Kappa Delta Pi

KDP International News

KDP Takes Global Step

KDP is now a DPI/ NGO! On December 7, 2009, Kappa Delta Pi, International Honor Society in Education, was approved to be a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) working in relation to the Department of Public Information (DPI) of the United Nations. In a December 8 letter to President Pam Kramer Ertel, the DPI announced KDP’s acceptance.

Obtaining this affiliation marks another successful step for KDP in meeting its strategic-plan goals regarding international initiatives and global awareness. That step was a 14-month process that began with an extensive application submitted in October 2008 and required KDP programming that demonstrated The Society’s global outreach.

As an NGO, KDP joins 1,400 organizations worldwide that disseminate information and raise public awareness of the purposes and activities of the United Nations (UN), as well as issues of global concern. An NGO is expected to focus portions of its communications on the UN and to cooperate with United Nations Information Centres or Services in its country and with UN representatives affiliated with the NGO’s area of expertise. NGOs, which have been a part of the DPI since its 1947 inception, also share their activities and initiatives with DPI/NGO Relations.

KDP Charters First Chapter in Asia

The newly chartered chapter at City University of Hong Kong represents two firsts for Kappa Delta Pi. It is the first chapter in Asia—which inducted 23 educators during a formal initiation ceremony in September 2009. In another first, Sir David Santandreu Calonge, an educator from this same chapter, was KDP’s first international recipient of the Teacher of Honor award (see story immediately below). Read more >>>

First International Educator Selected as Teacher of Honor

荣誉教师
Kappa Delta Pi is pleased to announce its first international Teacher of Honor award recipient—Sir David Santandreu Calonge, all the way from City University of Hong Kong! Serving as the Senior Education Development Officer of the Education Development Office, David is among a select group of educators to earn the Teacher of Honor designation this year. Read more >>>

See what international press is saying about David and Kappa Delta Pi!
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Sing Pao Limited

Kappa Delta Pi made the news in NYC when KDP members from Manhattan College attended the 11th annual Protecting Human Rights conference, sponsored by the Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN). Click here to read the write-up of the event!

Executive Director Attends CTAUN Conference

On March 24, 2009 Executive Director Faye Snodgress attended Teaching Human Rights—Global to Local, a conference hosted by The Committee on Teaching About the United Nations (CTAUN), which brought together members of various educational and community groups at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

This conference focused on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Rights of the Child, and United Nations Action and Support and recognized the 60th anniversary of the creation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“KDP Laureate, Eleanor Roosevelt and UN Chairperson of the Commission of Human Rights, once said that ‘Human rights must begin in the home,’” Director Snodgress said. “It also begins in the schools. Education is essential for peace and human rights. Children and young adults have a strong sense of justice and fair play. Learning about those whose rights have been abused or denied can spur their action. For example, Students Against Landmines formed worldwide to heighten awareness and raise money to adopt a minefield. Without recognition of human rights, we can never have peace.”

As the world faces more complex sociological, economic, and environmental challenges, the need for greater involvement and interdependence of its citizens grows. KDP recognizes this need as well as the potential of communities that already seek to make a difference to join together in exponentially making that difference. For that reason and to be proactive in its approach to global education awareness and preparation, Faye and the Executive Council have added global initiatives to the 2009–2011 strategic plan. They have set the pace for KDP’s approach to teaching and learning in the 21st century by collaborating with overseas universities and schools, applying for a U.N. grant, and participating in global-education related conversations, such as the CTAUN’s conference, Teaching Human Rights.

KDP Partners with University of Taipei

On August 4, 2008, Kappa Delta Pi signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Taipei, Taiwan. Then Society President, Dr. Karen Nicholson, represented KDP at the ceremony. She also delivered a speech to the university’s education faculty and gave a series of workshops on multicultural education.


KDP Past President Karen Nicholson poses with graduate students, faculty, and K–12 educators and administrators from several Taiwanese universities, for whom she presented an extended workshop on Multicultural Education Issues.	At KDP Headquarters in October 2007, KDP members provided the delegation of school principals from Taiwan with three professional development workshops. That visit launched collaboration between Taipei Municipal University of Education and the Society.

Taipei Municipal University of Education will be establishing a new KDP chapter in 2009. If you are interested in establishing an international KDP chapter, please contact us at membership@kdp.org for information and assistance.