Professional Educators

To prepare for their service as teachers, ACE participants undergo an intensive teacher education program designed and administered by the University of Notre Dame. Under the direction of Dr. Michael Pressley, the ACE professional training integrates graduate level coursework with an immersion teaching experience, allowing ACE teachers to earn a Master in Education degree after teaching full-time for two years in some of America’s neediest Catholic schools.

ACE teachers spend two summers living and studying together at Notre Dame. The centerpiece of the summer program is an innovative teacher-training curriculum, taught by select faculty and experienced practitioners, combined with a supervised field experience in the local public and Catholic summer school programs. Upon completion of the summer training component, ACE teachers travel to their ACE placements (Catholic schools in the southern United States), where they serve as full-time teachers during the regular school year. ACE teachers receive both on-site support from mentor teachers and principals, along with regular site visits by ACE staff and faculty.

In addition to a fully funded graduate program culminating in a Master of Education degree, ACE participants receive a modest monthly stipend, medical insurance, travel reimbursement, and an educational award of $4,725 from the Corporation for National Service.