About ACE

Housed in the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) exists to sustain and strengthen Catholic schools.  ACE has become one of Notre Dame’s best-known “exports,” present in hundreds of schools, dozens of U.S. Catholic dioceses, and several foreign countries. Truly an alliance between the many stakeholders in Catholic schools, ACE has been honored by the White House, emulated by other universities, and is now growing in its impact and its spectrum of services. ACE works to achieve its mission through preparing teachers and school leaders, providing a range of state-of-the-art services to schools, and facilitating widespread awareness, enthusiasm, and hope—all to ensure that none of today’s social and economic hurdles will keep any child from experiencing the gift of an excellent Catholic education.

Since 1993, ACE has offered an exceptional academic, experiential, and personal formation to people aspiring to be teachers and ready to serve where they are needed. Now called the ACE Service through Teaching program, this Notre Dame tradition combines professional development, community-building, and spiritual growth, and has spawned numerous kindred initiatives by responding to emerging needs. ACE's dynamic programs and services fall into three categories:

• Formation for teachers and leaders who serve in Catholic schools

• Professional services that are customized to help Catholic school leaders as clients confronting particular challenges

• Outreach opportunities that galvanize Catholic school supporters who want to collaboratively address key concerns, such as parental choice advocacy, urgent educational trends locally and globally, and increasing access for Latino children and families in U.S. Catholic education

For more detailed descriptions of ACE's offerings in these three areas, view the Overview of Programs & Services page.