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Our Mission

The Ethics Institute at Kent Place School promotes the process and practice of ethical decision-making in primary and secondary school communities.

OUR HISTORY

In May 2007, with the approval of the Kent Place Board of Trustees, Dr. Karen Rezach founded the Ethics Institute at Kent Place School (EIKPS) and became its director.  Four month later, the Ethics Institute Advisory Board was formed and its mission established. Since its inception, the Ethics Institute has partnered with the Hastings Center, Atlantic Health System, Montclair State University, and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, to name a few.

In January 2018, the Ethics Institute celebrated its 10-year anniversary with a very special gift: an anonymous $1 million donation, which positions it to become a trailblazer in the area of ethics and education.

While Dr. Rezach’s successful Middle School ethics elective was the source of inspiration for establishing this unique institute, over time, the Ethics Institute has incorporated its curriculum into Kent Place from Preschool through Grade 12. Expanding the Institute's reach even further, parent and teacher workshops, summer intensive enrichment programs, nationally ranked Ethics Bowl teams, national and global presentations, and more, has proven that ethical thinking and ethical decision-making prepares all to be effective leaders and compassionate citizens of tomorrow.

OUR FUTURE: STRATEGIC VISION 2030

Consistent with the vision outlined in Kent Place School's strategic plan, Empower Girls. Advance the World, the Ethics Institute at Kent Place will be the leading proponent of, and resource for, ethical decision-making and ethics programming and curriculum in primary and secondary school communities. 

The overall goals of the strategic plan are to continue the programs that have made EIKPS so successful to date and to pursue new initiatives that expand the Institute's impact by building on what it has already accomplished, and to reinforce Kent Place School's institutional priorities: learning with purpose, leading with ethics, thriving in community, and investing in one another. 

To fulfill our vision and intent over the next several years, our efforts will be driven by four key strategies. Each of these strategies is consistent with and reinforces the strategic plan of Kent Place School as a whole:

  • Provide transformative learning opportunities
  • Promote ethics and ethical decision making
  • Empower school communities
  • Ensure sustainability and accessibility