PDK International (also known as PDK or Phi Delta Kappa International) is a US
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 ...
. It was founded on January 24, 1906.
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 ...
.
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.
History
Phi Delta Kappa began at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universi ...
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 Manhatt ...
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 in ...
on February 23, 1909) amalgamated under the name Phi Delta Kappa. Prior to amalgamation, Phi Delta Kappa had also branched out to include two other chapters.
Phi Delta Kappa was limited to white males at the August 1915 convention. In 1940, ''Sigma chapter'' at Ohio State University 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 let to a membership poll being sent to all members and eventually the deletion of the "white clause" by the membership. On June 2, 1942 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.
Publications
''Phi Delta Kappan'' is a professional journal for education, published by Phi Delta Kappa International, since 1915.
Programs
Programs administered by PDK include the
honor society 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 ...
Notes
External links
The Phi Delta Kappa homepage
{{Authority control
Educational organizations based in the United States
1906 establishments in Indiana
Student organizations established in 1906
Former members of Professional Fraternity Association