The University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) will once again welcome hundreds of visitors to the campus this summer for a unique series of conferences, all advancing ACE’s mission to sustain, strengthen, and transform Catholic schools.

The conferences, some of which are currently accepting registrants, constitute a growing part of the busy summer to be enjoyed by ACE participants. Hundreds of those participants will receive skills and personal formation to earn master’s degrees as K-12 Catholic school teachers and leaders.

Various units of ACE, which have multiplied during 19 years while remaining true to the original mission of service to under-resourced Catholic schools, host conferences that address today’s urgent issues. These include galvanizing top-notch teachers and school leaders; encouraging parental choice policies and informed financial strategies for Catholic school sustainability; promoting athletic coaching that ministers to young people; and introducing parents and South Bend-area educators to the summertime wellspring of Notre Dame’s commitment to K-12 schooling.

These are the conferences coming up:

ACE Teaching Fellows Annual Conference (June 5-10). Participants in the Melody Family ACE Teaching Fellowship program convene to assess and catalyze their growth as master teachers, educational leaders, and generators of problem-solving research. Several benefactor-supported fellowships support highly promising educators who wish to continue their careers in Catholic classrooms while pursuing advanced knowledge and skills. Fellows cultivate these leadership assets along with their mentors during the conference. Read more about the program.

Advocates for Parental Choice Symposium (June 15-20). This intensive formation experience gives participants a first-hand experience of people and places on the cutting edge in implementing school choice policies. Catholic school supporters will receive skills, insights, and working relationships to equip them as advocates in the parental choice movement. Major speakers and visits to Wisconsin and Florida will increase these future leaders’ understanding of the legal, social, constitutional, political, and moral dimensions of parental choice.

Play Like a Champion Sports Leadership Conference (June 22-24).

This annual conference, titled “Champion Character in Sports” for 2012, emphasizes developing the whole person through sports. Guest speakers offer professional development for coaches and athletic administrators at both the youth and high school levels. Hosted by ACE’s Play Like a Champion Today® experts in sports as ministry, the conference gathers representatives of parochial leagues around the country to network and share best practices. Go here to register.

Superintendents Strategic Leadership Conference (June 24-27)

ACE Consulting annually invites superintendents from dioceses across the country to hear expert speakers and conduct in-depth conversations about the many-layered challenges of leading Catholic schools. The goal is to help superintendents share best practices and obtain better tools to formulate and implement strategies that will sustain, strengthen, and transform Catholic education. The conference is produced in collaboration with FACTS management company.

Principals Academy (June 26-29)

A four-day enrichment experience for Catholic school principal will focus on identifying and shaping a school’s culture to benefit leadership and learning. The values of a school, expressed actively and nurtured in a culture, provide a framework in which teachers can reduce students’ achievement gaps and leaders can promote continuous improvement in a school. This academy, hosted by ACE Consulting, will help principals develop action plans to improve and utilize their school culture. Register here for the Principals Academy.

Equitable Services Institute (July 8-12)

Students in Catholic schools across the country are not getting federally funded services to which they’re entitled; the Equitable Services Institute assists diocesan superintendents, principals, and other educational leaders to solve this problem. Attendees will receive updated information about complex federal funding policies plus practical roadmaps for the process of consultations by which educators obtain equitable shares for their students from Title 1, Title 2, and Title 3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Learn more here, and click to register.

School Pastors Institute (July 17-20)

Pastors whose parishes include schools are invited to this annual institute to learn to manage and leverage better the distinctive relationship between a parish and its school. The Institute develops many skills and perspectives that a pastor will need in overseeing a parish school, its people, and its finances. It provides insights for valuable reflection on the value of Catholic schools to the children and parents of a parish and to the future of the Church as a whole. 

ACE Parent Retreat (July 25-27)

Parents whose sons or daughters have just finished their first year in ACE Service through Teaching often have many questions about these first-year teachers’ experiences. ACE Advocates hosts a special retreat for these parents at Notre Dame to get their questions answered and to see the broader context of the journey their ACE teachers are taking. The retreat also allows these parents of the ACE 18 cohort to hear presentations, worship together, and swap stories. Learn more.

Mary Ann Remick Leadership Conference (July 13)

This conference, a capstone event for those earning their master’s degrees in educational administration through the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program (RLP), is a unique and informal venue for South Bend-area educators to discuss current research with ACE leaders and experts from across the country. The RLP participants present the action research they have conducted to help address key day-to-day issues facing Catholic schools, and local educational leaders attending free-of-charge may exchange useful ideas. Read about last year’s conference and read about the value of action research.

The Holy Spirit won't take "No" for an answer. Just ask Laura Knaus. Early in her career as a teacher in Chicago's inner-city, she felt the nudge toward administration. But she explored other opportunities in education first. Still, the call to administration beckoned, and eventually she became principal of Sacred Heart School in Lincoln, Nebraska—and landed in the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program (RLP) at ACE.

Hearing Laura speak about Catholic schools reveals why the Spirit must have led her to a position of leadership. "The Church speaks of Her schools in such a beautiful way—as places that foster the growth of minds and souls, that help students grow intellectually, socially and spiritually...[They are] 'at the heart of the Church.'"

And not only that, Laura says, but Catholic schools are at the heart of society has a whole. Thus, her commitment is "to fully participate in the movement to strengthen and restore our Catholic schools, especially those that serve under-served populations."

As principal, Laura brings that commitment to her Diocese, staff, parents, and students. (One example, as pictured above: She has instituted "Kingdom-Builder Awards." Each quarter, one student per grade is recognized for this honor.) She also brings what she's learned in RLP, such as professional development for her staff, and modified policies to move her school forward for the benefit of its children. And Laura is using her Action Research at Sacred Heart "to revamp our approach to parent involvement and to more effectively collaborate with parents, who are the primary educators of their children."

This leader in the Alliance for Catholic Education concludes, "I believe wholeheartedly in what ACE and ACE-modeled programs are accomplishing across our nation. Bringing awareness to [this work] is critical to the expansion and sustained success of the ACE mission." We are grateful for the central role Laura and others like her are playing to strengthen the heart of the Church--and the soul of our nation.

One never knows what brings Catholic school principals to their positions.

When Roseanne Villanueva moved to Tucson seven years ago, she says, "I didn't know about Catholic education. I didn't go to Catholic school. I didn't think I could afford it, and it wasn't something I really believed in."

So when she enrolled her two youngest (of four) sons in the preschool at St. John the Evangelist, she was initially happy just to have a place for them to go.

Within the first month, though, "I noticed a difference between the two older boys, who were in public school, and the two younger ones. The two little ones were talking about God in a way that I never had heard little kids talk, and I hadn't realized that could happen at that age. I liked the way they treated each other and the topics they brought up to talk about."

Naturally, Roseanne brought her older children to St. John the Evangelist as well. A teacher in a public school at the time, she asked the principal to keep her in mind for any future openings. That very spring, a position became available, and despite the pay cut on top of the expense of sending all four boys to Catholic school, her family decided to make the switch.

This teacher who once had never considered Catholic education was now teaching in a Catholic school--and loving it. She especially appreciated subbing in religion classes: "You learn about something when you teach religion in Catholic school," she says, "and I learned about my faith when I taught it. It's still one of my favorite things, to get to sub religion if a teacher is out."

Roseanne became principal of St John the Evangelist, a Notre Dame ACE Academy, in 2009. About it she says, "There's no school anywhere where the teachers are getting the kind of training our teachers are getting. The quality of education has gone up here. All the resources have made such a difference for the kids." Roseanne also points to the collaborative culture of the Academies, where the principals of the three schools can turn to each other and teachers who once worked in near isolation can share ideas, as a major factor in the success of St. John the Evangelist.

This is how the Holy Spirit works. Under Roseanne's leadership, the school where she first enrolled two of her children simply because it was a good place for them has gone from struggling to thriving. Under her leadership, the school about which she initially knew so little is now on a steep upward trajectory with enrollment increasing, school culture growing stronger and more defined, and student achievement scores up as much as two years in some classes. This is how the Holy Spirit works. Thanks be to God!

It's not every day one gets to meet the man who may be Chile's next president. But given their vested interest in that beautiful country (see ChACE), folks in the Alliance for Catholic Education got to do just that.

With his wife Francisca, Claudio Orrego, a mayor of Santiago and presidential candidate for 2014, sat down with members of ACE faculty and staff to discuss the state of education in his country. Over lunch hosted by ACE co-founder and Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) Fr. Tim Scully, Mayor Orrego outlined Chile's current economic and educational ups and the downs.

"[Chile] has grown and prospered," the Mayor said, "but not all have benefited equally."

In fact, though statistically the country ranks about average in terms of global economies, just 10% of the population holds the nation's wealth. 90 percent live on less—-in some cases, much less—-than $8,000/year. Mayor Orrego calls this the Tyranny of Averages.

Given the way education is structured, this tyranny has closed many school doors to Chile's poorest children, an injustice that has brought thousands of protesting students to the streets in the past year.

The message hasn't been lost on Mr. Orrego. Under his leadership as mayor of Peñalolén, Santiago, per pupil investment is on the rise, as are student test scores and the number of students enrolling in higher education, which has grown from just 8% in 2007 to a whopping 63% in 2011.

"Our goal," says the popular politician, "must be to ensure that more people can share in the benefits of living in Santiago." As he fights for social justice there, so he fights for it across the country. "Any positive change in any place...is also a positive change for Chile."

If all that we read about today's generation of 20-somethings is to be believed, it would be easy to lose hope for the future. News reels, magazine articles and the like murmur the merciless message that young adults are wasting away in the mire-y bogs of technological addiction and entitlement-driven self-absorption.

Until we meet young ACE teachers like Patrick Graff, a Notre Dame graduate just completing his first year in ACE Service through Teaching.

Listen to what he says when asked what motivated him to enter this intensive, trial-by-fire service program: "When Blessed John Paul II spoke of the New Evangelization, I could only think of the tireless effort of those educators who made me into who I am after 17 years of Catholic education, and I wanted to be a part of those invisibly small acts of love that shift the balance of the world."

Then hear how he has been changed in his first year as a third-grade teacher in Tampa, FL: "The phrase 'redemptive suffering' [has taken] on new meaning for me....ACE is a truly unique experience because it teaches you how to love, how to die to yourself so that your work may be used to point others toward their true end. One finds identity with Christ in this mission, knowing that He comes to suffer as one of us, revealing that in loving we come to know who we are and who we are meant to be. This is a lesson I am constantly learning, and I have ACE to thank for the secret joy that purposeful striving brings."

Patrick Graff represents hope for the future, a shining light of the Holy Spirit's continual work through God's people.

Over the years, Fr. Joe Carey has worn many hats in his service to Catholic education. The 1962 graduate of Notre Dame earned his M.A. in Theology from Holy Cross College in Washington, D.C., was ordained a Holy Cross priest in 1969, and went on to teach at Notre Dame High School for six years.

Fr. Joe then served as Director of Vocations for the CSC order for four years. At the University of Notre Dame, he was both an Assistant Rector and Rector, a Financial Counselor, Assistant Director--and then Interim Director--of Campus Ministry for Religious Education and Retreats. During that time, Fr. Joe also served in Campus Ministry at St. Mary's College for five years.

Recently, this long-time friend of the Alliance for Catholic Education officially joined the ACE family as its chaplain.

Fr. Joe notes, "I believe that God loves all people and ministry is about bringing all people the good news that they are made in the image and likeness of God."

You've heard of a "Double Domer." Well, Michigan native Dane Whipple is becoming what might be considered a "Double ACEr." Last year he completed his first certification with ACE in English as a New Language (ENL); now he is well on his way toward earning his second certification with ACE in Teaching Exceptional Children (TEC).

This long-time Notre Dame fan graduated from the University of Michigan-Flint, and taught in Flint-area Catholic schools until, as he says, "the General Motors strike approached and the economy took a downturn." He relocated to San Diego, where he continued teaching and found his way to ACE.

"My motivation to join the ACE TEC program," he says, "was based on my experience in the ENL program. I learned so much [there] and met so many wonderful people that, when this second program was offered, I decided to pursue it." Dane found that teaching English as a new language truly helped struggling students—his ultimate goal. So he knew that the TEC program would equally support students with mild to moderate disabilities.

What he may not have expected is the change these programs have wrought in him. Even as he has established his school's Student Study Team, a resource for parents and students to help students achieve success; and even as he has introduced Quizlet, a website that helps students make study flashcards for their classes, Dane attests to his own growth in body, mind and spirit. He speaks of his increasing empathy for students who struggle, his openness to differentiated instruction, and the value of daily mass and other resources offered during summertime training.

Just as this teacher calls his ACE experience "a blessing," so ACE calls him, ever grateful for the thought and commitment he and others like him bring to our Catholic schools.

Sister Gail Mayotte, SASV, PhD, has been an educator for twenty-six years in varying roles: teacher, principal, diocesan curriculum and testing director, and currently as professor of supervision and instruction for the Alliance for Catholic Education Service through Teaching program. "In this latter role," she tells us, "and in working for ACE, I have the opportunity to support individuals in their teacher formation as well as collaborate with others who are passionate about working towards sustaining and strengthening Catholic schools."

When asked about what incited her own passion for Catholic schools, Sr. Gail says, "As a student within Catholic schools, I experienced the strength of community, the opportunity to learn about and express the Catholic faith, and the importance of service to others. I received an excellent, well-rounded education. As an adult, I wanted to work in that same environment and contribute towards shaping those valuable experiences for others."

Today, in addition to her role as professor, she directs field supervision visits of ACE teachers. She also works alongside Dr. Tom Doyle for ACE Collaborative for Academic Excellence, an effort to strengthen the academic quality of Catholic schools.

All of which emphasizes what she values most about Catholic schools: "[They] provide a place where the Gospel message is shared and expressions of faith permeate all aspects of school life; an experience of Christian community that supports and challenges each member; and a commitment to the holistic development of each individual student."

You're invited to visit with Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at the annual convention of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) coming up in Boston on April 11-13. ACE is offering a number of speakers and will host a reception.

Stop by Booth 1027 to get information about ACE's many service and research initiatives, plus the distinguished sociological research housed within the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO). The Center, directed by noted scholar Mark Berends, is one of the units, along with ACE, in the Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI) at Notre Dame.

Visit the booth to find out more about a cocktail reception scheduled for the afternoon of Wednesday, April 11.

You'll find several members of the ACE community listed among the speakers at the convention, and one of the event's keynote speakers is the author of an inspiring book published last year by ACE Press.

That author is Dr. Mary C. McDonald (pictured left), superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Memphis, whose latest book is A History with God. ACE is pleased to offer her collection of essays that resonate with universal experiences of education, family, and fun. McDonald's NCEA keynote speech, scheduled Thursday morning, is titled "A Call to Be God's Arms."

ACE Advocate Anna Jacob is passionate about parental choice. "Our society," says the native of Waterford, Ireland, has a "moral obligation to protect families' [rights] to select what they deem are the most appropriate schools for their children."

Anna's experience in the ACE Service through Teaching program kindled the flame of this passion, and her participation last summer in the ACE Advocates Parental Choice Symposium fanned that flame into a blaze. The symposium, she says, "is an invaluable experience for teachers who...recognize a gap in their knowledge and understanding of the relevance of the school choice landscape for Catholic schools."

"Anyone who has taught in or led a Catholic school knows the struggles many families face financing the necessary tuition for their children," Anna says. "Catholic school leaders are also brutally aware of the startling rate at which enrollments have declined in recent years. The unsettling reality is that many [students] who switch out of Catholic schools do not choose to do so because of dissatisfaction with ... their child's Catholic school." On the contrary, most often it is simply because they cannot afford it. This injustice, she says, "stirs a profound objection in me."

Today Anna is working towards a doctorate in education policy at the University of Arkansas, where her experience as a teacher and advocate helps her strike a healthy balance between theory and practice. As she learns in greater detail about education reform, she says, "the ACE Advocates Symposium reminds me to pay attention to the common experiences, responses, and revealed preferences of practitioners, students, families and community members generally, and to reflect deeply on the issues in hand."

Anna Jacob has worked as a graduate assistant with the School Choice Demonstration Project since 2010 with Dr. Patrick Wolf and fellow ACE graduate Mike McShane. The group recently released the final set in a series of annual reports on the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Anna received her B.Ed. from St. Patrick's College Dublin, where she graduated with first-class honors, and her M.Ed. through the University of Notre Dame's ACE program. Her email address is ajacob@uark.edu.

Applications for the 2012 Parental Choice Symposium are currently being accepted.

ACE 19 Intern Sam Reich has known since childhood that she wanted to be a teacher. That's why the History and Chemistry double major pursued an internship with ACE as an undergraduate at the University of Notre Dame. This week, she tells us what that experience has been like.

"I applied to ACE [through the ACE Internship] because of its incredibly supportive environment and innovative approach to alternative certification. I was immediately drawn to the community and spirituality aspects of ACE, along with its excellent academic preparation.

My instincts were not wrong. From the first day that I walked into the ACE office as an intern, the program has warmly accepted me. Staff members always have a moment to talk, whether I have a serious issue that I need to discuss or I just stopped in for the free coffee!

The ACE Internship has allowed me to see the ins and outs of all that is ACE. I have learned plenty about the Service through Teaching program, as one of the main intern jobs is recruiting at campus events. I have also learned a bit about other ACE initiatives, such as the Remick Leadership Program, where I assisted with data analysis in one of its research projects.

I've enjoyed getting to know ACE staff members; I can now sit in Remick Commons and pretty much guarantee that I will see at least one person to chat with so that I can procrastinate doing homework! What's more, I cannot stress enough how comforting it has been that I haven't had to worry about what I'm doing after graduation.

As my entrance into the Service through Teaching program is rapidly approaching, I am both nervous and excited. I know that my ACE experience will teach me how to become a better educator. However, I also hope that I will become a better person with a wider world perspective by the end of my second year. I want to learn more about ways to give back to the community in which I will be working, as well as to strengthen my faith life."

To learn more about the ACE Internship, click here.

During Lent this year, the ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools are offering a series of brief meditations based on the Stations of the Cross. Sent twice a week to your email, each begins with a short Scripture passage, followed by a few words of reflection and then a brief prayer.  You can view the first station "Jesus is condemned to death" here.
 
Sign up now to receive these Lenten reflections.

Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) graduate Beth Burau is taking her passion for Catholic school teaching to the next level, along with her desire to give disadvantaged children excellent educational resources. Her efforts are taking her deeper into the world of digital information, with help from a new fellowship program.

An ACE program, now in its second year, is assisting her cyberspace explorations while reaffirming her enthusiasm to stay in the classroom. This pilot program, called the Melody Family ACE Teaching Fellowship, strives to enhance the leadership potential of ACE graduates. That's a goal particularly advanced by the international network called ACE Advocates for Catholic Schools, where the Fellowship program is housed and where Beth's entrepreneurship has found a helping hand.

Beth is one of the first ACE Teaching Fellows, receiving a range of support thanks to a generous gift from the Melody family of Houston. The Melody family has partnered with ACE to support highly talented Catholic school teachers in their commitment to teaching, learning, and leadership.

Recently, we asked Marisa Foyle, ACE Service through Teaching (STT) graduate and now a second grade teacher in the ACE English as a New Language (ENL) program, what difference these experiences have made in her life. Here is what she told us:

My ACE experiences over the past few years have truly blessed my life. I look forward to the challenges and the exciting discoveries I share with my students and colleagues each day in the classroom. I appreciate that I continue to learn more about myself and the world around me than I could have ever imagined. And I cherish the relationships I have built. Some of my ACE classmates have become my closest friends, and I readily turn to these people with my prayer requests, challenges, and success stories.

So far in my teaching career, I have worked primarily with students who are English Language Learners. This has sparked in me a deep desire to teach them well: to implement "best practices," to read the latest legislation, and to learn teaching strategies that serve my students better. This desire was the driving force behind my application to the ACE ENL program.

Through the program I am learning strategies and implementing assessments that I've found are beneficial not only to my ENL students, but to all of my students. In a sense, all of my students are English Language Learners because they are still learning the rules that govern our complicated language.

Through the program I am also collaborating with and learning from many other dedicated teachers throughout the country. As a result, this semester I will be forming a professional development plan to bring this information to more of the teachers at my school.

I am truly grateful to be a teacher, and I owe much of my thanks to ACE, which has given me the tools I need to refine my teaching practices and to continue to learn from and with my students each day. My students never cease to amaze me, with their eagerness to learn and explore. When I see their faces light up with smiles at their "aha!" moments, when I witness them praying, sharing, and laughing with each other, my heart fills with joy.