PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is an international

professional organization A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...

for educators. Its main office is in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county i ...

. It was founded on January 24, 1906, at Indiana University.Donovan R. Walling, KAPPAN SPECIAL REPORT: Phi Delta Kappa at the Threshold. Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 87, No. 05, January 2006, pp.K1-K8.

History

Phi Delta Kappa began at Indiana University on January 24, 1906, in the formal creation of a chapter under the name Pi Kappa Mu. By 1910, the organization had a total of three chapters. On March 1, 1910, Pi Kappa Mu, Phi Delta Kappa (which had been organized at

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 ...

on March 13, 1908) and Nu Rho Beta (which had been organized at

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. MU was founded ...

on February 23, 1909) amalgamated under the name Phi Delta Kappa. Before amalgamation, Phi Delta Kappa had also branched out to two other chapters. Phi Delta Kappa was limited to white males at the August 1915 convention. In 1940, ''Sigma chapter'' at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

initiated two non-white members (one Chinese, one Black), and was suspended at the December 1941 convention with charter revocation to occur in May 1942 if the chapter did not remove membership for the two non-whites. A demand for a popular vote of the entire membership led to a membership poll being sent to all members and eventually the deletion of the "white clause" by the membership. On June 2, 1942, an announcement was made to all of the chapters of the removal of the race restriction. Phi Delta Kappa joined the

Professional Interfraternity Conference The Professional Fraternity Association (PFA) is an American association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed in . Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate (law, me ...

in 1928.

Membership

Currently, membership consists of educators and others interested in education. Members are affiliated through one of several hundred chapters or directly to the

international organization An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

Activities

Programs administered by the fraternity include the

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 ...

Pi Lambda Theta Pi Lambda Theta (ΠΛΘ) is one of three main education honor societies and professional associations for educators in the United States. Basic information Pi Lambda Theta is both an honor society and professional association for educators. A ...

and the career and technical student organization

Educators Rising {{Primary sources, date=November 2009 The Educators Rising (formerly Future Educators Association or FEA), a division of Phi Delta Kappa International (PDK), is a professional organization that supports students who are interested in education-relat ...

. Starting in 1915, it has published ''Phi Delta Kappan,'' a professional journal for education.

Governance

PDK is governed by an International Board, who are elected by professional PDK members. The association abides by the Constitution and Bylaws of PDK International. The chief executive of PDK International is Dr. James F. Lane.

Chapters

Phi Delta Kappa International

As of January 2024, Phi Delta Kappa International has 124 chapters. Following is a list of Phi Delta Kappa International chapters. Active chapters are indicated in ''bold''. Inactive chapters are in ''italics''.

Notable members

Edna P. Amidon Edna Phyllis Amidon (October 27, 1895 – October 4, 1982) was an American educator and federal official. She was chief of the Home Economics Education Service of the United States Office of Education from 1938 to 1964. In 1945, she helped foun ...

, chief of the Home Economics Education Service of the

United States Office of Education The Office of Education, at times known as the Department of Education and the Bureau of Education, was a small unit in the Federal Government of the United States within the U.S. Department of the Interior from 1867 to 1972. It is now separated ...

Hattie Bessent Hattie Bessent (March 7, 1908 – October 31, 2015) was an American psychiatric nurse. Perhaps her most significant accomplishments lie in her efforts to recruit members of ethnic minority groups into the field of nursing and provide training and ...

psychiatric nurse Psychiatric nursing or mental health nursing is the appointed position of a nurse that specialises in mental health, and cares for people of all ages experiencing mental illnesses or distress. These include: neurodevelopmental disorders, schizoph ...

, professor at

Florida University The State University System of Florida (SUSF or SUS) is a system of twelve public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2018, over 341,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities. Together with the Florida College Sys ...

, and graduate dean at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Esther Buckley Esther Gonzalez-Arroyo Buckley (March 29, 1948 – February 11, 2013) was an educator in Laredo, Texas, USA, who from 1983 to 1992 was one of the eight members of the United States Commission on Civil Rights. She was appointed to the board by ...

, member of the

United States Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility ...

John Napier Burnett John Napier Burnett (1899–1989) was an important pioneer of education in British Columbia. Born in Fraserburgh, Scotland, Burnett moved to Vancouver in 1911. After completing his education in Vancouver, at the University of British Columb ...

(''Epsilon Delta''), pioneer of education in

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include ...

William C. Chasey William Carmen "Bill" Chasey (February 11, 1940 - May 23, 2015) was the founder and president of the Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility (FCSR) in Warsaw, Poland. He was an educator, author, research scientist, inventor, and served as ...

, founder and president of the Foundation for Corporate Social Responsibility (FCSR) in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, Poland * Kenneth Creasy,

Ohio House of Representatives The Ohio House of Representatives is the lower house of the Ohio General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio; the other house of the bicameral legislature being the Ohio Senate. The House of Representatives first met in C ...

Kay Cornelius Kay Oldham Cornelius (January 14, 1933 – January 23, 2017) was a published author with more than a dozen novels to her credit. She also wrote test units for the PSAT and College Board specialized-subject achievement tests, as well as rev ...

, novelist * Barbara Curbow, professor and chair of the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the Flagship un ...

Pearlie Craft Dove Pearlie Craft Dove (born Pearlie Mae Craft; 1920 – August 18, 2015) was an African Americans, African-American educator. Dove taught at Clark College and helped to improve the college's Education Department. Under her leadership, Clark Colleg ...

, college professor *

Fenwick W. English Fenwick W. English (born February 9, 1939, Los Angeles, California, United States) is an education professor. In 2002, he became the Robert Wendel Eaves Sr. Chair at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This distinguished positi ...

, chair of education at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

at Chapel Hill *

Sidney Clarence Garrison Sidney Clarence Garrison (1885–1945) was an American educator and psychologist. He served as the second President of Peabody College (now part of Vanderbilt University) from 1938 to 1945. He was the (co-)author of several books about education. ...

, second president of

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee ...

Victor Gaston Henry Victor Gaston (born January 15, 1943) is an American politician. He was the Acting Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives. He is also the Dean of Alabama House Republicans. Biography Early life Victor Gaston was born on January ...

Alabama House of Representatives The Alabama State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Alabama Legislature, the state legislature of state of Alabama. The House is composed of 105 members representing an equal number of districts, with each constituency contain ...

Gene V. Glass Gene V Glass (born June 19, 1940) is an American statistician and researcher working in educational psychology and the social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Soc ...

statistician A statistician is a person who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, and statisticians may wor ...

and researcher working in

educational psychology Educational psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the scientific study of human learning. The study of learning processes, from both cognitive and behavioral perspectives, allows researchers to understand individual differences in ...

and the

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the o ...

* Frank Pierrepoint Graves, 3rd

Commissioner of Education of the State of New York The Commissioner of Education of the State of New York is the head of the State Education Department, chosen by the Board of Regents. The Commissioner also serves as the President of the University of the State of New York The University of the ...

* Syed Hassan, educationist, humanist, and the founder of INSAN School *

Edd Houck Robert Edward "Edd" Houck (born September 11, 1950) is an American politician and educator. He served in the Senate of Virginia 1984–2012, representing the 17th district in the Virginia Piedmont as a Democrat for more than two decades. ...

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Vir ...

James Hampton Kirkland James Hampton Kirkland (September 9, 1859 – August 5, 1939) was an American Latinist and university administrator. He served as the second chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 1893 to 1937. Early life James Hampton Kirkland was born a ...

, second

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

H. S. S. Lawrence Harris Sam Sahayam Lawrence ( ta, ஹாரிஸ் சாம் சஹாயம் லவ்றேன்சே; 28 July 1923 – 21 April 2009) was an Indian education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain ai ...

, Indian

educationalist 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. ...

Cloyd H. Marvin Cloyd Heck Marvin (August 22, 1889 – April 27, 1969) was the longest serving president of the George Washington University, from 1927 to 1959, and previously the then-youngest American university president from 1922–1927 at the University of ...

president of the George Washington University The President of the George Washington University is the chief executive officer of the George Washington University, appointed by the GW Board of Trustees and charged "to establish the University's vision, oversee its teaching and research mis ...

* Neil C. Macdonald,

North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction The North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction oversees the operations of the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. The Superintendent enforces state and federal statutes and regulations regarding public schools and related program ...

William E. McVey William Estus McVey, (born on a farm near Lee’s Creek, Clinton County, Ohio, December 13, 1885 and died in Washington D.C. August 10, 1958) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives representing Illinois' 4th congressiona ...

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

and professor of education at

De Paul University DePaul University is a private, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Cath ...

Pornchai Mongkhonvanit Pornchai Mongkhonvanit ( th, พรชัย มงคลวนิช) is the president of Siam University and the President Emeritus of the International Association of University Presidents. Concurrently, he is also the chair person of the a ...

(Thailand), president of

Siam University Siam University (SU, Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยสยาม) is a university located on Phet Kasem Road in Phasi Charoen District, Bangkok. Siam University was founded by the late Narong Mongkhonvanit as a three-year private engin ...

and the

International Association of University Presidents The International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) is an association of university chief executives from higher education institutions around the world. The IAUP was founded in 1964 in Oxford. Membership is limited to those individuals w ...

* Alfred C. Nelson, academic who taught at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

and also served as its interim chancellor *

Blake T. Newton Blake Tyler Newton (October 21, 1889 – April 30, 1977) was a Virginia lawyer, educator and Democratic member of the Senate of Virginia from Hague, Virginia. During the state's Massive Resistance crisis, Newton opposed public school closings, ...

Robert Morris Ogden Robert Morris Ogden (1877–1959) was an American psychologist and academic. He served as the dean of the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences from 1923 to 1945. He was the first proponent of Gestalt psychology in the United States. Ea ...

, dean of the

Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS or A&S) is a division of Cornell University. It has been part of the university since its founding, although its name has changed over time. It grants bachelor's degrees, and masters and doctorates through af ...

Archie Palmer Archie MacInnes Palmer (1896-1985) was an American educator and academic administrator who served as 8th president of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga from 1938 to 1942. Biography Palmer was born May 9, 1896, in Hoboken, New Jersey, ...

, 8th president of the

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...

James Melvin Rhodes James Melvin Rhodes (June 14, 1916 – April 29, 1976) was an American educational scientist, assistant professor of education and creativity researcher who was the originator of the pioneering concept of the 4 "P"s of creativity. Biography Mel ...

(1950), educational scientist and assistant professor of education *

Edward Rogalski Edward Rogalski (born February 16, 1942Flansburg, Susan, ''SCENE Magazine'' of St. Ambrose University, Summer 2007. Accessed January 11, 2008."Born Feb. 16, 1942, to Polish immigrants in Manville, N.J., Ed Rogalski was the youngest of eight childre ...

, educational scientist, assistant professor of education *

Jack McBride Ryder Jack McBride Ryder (1928-April 2019) was the second president of Saginaw Valley State College. Ryder was born December 2, 1928, in Newport, Kentucky. He graduated in 1947 from Bellevue High School (Bellevue, Kentucky). He served 24 months in th ...

(''Michigan State'') second president of

Saginaw Valley State College Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) is a public university in University Center, Michigan in Saginaw County. It was founded in 1963 as Saginaw Valley College. It is located on in Saginaw County's Kochville Township, approximately north of ...

W. Otto Miessner William Otto Miessner (May 26, 1880 - May 27, 1967) was an American composer and music educator. Most of his life was spent in the midwest, particularly Indiana and Wisconsin. Life and career Born in Huntingburg, Indiana, Miessner was the son of ...

, educational scientist, assistant professor of education *

Barefoot Sanders Harold Barefoot Sanders Jr. (February 5, 1925 – September 21, 2008) was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas and counsel ...

Senior Judge Senior status is a form of semi- retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at leas ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas (in case citations, N.D. Tex.) is a United States district court. Its first judge, Andrew Phelps McCormick, was appointed to the court on April 10, 1879. The court convenes in D ...

Marvin Scott Marvin Bailey Scott (born March 10, 1944) is an American politician and university professor in Indianapolis, Indiana. He is a nationally known figure for his involvement in school desegregation cases. Scott ran for political office several times ...

, college professor and politician *

Bo Shepard George Edward "Bo" Shepard (September 18, 1904 – May 8, 1983) was an American basketball coach. he served as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from 1931 to 1935. Early life and family Shepard was the sevent ...

, head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from 1931 to 1935 *

E. Mark Stern Erwin Mark Stern (December 5, 1929 – March 11, 2014) was a Humanistic psychology, humanistic/Existential psychology, existential psychologist. Biography He was born on December 5, 1929, in New York City. He holds a Master of Science (M.S.) de ...

humanistic Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

/ existential psychologist *

Brice Taylor Brice Union Taylor (July 4, 1902 – September 18, 1974) was an American football player and coach and track athlete. He played college football as a guard at the University of Southern California (USC), where he was one of first All-Americans ...

(''University of Southern California'') college football coach *

Oscar Tingelstad Oscar Adolf Tingelstad (September 20, 1882 - April 8, 1953) was the president of Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, from 1928 to 1943. Biography Tingelstad, the son of Bent and Beret (Livdalen) Tingelstad, was born on a homestea ...

(University of Chicago), president of

Pacific Lutheran University Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private Lutheran university in Parkland, Washington. It was founded by Norwegian Lutheran immigrants in 1890. PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in A ...

Pete Turnham Pete Benton Turnham (January 1, 1920 – September 30, 2019) was a politician in the American state of Alabama. Early life and education Turnham was born in Penton, Alabama, to Joseph Henry and Fannie May (née Sessions) Turnham. After attendi ...

Robert G. Voight Robert Guy Voight (March 26, 1921 – May 26, 2008) was an American professor at Oral Roberts University. He was the faculty member that has served the longest at Oral Roberts University, as of May 7, 2009. Voight, who served 41 years, was followe ...

, professor at

Oral Roberts University Oral Roberts University (ORU) is a private evangelical university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1963, the university is named after its founder, evangelist Oral Roberts. Sitting on a campus, ORU offers over 70 undergraduate degree progra ...

Lawrence Walkup James Lawrence Walkup (February 26, 1914 – August 7, 2002) was an American academic administrator who served as the eleventh president of Northern Arizona University from 1957 to 1979. He developed the school from a teachers' college to one with ...

, professor at

William Arthur Ward William Arthur Ward (December 17, 1921 – March 30, 1994)"William Arthur Ward"
''

, writer and college professor *

Walter Washington Walter Edward Washington (April 15, 1915 – October 27, 2003) was an American civil servant and politician. After a career in public housing, Washington was the chief executive of Washington, D. C. from 1967 to 1979, serving as the first a ...

, college professor and first African-American to receive a doctorate in Mississippi. * Wilfred D. Webb,

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

* Albert Pau Weiss,

behavioral Behavior (American English) or behaviour (British English) is the range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems or artificial entities in some environment. These systems can include other systems or organisms as we ...

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social processes and behavior. Their work often involves the experimentation, observation, and interpretation of how ...

theorist A theory is a rational type of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the results of such thinking. The process of contemplative and rational thinking is often associated with such processes as observational study or research. Theories may be ...

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosophica ...

, and

experimentalist Experimentalism is the philosophical belief that the way to truth is through experiments and empiricism. It is also associated with instrumentalism, the belief that truth should be evaluated based upon its demonstrated usefulness. Experimentalism ...

References

External Links

{{Authority control Educational organizations based in the United States 1906 establishments in Indiana Student organizations established in 1906 Former members of Professional Fraternity Association

History

Membership

Activities

Governance

Chapters

Phi Delta Kappa International

Notable members

See also

References

External Links