Teaching Service and Alternative Teacher Education

This is a history of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), which places talented college graduates in teaching positions within parochial schools in America. The contributors also offer a blueprint for other educational institutions interested in implementing a similar programme.

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The Alliance for Catholic Education, referred to most commonly by its acronym ACE, is one of the best known and widely respected programs at the University of Notre Dame. The rock band U2 praised it during a concert at Notre Dame, the President of the United States acknowledged it in a valedictory address, and each year hundreds of students compete for admission. Established in 1994 by Fr. Timothy Scully, C.S.C., and Fr. Sean McGraw, C.S.C., ACE places more than 150 college graduates in over one hundred parochial schools throughout the United States. The overarching purpose of ACE is to improve Catholic schools, especially in underprivileged areas of the U.S., by enabling exceptionally talented students to teach in them. ACE, in turn, offers students two years of meaningful service and a graduate degree from Notre Dame.


In Teaching Service and Alternative Teacher Education: Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education, Michael Pressley and his fellow contributors provide the history of ACE. They also offer a blueprint for other educational institutions interested in implementing a similar program. Covering the fundamentals of starting and maintaining a program like ACE, Teaching Service and Alternative Teacher Education discusses motivation, planning, intellectual foundations, and community building. It also tackles practical issues such as financing the program, obtaining accreditation, and recruiting teachers.