Those who attend
ACE's 2012 Principals Academy this June will be immersed in culture—or, more precisely, in dynamic discussions of how to identify and shape a school's culture to benefit leadership and learning.
This third annual Academy, taking place June 26-29 on the University of Notre Dame campus, is sponsored by ACE Consulting. Principals from around the country are invited to develop new skills and perspectives that give students more robust structures for achievement.
"Every school has a culture, but the key is to be intentional about forming one that is shared and understood and alive for your teachers and your students," says Dr. Christian Dallavis, director of the
Notre Dame ACE Academies initiative and an expert on the power of vibrant school cultures. He will lead a team of presenters at the Principals Academy.
"The goal is to give principals tools they can use to do formation around the values of a school," Dallavis says.
There are several components of a culture, ranging from the faculty's sense of purpose to the values that undergird educators' actions in the classroom to the environmental features—how a school looks and feels.
"We'll walk principals through that framework and then help them develop action plans for their own school culture," says Dallavis. Building this awareness and structure can help a school in many ways, he says, including succession planning for the leaders, reducing students' achievement gaps, and promoting continuous improvement throughout the school.
Some 75 principals attended last year's event. Those interested in this year's Title IIA-eligible Academy can visit the ACE Consulting site at
http://ace.nd.edu/consulting/professional-development/principals-academy and click on the registration box.
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 
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.
That author is Dr. Mary C. McDonald (pictured left), superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Memphis, whose latest book is