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Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children

About the IAPC

IAPC Mission Statement

The Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children pursues a three-fold mission:

Educational Programming
  • Publish systematic curriculum and teacher preparation materials in Philosophy for Children, inquiry-based teaching, classroom dialogue and multi-dimensional thinking and contract for the translation, cultural adaptation and publication of these materials by IAPC Affiliate Centers;
  • Offer a number of forums of professional development in these areas;
  • Partner with schools and other institutions to conduct courses and comprehensive programs in these areas for students of all ages;
  • Consult with universities that offer Philosophy for Children courses and degree programs; and
  • Coordinate this work with that of IAPC Affiliate Centers, universities with Philosophy for Children courses and degree programs, and regional and international Philosophy for Children organizations.
Dissemination and Professional Affiliation
  • Promote the work of the IAPC and its Affiliate Centers by conducting demonstrations and awareness sessions at schools and other venues, by producing various media including websites, brochures, newsletters, conference displays, and by appearances in television, radio and other news media;
  • Establish memberships, partnerships and other kinds of affiliation with academic, professional, governmental and non-governmental organizations whose work is closely related to the work of the IAPC, as has been done, e.g. with the American Philosophical Association, the Great Britain and US Philosophy of Education Societies, the American Educational Research Association, UNESCO, the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (FISP), the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, the Squire Foundation, state and federal departments of education, the New Jersey Association for Gifted Children, the New Jersey Center for Character Education, the New Jersey Network for Educational Renewal, and national, regional and international Philosophy for Children organizations.
Research
  • Facilitate and encourage theoretical scholarship and empirical research in teaching pre-college philosophy and in educational philosophy, defined as the use of philosophy for obtaining educational objectives including multi-dimensional (critical, creative and caring) thinking, social democracy, and moral and aesthetic judgment;
  • Invite visiting scholars to study and to conduct research at the IAPC;
  • Investigate alternative approaches to pre-college philosophy;
  • Coordinate this work among IAPC Affiliate Centers, universities with Philosophy for Children courses and degree programs, and regional and international Philosophy for Children organizations; and
  • Disseminate IAPC-sponsored research in academic and professional venues in philosophy and education
The primary constituency the IAPC aims to serve is schoolchildren—from pre-schoolers to highschoolers and from schools close to the Institute to schools in the 40-odd nations with active Philosophy for Children centers. In addition to working directly with schoolchildren, members of the IAPC work with several constituencies, including professional and pre-professional educators, educational administrators and policy-makers, and faculty and students of education, philosophy and related disciplines.

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IAPC Awards & Recognitions

  • The IAPC is an approved Classification One Professional Development Provider for the New Jersey Department of Education. Click here for information about professional development in Philosophy for Children through the IAPC.
  • The US State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (BECA) included the MSU/KSPU Ukraine Partnership−of which Philosophy for Children was a major focus - in a special publication, "Twenty Years of Strengthening Institutions and Bridging Cultures" (2002) that highlighted only 29 out of more than 700 partnership grants awarded over the last 20 years. Available as pdf file; click here to download.
  • American Philosophical Association 2001 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs
  • United States Department of Education Program Effectiveness Panel Certificate of Revalidation (on display at IAPC) "in recognition of your contributions to excellence in education," May, 1995.
  • United States Department of education Program Effectiveness Panel Certificate of Validation.
  • Listing as "Exemplary Program" in Educational Programs That Work, the National Diffusion Network catalogue of exemplary educational programs, annual editions 1986-1995)
  • UNESCO Report on Philosophy for Children. In March, 1998 UNESCO held an international "meeting of experts" in Philosophy for Children, with the result that UNESCO's Division of Philosophy and Ethics resolved "to pursue this project with renewed vigour during the forthcoming biennium, its mission being to help promote a philosophy education programme for children." Go to full UNESCO Report.
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IAPC Affiliations

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IAPC in the News

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Click here to view the IAPC Timeline.

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