Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education, () is an

honor society In the United States, an honor society is a rank organization that recognizes excellence among peers. Numerous societies recognize various fields and circumstances. The Order of the Arrow, for example, is the National Honor Society of the Boy Sc ...

for

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...

. It was founded in 1911 and was one of the first discipline-specific honor societies. Its membership is limited to the top 20 percent of those entering the field of education.

Membership

Membership is open only to the top 20 percent of those entering the education field. In addition, undergraduates must have a 3.0 GPA, and graduate students a 3.50 GPA. Membership for active professionals varies. Among those involved as Professional Members are superintendents and principals; early childhood, elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers; Professional School Counselors; university faculty and deans; graduate and doctoral students; nontraditional educators; retired educators; State Teachers of the Year; researchers; and other education specialists. Individuals must maintain active membership each year through payment of dues to continue to receive benefits. Though direct involvement with a chapter is optional, members also may join community-based networking groups via KDP Global to extend their support system and mentoring community.

History

Kappa Delta Pi was founded in 1911 at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Unive ...

in order to foster excellence in education and promote fellowship among those dedicated to teaching. In 1912, a petition to merge Kappa Delta Pi and

Phi Delta Kappa PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is a US professional organization for educators. Its main office is in Arlington, Virginia. It was founded on January 24, 1906. Membership Currently, membership consists ...

(PDK) was declined by the latter because PDK could not agree to the terms that women be allowed in an "honor fraternity". In 1920, William Chandler Bagley installed a Kappa Delta Pi chapter at Teachers College,

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

. Four years later (1924) American pragmatist philosopher and educationalist

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer whose ideas have been influential in education and social reform. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the f ...

was inducted as the first member of the Society's Laureate Chapter (see below). The Society's flagship publication, ''The Educational Forum'', was first published in 1936.

Organization and governance

Organization

Among the more than 625 chapters around the world are institutional chapters affiliated with teacher education programs, including

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

s and virtual universities. Led by students and faculty, these chapters provide local members with networking, leadership, service, and professional development programming. In addition to individual programs and events provided through individual chapters, all members can participate in professional development located on the Kappa Delta Pi website, which includes webinars and KDP Global. Alumni/professional chapters and affiliate chapters, organized in

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, whi ...

s or cities, offer members opportunities to participate in educational and service activities and to grow through professional development. The Society headquarters is responsible for the daily operations of the Society. The headquarters staff maintains membership and financial records, and provides support and assistance to institutional, alumni/professional, and affiliate chapters and members. Headquarters offices are located in

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

. The Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation solicits contributions to fund educational programs for the Society and its members. Since 1980, the Foundation has awarded more than $1 million for programs, grants, and scholarships. Members of KDP serve as Kappa Delta Pi Educational Foundation trustees to oversee policies and governance.

Governance

The Society is led by the Executive Council, which consists of nine elected members who are responsible for the vision, direction, fiscal security, and general oversight of the association. The Executive Council also appoints chairs and members of national committees. Biennially, the legislative body of the Society convenes to determine policy for the organization, including changes to the bylaws. Voting delegates elected by chapters represent their local voice and opinions at the Convocation.

Publications

''The Teacher Advocate'', published quarterly, offers novice and apprentice teachers connections and support through practice-oriented articles and expert-advice columns. ''The Kappa Delta Pi Record'', published quarterly, presents practical articles on compelling topics and issues important to practicing educators who teach at all levels and in a wide range of disciplines in classrooms and other educational settings. ''The Educational Forum'' is a doubly masked, peer-reviewed journal that is published quarterly.

Notable members/Laureates

The Laureate Chapter was established in 1924 to honor individuals who have made contributions to the development of professional education. It is limited to 60 living persons. Early members included: *

(the first nominee to the Laureate Chapter) *

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theor ...

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

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

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 ...

* George Washington Carver *

Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage i ...

Other notable members of Kappa Delta Pi include: * William Chandler Bagley * Harry Samuel Broudy * James Bryant Conant * James William Fulbright *

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 the Harvard Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. He is cu ...

Henry A. Giroux Henry Armand Giroux (born 1943) is an American-Canadian scholar and cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy, cultural studies, youth st ...

* Maxine Greene *

Robert Maynard Hutchins Robert Maynard Hutchins (January 17, 1899 – May 14, 1977) was an American educational philosopher. He was president (1929–1945) and chancellor (1945–1951) of the University of Chicago, and earlier dean of Yale Law School (1927–1929). His& ...

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 (1859–1952). Kilpatrick was a major figure in the progressive education movement of the early 20 ...

* Alfie Kohn * Jonathan Kozol * Nel Noddings * Michael Apple

References

{{authority control Honor societies Student organizations established in 1911 1911 establishments in Illinois Former members of Association of College Honor Societies