Notre Dame's Institute for Educational Initiatives (IEI), established in 1997, aims to improve the education of all youth, particularly the disadvantaged. To achieve this end, the Institute houses several major programs and research projects designed to address specific educational goals. These include the Center for Research on Educational Opportunity (CREO), the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), and the Parenting and School Success Initiative (PASS). Finally, Notre Dame has created the Education, School, and Society (ESS) interdisciplinary minor that allows undergraduates the opportunity to explore issues of education from a variety of perspectives.

In addition, the IEI supports research endeavors in the field of education among dozens of Notre Dame faculty members who are housed in other departments. These Fellows of the Institute gather regularly to guide Notre Dame's efforts in the field of education, and through the teaching and research conducted in IEI programs and by IEI Fellows, the Institute hopes to contribute to the revitalization of American education and, as a Catholic university, to benefit Catholic K-12 education in a special way.