Program for K-12 Educational Access

As the costs of providing a high-quality Catholic education have continued to rise, many – predominantly low-income – families have been forced to abandon the idea of sending their children to a Catholic school. Animated by a fundamental belief that empowering parents with the ability to choose the best education for their children nurtures our schools, our Church, and our nation, ACE has launched its newest venture in August 2010, the Program for K-12 Educational Access.

The Program is designed as a teaching, research, and outreach enterprise dedicated to helping develop instruments of policy and philanthropy that can ensure that as many low-income families as possible have the financial means to receive a Catholic education. It works with a variety of stakeholders who support faith-based education and education policy such as parental choice to address the challenges of financial affordability in family decisions K-12 schooling.

The core function of the Program is to promote systemic and sustainable expansion of the educational opportunities available to at-risk children. In collaboration with the broader work of ACE to revitalize K-12 Catholic education, it facilitates dialogue on issues of parental choice, forms policy leaders dedicated to strengthening urban faith-based schools, and supports local efforts to assist low-income families in accessing the schools of their choosing.

The Program for K-12 Educational Access is led by John Schoenig, a 2000 graduate of ACE and former Director of Development for the Alliance for School Choice.

Read about financing faith-based education here.