Benjamin Bloom Benjamin Samuel Bloom (February 21, 1913 – September 13, 1999) was an American educational psychology, educational psychologist and Didactic method, didactician who made contributions to the classification of educational objectives and to ...

(1984),

educational psychologist An educational psychologist is a psychologist whose differentiating functions may include diagnostic and psycho-educational assessment, psychological counseling in educational communities ( students, teachers, parents, and academic authorit ...

* Boyd Henry Bode (1936), professor at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

and

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

known for his work on

philosophy of education The philosophy of education is the branch of applied philosophy that investigates the nature of education as well as its aims and problems. It also examines the concepts and presuppositions of education theories. It is an interdisciplinary fiel ...

* Derek Bok (1997), president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and

Dean of Harvard Law School The dean of Harvard Law School is the head of Harvard Law School. The current dean is John F. Manning—the 13th person to hold the post—who succeeded Martha Minow in 2017. List of deans of Harvard Law School Founded in 1817, Harvard Law Schoo ...

* Ernest L. Boyer (1982),

United States Commissioner of Education The Commissioner of Education was the title given to the head of the federal Office of Education, which was historically a unit within and originally assigned to the Department of the Interior in the United States. The position was created on March ...

, chancellor of the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

, and president of the

Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching (CFAT) is a U.S.-based education policy and research center. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress. Among its most not ...

* John Brademas (1990), Majority Whip of the United States House of Representative and chairman of the board of the

Federal Reserve Bank of New York The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is one of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks of the United States. It is responsible for the Second District of the Federal Reserve System, which encompasses the New York (state), State of New York, the 12 norther ...

* Theodore Brameld (1972),

philosopher Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

who supported the educational philosophy of social reconstructionism * Harry Broudy (1968), professor of the philosophy of education

George Washington Carver George Washington Carver ( 1864 – January 5, 1943) was an American Agricultural science, agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent bla ...

(1942), botanist and professor at the

Tuskegee Institute Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU; formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It was f ...

who promoted alternative crops to

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

and methods to prevent soil depletion *

(1925) philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer *

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein (14 March 187918 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist who is best known for developing the theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum mechanics. His mass–energy equivalence f ...

(1950),

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain, and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experi ...

known for developing the

theory of relativity The theory of relativity usually encompasses two interrelated physics theories by Albert Einstein: special relativity and general relativity, proposed and published in 1905 and 1915, respectively. Special relativity applies to all physical ph ...

. *

Margaret Mead Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Col ...

(1962),

cultural anthropologist Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The term s ...

, author, and speaker *

Jean Piaget Jean William Fritz Piaget (, ; ; 9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980) was a Swiss psychologist known for his work on child development. Piaget's theory of cognitive development and epistemological view are together called genetic epistemology. ...

(1974), psychologist known for his work on

child development Child development involves the Human development (biology), biological, psychological and emotional changes that occur in human beings between birth and the conclusion of adolescence. It is—particularly from birth to five years— a foundation ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

(1949), diplomat, activist, and

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

References

External links

*
Kappa Delta Pi (Honor Society). Alpha Mu Chapter records
are archived at the

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including politics, settlement, Native Americans, and W ...

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

. {{authority control Honor societies Student organizations established in 1911 1911 establishments in Illinois Former members of Association of College Honor Societies Professional educational fraternities and sororities in the United States