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Institute for Educational Initiatives: Strategic Plan
Alliance for Catholic Education
ACE Educational Outreach
The Office of ACE Educational Outreach grew as a response to opportunities and challenges created as a result of the highly successful ACE Teacher Training Program effort both regionally and nationally as well as the emerging needs for educational improvement in local schools.
Strategic Objectives in regards to challenges and opportunities created by ACE:
1) To continue to develop the Catholic School Leadership program to become the
premier program among Catholic universities in terms of professional reputation and
academic rigor.
- Recruit nationwide, among post-ACErs, graduates of ACE replicating programs, and other interested Catholic educators to build enrollment to cohorts of 30.
- Recruit and appoint 2 additional specialist professional faculty with primary responsibility to the expanded leadership program (see 2 below).
- Develop a nationwide network of mentors and clinical supervisors for the administrative internship component of the program.
2) To establish urgently needed programs in Catholic educational administration and
Catholic educational leadership for Catholic school principals and superintendents.
- Create and deliver a distance learning Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Catholic educational administration with concurrent state licensure for principalship for non-ACE graduates who serve distant dioceses with no access to Catholic universities.
- Design professional development programs, focusing on the spiritual dimensions of Catholic school and diocesan staff positions, for those current administrators who completed their administrative training at secular universities.
3) To become a nationally recognized center for the sponsoring, conducting, publication,
and dissemination of research in Catholic education.
- Seek funding to locate the refereed journal, Catholic Education: A Journal of Inquiry & Practice at Notre Dame.
- Sponsor, fund, and conduct research on pressing issues in Catholic education, including: alternative Catholic school models, vouchers, regional Catholic schools, funding challenges, and Catholic identity.
4) To strengthen collaboration with other Catholic universities engaged in the support of
K-12 Catholic schools.
- Continue to support ongoing replication sites for ACE-like teacher training efforts and to identify additional opportunities.
- Develop strategies for Catholic colleges and universities to spur deeper commitment to K-12 Catholic schools.
5) To seek additional replicating opportunities with special emphasis on individuals who
are changing careers. (e.g. How might the ACE South Bend model be replicated at
other universities?)
- Conduct longitudinal research on ACE South Bend and study other programs that prepare career changers for the classroom.
- Disseminate findings, implement best practices, and encourage similar models at other Catholic universities.
- Explore federal and foundational funding which would support such efforts.
6) To seek ways to assist dioceses in the retention and development of teachers,
especially ACE teachers, in Catholic schools.
- Research retention data and best practices for retention for Catholic school teachers; find ways to share this.
- Explore areas of particular professional development needs.
- Secure opportunities at Notre Dame for involvement of post-ACE teachers in professional activities that will supplement their income while contributing to their sense of intellectual community.
7) To build ACE Educational Consulting into a recognized and valued service to under-
resourced Catholic dioceses and schools across the nation.
- Pilot in 1-3 dioceses in 2002-03 while seeking additional external funding.
Strategic Objectives in response challenges and opportunities in the Local Community:
1) To deepen and enhance Notre Dame's contributions to local education, with special attention to improving the Catholic schools in the South Bend area.
- Develop a K-8 "lab" Catholic school staffed substantially with ACE graduates.
- Collaborate closely with St. Joseph High School to transform it into a center of excellence.
- Deepen ties with all local schools to improve the total quality of education in St. Joseph County.
- Coordinate communication and research on all of Notre Dame's educational service initiatives in St. Joseph County.
 The Center for Achievement and Learning
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