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Support during ACE

What kind of support can an ACE teacher expect?

It is clear that the most important service ACE can provide its beginning teachers is a solid network of support, both to enable professional growth and to encourage personal and spiritual development. Supervision is a crucial element of the ACE teacher formation process, and is often cited by ACE teachers as the key element that enables them to flourish as first-year teachers. All ACE teachers have at least four support resources at their disposal throughout their two years in the program: an academic supervisor from the Faculty of Supervision and Instruction, a Pastoral Administrator, the school principal, and a designated mentor teacher in their local school.

Principals provide ongoing formative and summative evaluations of the ACEr's teaching, community, and spiritual formation. Mentor Teachers serve a non-evaluative role by helping ACE teachers orient to their new city and school, conferencing with them about instructional and curricular goals on a regular basis, and reflecting with the ACE teacher about successes and struggles in and out of the classroom.

Local support resources also include other school faculty, the diocesan superintendent, former ACE teachers who may remain in the area, and Notre Dame alumni club members who welcome the ACE teachers to their local communities.

What kind of professional support do ACE teachers receive during their teaching experience?

While working as teachers of record in their schools, ACE teachers will have many levels of support for their professional growth. They receive local support from mentor teachers and principals, and ACE team provide ongoing support via email, phone and regular site visits. Furthermore, ACE teachers are in contact with their faculty supervisors every two weeks via online reflections that directly address their teaching experience.

About Us

The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) is a two-year fellowship in which participants teach in an under-resourced Catholic school while also earning a cost-free Master of Education degree from the University of Notre Dame. By forming a new generation of committed, faith-filled Catholic school teachers, ACE aspires to sustain and strengthen Catholic education.

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