Graduate students: Note the workshops focused on your professional development needs. Network with peers in the Graduate Student Lounge. Share ideas during one of two focus groups on Friday, Nov. 2, at 8:30 a.m. and Saturday, Nov. 3, at noon.

Convo Registration Deadline is Friday, October 12!
Save money by registering by October 12. After that date, all registrations must be done on-site at a $30 per person higher rate. Invite a colleague (or two or three) to Convo. You’ll have traveling companions and each can go to different workshops, and then share what you learned with one another. What a deal! Register online or register by mail.

Voting Delegates
Certification deadline is near! Chapter delegates for the Business Meeting must be certified by October 1. Print out and complete the Delegate and Alternate Certification of Election form. Please note that both the chapter counselor and president must sign the form and return it to KDP Headquarters by October 1.

Professionally prepared educators are the center of the educational system’s universe. They are committed to ensuring that each student receives an education that allows him or her to achieve maximum potential. They are connected to the larger educational community. As such, they are lifelong learners who continually develop and refine their own knowledge and skills. They are competent: They understand students, content, and instructional strategies.

KDP is in a unique position to honor and support educators throughout their careers. Through campus-based and professional chapters, KDP can support educators in their quest to remain committed, connected, and competent, and members can support one another. Commitment to these beliefs will help us keep KDP strong and vibrant.–Karen Nicholson, Society President



It has been an exciting and busy summer at KDP Headquarters. After five years of serving as the Director of Membership, I have assumed the position of Executive Director. I am humbled by this new opportunity to serve the KDP community of outstanding and committed educators, and I look forward to building on its rich legacy, as well as assisting colleagues in adding value and vibrancy to the Society.

Change and technology, words common to dialogue on educational issues, also correspond to Kappa Delta Pi and its efforts to recognize, serve, and support all of its members. In a rapidly transforming world that brings new ideas and unique challenges to its classrooms, KDP strives to provide meaningful experiences, constructive tools, and assistance with the purpose of retaining the best and brightest not only in KDP, but in the field of education. Podcasts, online presentations, and other online tools will help members stay informed 24/7. New partnerships with organizations such as EF Tours will provide additional professional development opportunities as well.

While Headquarters staff members continue to work diligently serving and supporting members, they need feedback from you—as students, teachers, professors, administrators, specialists, and retirees. Your input is vital to informing decisions on how to meet new needs and challenges in the education profession and where you are personally.

I invite you to share your ideas, opinions, and suggestions with me and to fill out upcoming member surveys or participate in focus groups. These are a few of the ways KDP will gather information to ensure that KDP is seen as a valued resource. You can be a part of growing and improving KDP and its role in the field. After all, the Society belongs to you!

Jo-Ann Fabrics carries what you need for your classroom projects, decorations, as well as personal craft and sewing supplies. You now get a 15 percent discount at Jo-Ann’s, whether you shop online or use your Teacher Rewards coupon!

What’s New at the KDP Store? Purchase your “Teachers Feed Minds” lunch bag. Its fully insulated top and bottom compartments keep hot and cold food separate. Perfect for the days when you don’t get to eat your lunch until afternoon recess! So to Teach—New Book from KDP Heartfelt stories that inspire and refresh, and remind teachers how they make a difference. Order your copy from the KDP Store.

Sometimes you just need a new look. So, Reading Is Fun (RIF) now is called Literacy Alive! The program retains its literacy focus and grant funding, but the name is updated for two reasons: KDP’s RIF program sometimes was confused with the Reading Is Fundamental program; chapter RIF programming had widened beyond reading to encompass literacy. An evolving program deserves an evolved name! Give your former Reading Is Fun programs new life; turn the page with Literacy Alive! Proposal deadline is December 15. Watch for information at www.kdp.org.

“When I first began working through the court system, the idea was that these kids just needed to get jobs. But that didn’t work. These kids needed more than that.” In her work, she realized that they lacked basic skills and knowledge that many people learn in their home environments. For them to be receptive to gaining such knowledge, Lena recognized that “we had to find something in which could succeed and things they were interested in.”

So Lena turned to articles in her KDP Record collection to help set up programs that educated officers on effective approaches in helping the kids with whom they worked, as well as helping kids “in the system” gain knowledge that would help direct them toward a better life. Through her work, she encouraged those around her to continue their education, whether formally or informally. It wasn’t a quick process. “It took us five years to get programs in place that provided knowledge, skills, and an understanding of systems in which they would be working.”

“I always could use them,” she said. “So many articles were excellent and very helpful.” The Record gave her statistics that she used to back up her ideas and plans, and it showed her how to ask open-ended questions so she didn’t “turn off” the adolescents coming through the courts with whom she conversed. Lena found Record articles so helpful that she saved every Record she received since her induction at Loyola University, where she pursued and obtained a Master’s in guidance and counseling. Lena wasn’t alone in finding the Record to be useful. When her daughters went into teaching, they used her collection for their research papers and to study educational trends.

Sadly, Lena lost her Record collection in hurricane Katrina. She lost her home and most of what it held. What she misses most, she told us at Headquarters, are her photograph albums, family Bible, and all those years of Record issues. Fortunately, many years of the Record are available electronically now in the Publications Archives.


Find links to educational and professional resources.


Experience an educational adventure with EF Educational Tours. EF Tours offers more than 260 itineraries in countries in Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and in the South Pacific. You will find a tour that suits your cultural interests, your budget, and your time schedule.

Did you know that you can read the headlines in education from across the country, all from the KDP home page? Look for this graphic on the right-hand side and check weekly for updates! What you need to know delivered to your desk.

See what members are saying.

“When a door is closed, a window is opened. My window is KDP!”
Jean Marie Tow Roberson
Classroom Teacher Grant recipient


KDP asks the question—you get to answer!

What is the best thing about being a teacher?

Please send your brief reply to membership@kdp.org, indicating your teaching level. Your feedback helps KDP shape its membership programs.


Read about various types of KDP chapters and their successful initiatives.

Kappa Xi
University of New Orleans
Dr. Lena Nuccio-Lee, Counselor
Melissa Davis, President
Patricia Ordonez, Vice President

“I appreciate the grant KDP gave me two years ago to be able to continue my work for that year. Since then I have worked with the Historical Society of Baltimore County through a grant from ‘Save Our History,’ American Express, and Lowe’s Home Improvement to publish a book for our community, Dundalk, Maryland. Thank you.”      Charla Helmers      Library-Media Specialist, Dundalk Elementary School

Patti Bontempo, Controller “Giving back is important. What KDP does is important—more people need to know about KDP!”

Coming to KDP from Indianapolis’s Lutheran Child and Family Services, working in the not-for-profit field was not new to Patti, though KDP as an organization was. After learning the Society’s mission, what KDP provides for its members, and how KDP and its members contribute to the field of education, Patti has become somewhat of a KDP salesperson. She’s already shown KDP materials to teachers and administrators at her children’s school.

She and husband Jeff have two children, Justin, 8, and Jessica, 5. They don’t have any pets at this time, though she’s working on Jeff to get a dog—for the kids of course.

Q. Can educators join KDP when there is no university chapter?

A. Yes! Students and veterans may apply for professional membership. Requirements vary, depending on whether the candidate is a student or practicing professional. There are many reasons to belong to Kappa Delta Pi, so share with friends and colleagues about why you are a member and invite them to apply for membership.