The NDAA Model

The Notre Dame ACE Academies provide a Catholic education of the highest quality to as many children as possible, especially in under-served communities. The unique Catholic school support model employed by the NDAA university-school partnership is based on well-established and growing bodies of research on school reform and instructional effectiveness.  It emphasizes continuous improvement in all aspects of operation and focuses on three domains that influence school performance:

• Game-changing Catholic school identity and culture: Catholic identity forms the bedrock of all efforts and operations in the school.  Every other aspect of the school depends on its Catholic identity.
• Affordable, sustainable Catholic education: Effective stewardship enables the school to thrive and serve the needs of its community. 
• Rigorous Academics: Teaching and learning are the purpose and object of the school.  Effective use of best practices, supported by the strong and positive school culture and the knowledge and expertise of Notre Dame faculty and staff, ensures all students reach their greatest potential.

Through targeted efforts in each of these areas, NDAA partnerships address multiple dimensions of education, including curriculum, instruction, professional development, financial management, marketing, leadership, governance, and learning environment.   The NDAA model also emphasizes support from parental choice scholarships and benefits from the mobilization of the resources of ACE and partnering dioceses.

An innovative approach to school governance

These working relationships begin when ACE, at the invitation of a diocese, creates and supports partnerships with existing parish schools. The schools are designated “Notre Dame ACE Academies” and the unique, collaborative urban Catholic schooling model transforms the schools into environments that ensure students are on the path to college and heaven. 

The NDAA model has two key, distinguishing features:

• First, while pastors retain ultimate responsibility for the school, they delegate certain executive responsibilities to a regional board of specified jurisdiction, freeing pastors to focus on the pastoral life and Catholic identity of the school.  The regional board of limited jurisdiction is responsible for:
  • advising and supporting the school leaders in strategic planning, school management, and evaluation
  • surpervising, evaluating, and selecting school leaders
  • overseeing school finances
• Second, ACE provides stuctured and comprehensive support to principals and teachers at NDAA schools, focused on the three pillars of ACE: educational excellence, the experience of community in Christ, and faith formation in the Catholic tradition.  NDAA fosters growth in these areas through numerous benefits to the schools in critical areas, especially catholic identity, stewardship, and teaching and learning.

Measuring NDAA's impact

1. Catholic identity, as measured by a Catholic identity inventory created by Notre Dame researchers and through surveys of students, parents, and teachers. 
2. Educational achievement, as measured by growth in student test scores, high school graduation rates, and college attendance and graduation rates. 
3. Participation in Catholic schooling, as measured by enrollment growth. 
4. Financial stability, as measured by consistently balanced budgets, increases in scholarship support, and improved resources. 
5. Teacher quality, as measured by student achievement gains, implementation of effective instructional practices, and a low rate of teacher turnover.