Rigorous Academics

NDAA operates on the belief that excellent school culture and rigorous academics have the power to transform children’s lives.  Students and teachers alike are held to high standards and provided with the support and resources necessary to meet those expectations.  Great schools – schools that put children on a trajectory of success - deliberately develop excellence in teaching and learning.  Research suggests that student achievement depends on a series of essential supports driven by qualified, capable, visionary school leaders.

 At the Notre Dame ACE Academies, everyone is always learning.  There are no ceilings on what students can achieve, or what teachers can accomplish for their students.

NDAA’s teaching and learning objectives

All efforts to strengthen the teaching and learning program at NDAA partner schools reflect the following objectives.

1. Empower teachers and school leaders to provide an academically rigorous, college-preparatory Catholic education of the highest quality.
2. Facilitate the development of a vibrant Catholic community within and across NDAA schools.
3. Prepare community members to integrate their faith into their professional lives and communities, so that all adult members of NDAA school communities are credible witnesses who make God known, loved, and served.

NDAA’s framework of support

To achieve these objectives, NDAA acts on each of five levers of support:

Ensure strong instructional leadership.

NDAA provides on-going leadership formation for principals - including ACE Consulting Leadership Academies and other professional opportunities - and research-based evaluation tools that give school leaders concrete feedback for improvement and assist the School Leadership Committee of the regional NDAA board in holding principals accountable for school improvement.

NDAA also facilitates access to the expertise of Notre Dame faculty, and provides principals with intensive, on-going support in curriculum, instruction and coaching, assessment, school culture, and Catholic identity.

Strengthen teacher’s professional capacity to promote a continuous improvement ethos across school- and cluster-based professional learning communities. 

NDAA conducts regular Teacher Leadership Formation (TLF) workshops to implement the NDAA Teaching as Leadership school improvement framework, and facilitate the development of professional learning communities both within and across school communities.  The Teaching as Leadership framework and professional learning communities together establish a professional culture of excellence and provide teachers with support to meet all their students’ needs.

Expand instructional guidance. 

Each NDAA region employs a Teaching and Learning Specialist who provides regular 1-on-1 teacher coaching and advises the Principal on curricular and instructional issues. In addition, NDAA provides researched-based feedback and evaluation tools to assist principals in holding teachers accountable for constant improvement in planning, instruction, assessment, and school culture.

Foster a culturally responsive, student-centered learning climate.  NDAA schools have access to annual instructional and curricular resource upgrades, and NDAA provides teachers with training and support in use of new materials.  Teachers are prepared to constantly reassess and meet their students’ needs. 

Enhance family and community involvement in schools. 

Parents are the primary educators of their children.  NDAA honors this and creates opportunities for families to be engaged in their children’s education by hosting community events and developing family programming.  In addition, NDAA connects regional Notre Dame alumni and the ACE Advocates to NDAA school communities.