Advertorial in Education Week, November 5, 2003

Since our founding in 1906, Phi Delta Kappa International has been a strong advocate of high-quality, universal education. Our beliefs can be stated simply:

• We believe in publicly supported education.
• We believe that high-quality education for all is essential to the development and maintenance of a democratic way of life.
• We believe in upholding the ethical ideals of research, service, and leadership.
• We believe that leadership should be nurtured and developed.
• We believe that a dynamic organization incorporates the needs of its members, is responsive to the environment and trends, and changes as needed.
• We believe that diversity strengthens our association.

Advocacy for the public schools, in particular, is a commitment that is expressed in our constitution. However, this advocacy does not diminish the value we see in effective private and parochial schools for those who desire an alternative. Indeed, we encourage active participation in PDK by all concerned educators, citizens, parents, and like-minded institutions and business enterprises.

The vast majority of our children are and will continue to be educated in our public schools. The future of those children depends on keeping the public schools strong and supporting their improvement. We understand that all schools must improve continuously to reach the level of excellence that our children, nation, and society deserve.

School improvement is fostered through communication and collegiality. PDK colleagues network to share ideas and plans, work together to solve problems, and help one another improve educational practices. Membership in Phi Delta Kappa International opens new doors to collegiality. By drawing members from all levels and forms of education and the communities that support them, PDK offers the broadest possible forum for collegial communication.

The next step, communicating beyond the membership, is accomplished through a growing number of publications, projects, and outreach programs by individual Kappans and an international network of PDK chapters. We are committed to expanding this outreach in the years to come in order to uphold our beliefs. Our children depend on it.

So does our future — for our children are our future.

Phi Delta Kappa
International
408 North Union Street
P.O. Box 789
Bloomington, IN 47402-0789

www.pdkintl.org
Information@pdkintl.org
Phone 812/339-1156
Tollfree 800/766-1156
Fax 812/339-0018

Support for this message provided by the Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation