The unique Catholic school support model of the Notre Dame ACE Academies emphasizes continuous improvement in many dimensions of schooling, including Catholic school culture, advancement, and teaching and learning.
Through our advancement efforts, Notre Dame ACE Academies partnerships address such areas as financial management, marketing, and governance. The Notre Dame ACE Academies model also emphasizes support from parental choice scholarships and benefits from the mobilization of the resources of ACE and partnering dioceses.
Governance
Relationships begin when ACE, at the invitation of a diocese, creates and supports partnerships with existing parish schools. ACE provides structured and comprehensive support to principals and teachers to foster growth in critical areas, especially catholic identity, advancement, and teaching and learning. Throughout the partnership, pastors retain ultimate responsibility for the school, however they do delegate certain executive responsibilities to a regional board of limited jurisdiction.
School Finance
Parents are the primary educators of their children. This means, among other things, that parents have the right to access high-quality Catholic schools. The Notre Dame ACE Academies are committed to minimizing cost as an obstacle to families who wish to give their children the Catholic School Advantage. The Notre Dame ACE Academies model is designed to ensure partner schools are able to take advantage of every opportunity to first gain access to resources and then use them effectively. Notre Dame ACE Academies provides dedicated advancement support to enhance student recruitment efforts and access and supports the management of school finances.
Educational Choice
Notre Dame ACE Academies operates on the belief that parish schools can be sustainable in states with strong educational choice programs. Tax-credit scholarships and vouchers allow parents to choose a quality Catholic education and provide schools with the resources to be excellent. ACE Academies aim to be a proof point of what is possible for faith-based schools with strong parental choice.
