The Alexandria Award recognizes a middle grade or young adult book that advances Gospel values through the positive actions and portrayals of tenacious adolescents. It is named for St. Catherine of Alexandria, an adolescent Christian of the fourth century who was an eager student and a famed orator.

“When Stars are Scattered,” written and illustrated by Jamieson, tells the story of Omar Mohamed and his younger brother, Hassan, as they grow up as Somali refugees in a camp in Kenya.

“There is so much about this book that makes it the obvious choice as the inaugural recipient of the Alexandria Award,” said��, the founder of the award and an assistant teaching professor in the Center for Literacy Education and the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Teaching Fellows program. “From the potential to have classroom conversations about immigration and the dignity of all people — especially refugees — to the layers of faith, hope and love that drive the plot, ‘When Stars Are Scattered’ speaks to everyone. It compels readers to feel, act, love, give thanks and trust in God, and the graphic nature of the book offers a more intimate window into the life and experiences of someone who could be our neighbor.”

The Center for Literacy Education, which is housed in Notre Dame’s��, created the award to respond to the need for high-quality, highly engaging contemporary books in the classroom and the desire of Catholic school teachers to teach classroom books — classic or contemporary — through a lens of faith and Catholic social teaching.

“We are honored that ‘When Stars Are Scattered’��has been chosen as the inaugural winner of the Alexandria Award through the University of Notre Dame. Omar’s story is one of perseverance��and hope, and we are thrilled that more young people will become acquainted��with his story by means of this award,” Jamieson and Mohamed wrote. “‘When Stars Are Scattered’��places special significance on the importance of education, and we are honored to be recognized by educators and librarians in this way.”

More than 500 copies of the book will be given to schools across the country, including local schools in South Bend, Indiana, and will be accompanied by a curriculum insert featuring suggested classroom learning goals, activities and discussion guides for thinking about the book through a lens of faith and Catholic social teaching.

Getting awarded books into classrooms and, most importantly, into the hands of students removes a barrier of inequity that some schools, educators and even parents may face in supporting children’s faith formation and literacy development, Macaluso said.

St. Catherine is the patron of students, librarians and educators, and the award commemorates her youth, bravery, tenacity, enthusiasm for education and her home in Alexandria — the famed location of the Great Library. St. Catherine boldly defended the faith and protested injustices of her time, including the persecution of Christians. Her efforts led to the conversion of hundreds of people before she was martyred at 18.

For more information about the Alexandria Award, visit��.

Sister Herb has worked as a teacher, principal��and diocesan superintendent, as well as leading her order, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the LCWR. , the director of the , and Rev. Lou DelFra, C.S.C., the director of pastoral life for ACE, presented the award.

“We give this award to Sister Jane in recognition for her diverse and manifold contributions to Catholic education, and we at ACE have been blessed to work with her directly for almost 20 years,” Staud said. “In doing so, we also recognize and honor the generations of women religious who built, led��and staffed Catholic schools. We stand on the shoulders of Sister��Jane and those like her who have dedicated their ministries to serving children in our Catholic schools.”

“I am humbled and honored to receive the Notre Dame Award for Outstanding Contributions to Catholic Education,” Sister Herb said. “While this award recognizes my commitment to Catholic education, it was a gift to receive this on behalf of the countless women religious who have contributed to Catholic education for centuries, with humble beginnings in 1783.”

Sister Herb was elected president of the LCWR in 2020. As president, she leads about 1,350 members who are leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States, representing about 80 percent of the 49,000 women religious in the country.

Sister Herb was a coach, math teacher��and chair of the math department at Regina High 91��Ƶ in Harper Woods, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit, when she entered religious life at 33. She later became principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea High 91��Ƶ in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, before working as regional director for the Archdiocese of Boston. Sister Herb then became the superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Albany, New York, a position she held from 1997 to 2012.

Sister Herb also serves as the president of the IHM community. She was first elected in 2012 and again in 2018. She also serves as an executive coach to students in ACE’s��, which forms aspiring Catholic school leaders as they earn a master’s degree in educational leadership. Sister Herb has also taught courses in the program.

The Rauenhorsts have dedicated their lives to strengthening Catholic K-12 schools and ensuring that as many children as possible have access to them. , the director of the , and , the director of pastoral life for ACE, presented the award. The Rauenhorsts were named the recipients last year, but the pandemic prevented ACE from recognizing them in person at the time.

“At ACE, we often think of Sister Helen Prejean’s belief that we must watch what we do to see what we believe,” Staud said. “No two people personify this idea better than Karen and Mark. They have a tremendous belief in Catholic education, and it shows in the breadth and depth of the impact they’ve had on thousands of children’s lives in Catholic schools.”

The Rauenhorsts have given their time to Catholic causes nationally and locally in their home state of Minnesota. Karen Rauenhorst is the vice chair of the Catholic Relief Services Foundation, a member of the board of directors of the National Catholic Educational Association and the secretary of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, where she’s a member of the Catholic 91��Ƶs Affinity Group and the Catholic 91��Ƶ Philanthropy Working Group. She also served on the board of trustees at St. Catherine University, including four years as chair and acting president of the university from June to August 2016.

Karen Rauenhorst also was co-chair of the Catholic 91��Ƶs Commission in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis in 2011 that sought to bolster local Catholic schools. She is past chair and a current member of the board of directors of the Better Way Foundation, founding chair and a board member of the Aim Higher Foundation, which supports Catholic schools’ needs in St. Paul and Minneapolis, and a former trustee for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Mark Rauenhorst serves on the board of directors of Creighton University and the advisory council for Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. He also serves on the board of directors for Catholic Relief Services, the GHR Foundation and the Ascension Catholic Academy, which supports three Catholic grade schools in North Minneapolis. He is the president of Marren Properties��LLC.

The Rauenhorsts are products of Catholic education and sent their four children to Holy Name of Jesus Catholic 91��Ƶ in Medina, Minnesota, and Benilde-St. Margaret’s 91��Ƶ in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

ACE has worked with both the Better Way Foundation and the GHR Foundation, which have supported Higher-Powered Learning and the American Indian Catholic 91��Ƶs Network. Higher-Powered Learning is ACE’s initiative to personalize education for students and teachers through the blend of technology and traditional classroom instruction. The American Indian Catholic 91��Ƶs Network is a partnership between ACE and seven schools to bring Notre Dame’s resources in school leadership and academic development to schools that serve American Indian children.

ACE was founded in 1993 to respond to the growing need for high-quality education for poor, at-risk children in urban areas by improving the quality and accessibility of Catholic schools in communities across the country. ACE has since become the nation’s leading catalyst for the renewal and transformation of Catholic schools, serving hundreds of under-resourced communities both in the United States and internationally. It has succeeded in forming 2,500 outstanding teachers and leaders for Catholic schools in more than 100 (arch)dioceses.

“We are honored that Derrell has accepted our invitation and will celebrate our ACE graduates with us,” said��, the executive director of ACE. “He has worked tirelessly to ensure that children from historically marginalized communities have the same kind of access to quality educational opportunities that their more affluent peers already enjoy.”

50CAN works to open more opportunities for children by supporting community leaders and advocates as they design and drive evidenced-based policy changes on the local level. In his role as president, Bradford oversees 50CAN’s national network of local executive directors and fellows��and��its policy initiatives. He has also worked with ACE’s Program for Educational Access to recruit and train advocates for data-driven, parent-centered education reform.

Bradford previously served as the executive director at Better Education for Kids (B4K) in New Jersey. At B4K, Bradford worked to secure passage of the tenure reform legislation TEACH NJ. B4K’s advocacy also led to electoral victories for reform-minded candidates across the state. Prior to B4K, Bradford spent nine years with New Jersey’s Excellent Education for Everyone as director of communications and then executive director. While there he also served on the state’s Educator Effectiveness Task Force.

Bradford frequently contributes to education debates in print, digital, radio and TV media. He is a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and serves on several boards, including Success Academy Charter 91��Ƶs, Yes Every Kid and the PIE Network. He was the founding board chair of EdBuild and is a senior visiting fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a member of the AEI Leadership Network. He is also a former board member of St. Anthony High 91��Ƶ in Jersey City. A native of Baltimore, Bradford attended the St. Paul’s 91��Ƶ for Boys and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a bachelor’s degree in English.

ACE commencement exercises are set for��4 p.m.��in the Joyce Athletic and Convocation Center. Notre Dame will bestow 130 graduate degrees upon the next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service in two nationally recognized programs.

Eighty-four ACE Teaching Fellows graduates will receive��Master of Education degrees��as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Forty-six graduates from ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program will receive Master of Arts degrees in educational leadership, concluding 25 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.

Berends, an expert on the myriad factors that influence student academic achievement, has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice and the effects of schools and classrooms on student success. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction affect student outcomes, paying special attention to underserved students and school reforms designed to improve educational opportunities.��

“Mark is an intellectual leader whose background, vision and unwavering passion and dedication to strengthening education, especially Catholic education, in the U.S. and internationally make him an ideal person to lead the institute,” said Marie Lynn Miranda, the Charles and Jill Fischer Provost at Notre Dame. “He is absolutely the right person to help the Institute for Educational Initiatives achieve its highest aspirations in serving teachers and students across the U.S. and around the globe.”

Founded in 1996, the Institute for Educational Initiatives consists of more than two dozen initiatives that strive to improve education for all youth, particularly the disadvantaged, paying special, though not exclusive, attention to Catholic schools. The institute is home to more than 30 teaching and clinical faculty members and professors of the practice, as well as 80 faculty fellows from across the University.��

Through teaching, research and outreach, the institute’s scholars and practitioners pursue interdisciplinary collaborations to better understand and improve PK-12 education both in the United States and internationally. The institute is particularly well known and highly regarded for its distinctive graduate-level licensure programs: ACE Teaching Fellows and the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program.

In addition to the flagship programs, the institute’s initiatives include CREO, which Berends has directed since joining the Notre Dame faculty in 2009; the��; the for graduate students; the ; the ; and the��, among others.

Berends is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program, parent decision making and satisfaction in a lottery-based study of charter schools, and how organizational and instructional contexts relate to student outcomes in charter, voucher and traditional public schools.��

Elected to the National Academy of Education in 2020, Berends was also named to the 2021��Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings, an annual listing published by Education Week of academics who had the year’s most significant impact on educational practice and policy.

Berends has authored 10 books and more than 100 journal articles on education topics. He is a fellow of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and a former co-editor of both the American Educational Research Journal and Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. He was twice vice president of AERA’s Educational Policy and Politics Division.��

His latest books are “91��Ƶ Choice and 91��Ƶ Improvement,” “91��Ƶ Choice at the Crossroads: Research Perspectives,” “Handbook of Research on 91��Ƶ Choice, 2nd Edition” and the “International Handbook of the Sociology of Education” (forthcoming).

“I am grateful to have this opportunity to lead the Institute for Educational Initiatives and continue working with the outstanding faculty and staff we have in place there,” Berends said. “They bring tremendous enthusiasm and commitment to our mission of improving teaching, learning and educational outcomes, and I am honored to be their partner in that effort.

As director, Baxter will oversee the formation of Catholic school leaders in one of ACE’s flagship programs and serve as a professor. Students in the Remick Leadership Program earn a master’s degree in educational leadership as they learn to build robust Catholic school communities, advance teaching and learning, and manage school resources.

“Kevin brings a unique combination of experience driving change in Catholic schools and in higher education,” said , the acting director of the and executive director of ACE. “He is exactly the right fit to lead our mission to form the next generation of principals and school leaders at this critical moment in Catholic education.”

Baxter will draw on a long career dedicated to serving students, teachers and principals in Catholic schools. Over the span of more than 20 years, he has taught middle and high school math and science;��served as an assistant principal, principal and superintendent of elementary schools;��and, in 2015, became superintendent of schools in the nation’s largest Catholic archdiocese, with more than 265 schools and 77,500 students.

At NCEA, Baxter developed the New Leaders Academy, a leadership formation program for new Catholic school principals, and also focused on reform initiatives in governance and school finance. He co-wrote the book “Greatness in Smallness: A Vision for Catholic Microschools,” which looks to shift the paradigm on how to evaluate schools based on enrollment size. He collaborated with ACE on LEAD, a new initiative designed to increase Latino leadership in Catholic schools. After the pandemic struck, Baxter worked on converting NCEA offerings to virtual programming and taking the lead in creating the virtual meeting structure for the Catholic Leadership Summit in fall 2020.

In addition to his experience working in Catholic schools, Baxter has taught graduate-level courses in educational leadership for almost 20 years. He taught courses on transformative leadership, organizational leadership and private school law and ethics at Loyola Marymount University. He has also taught and served as an executive coach in the Remick Leadership Program and written and spoken extensively on leadership in Catholic schools.

Baxter earned a bachelor’s degree from Villanova University, a master’s degree in secondary education from Loyola Marymount��and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California.

“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the Remick Leadership Program,” Baxter said. “I believe that great Catholic schools are great because they have high-quality, effective leaders who approach their work with diligence and innovation. I am honored and excited to work with the incredible staff at Remick and ACE to ensure that we continue to nurture and develop leaders who will transform and grow Catholic schools across the United States.”

ACE founded the Remick Leadership Program in 2002 in response to the need for transformational school leaders in Catholic schools across the country. Mary Ann Remick of Rochester, Minnesota, graciously endowed the program in 2006. Over the past 19 years, more than 400 students have graduated from the program; 78 percent serve in positions of leadership within Catholic schools, at the diocesan level��and within higher education.

, the Coyle Professor in Literacy Education and director of the , ranked 92nd in the 2021 list. , a professor of , an associate vice president of research at Notre Dame and the director of the , placed 167th.

Morrell’s research focuses on introducing popular culture into the classroom to successfully engage urban youth and communities and on translanguaging, the idea that students can maximize their learning by using the many different languages they speak in their everyday lives. In 2020, he co-designed the first AP seminar on the African diaspora.

Morrell also holds appointments in the and . He is a fellow in the and the director of the National Council of Teachers of English James R. Squire Office of Policy Research in the English Language Arts. This is the seventh year he has been included in the rankings.

Berends has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice, the effects of family and school changes on student achievement trends, and the effects of schools and classrooms on student achievement. His research focuses on how school organization and classroom instruction are related to student outcomes, with special attention to disadvantaged students and school reforms aimed at improving their educational opportunities. Currently, he is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program.

In 2020, Berends was elected to the National Academy of Education and named associate vice president of research. He is the chair of the Program for Interdisciplinary Educational Research faculty committee and a fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ. This is his third appearance on the list.

“This shows the national impact of Ernest and Mark in moving education issues from the academic world into mainstream conversation,” said , the acting director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “This in turn furthers the institute’s mission to improve the education of all children, particularly the most disadvantaged.”

Rick Hess, the director of education policy studies for the American Enterprise Institute, compiles the rankings each year. The rankings are based on performances in nine categories that include publications, inclusion on syllabi across the country, education press and web mentions, and mentions in the Congressional Record.

With USAID’s support, Notre Dame’s and , in partnership with the , have begun work on Strong Beginnings: Leveraging the home, school and church to develop the whole child in Haiti. Notre Dame is working with Catholic Relief Services and the national office for Catholic schools in Haiti to serve more than 25,000 students and their families in three departments — similar to provinces — in Haiti over the next four years. USAID support will allow Strong Beginnings to address developmental and learning needs of children by leveraging the systems that most directly affect their lives: the home, the school and the church.

“USAID believes education is transformational for individuals and societies. That is why we continue to invest in early-grade education to help give Haitian students the best possible start on their path to learning,” said Christopher Cushing, the Haiti mission director for USAID. “We look forward to our continued partnership with University of Notre Dame and partners in the USAID Strong Beginnings project to��expand early-grade literacy and social-emotional learning programs for Haitian students.”��

Strong Beginnings also allowed ACE Haiti and the GC-DWC to create pre-K and parent programming for . This radio programming provides backing for social and emotional learning, interactive activities for younger students and strategies for parents to support young learners at home. Programming for pre-K students and parents was broadcast beginning in June on 14 radio stations in five departments in Haiti, providing families and children with opportunities to learn and grow while schools were closed due to the pandemic.

“The radio program is very important for my child,” said Wana Mercier, whose daughter Woodley is in first grade. “Thanks to this program, many gaps in reading and writing are filled during the period of quarantine. The program’s presenters are very clear and it’s as if the students are back in the classroom.”

, the acting director of the and the executive director of ACE, said, “The ACE Haiti team has consistently shown it can dramatically impact children’s lives by improving their literacy skills. Combined with the new GC-DWC’s expertise in creating pathways out of adversity, Notre Dame has the opportunity to profoundly enrich the lives of thousands of children and their families.”

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. More than a fifth of children enter school malnourished, while the vast majority of Haiti’s primary school teachers lack the training and materials needed to teach students to read and write in early grades. As a result of the low levels of teacher training and lack of first-language reading instruction in early grades, 49 percent of Haitian students cannot read a single word when they enter the third grade, and almost 50 percent of the adult population is illiterate.

“Education is one of the most powerful tools to reduce inequality,” said , the executive director of the Pulte Institute for Global Development, part of the . “The Pulte Institute is proud to once again be partnering with ACE and GC-DWC on a project that will further our mission to bring human dignity to people across the globe.”��

ACE Haiti’s Read Haiti program, begun in 2016 with the support of USAID, Porticus and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, has demonstrated marked success in improving first- and second-grade literacy through a scripted curriculum that included textbooks, class libraries and structured reading teacher guides to improve children’s writing and reading in Creole and French. Yet children enter first grade unprepared for school, and early years of life are crucial for academic and social development. Families and school communities in Haiti face significant and multi-layered obstacles that prevent children from thriving.

Strong Beginnings continues Notre Dame’s early-grade literacy efforts and includes early-childhood programming to ensure that children between 3 and 6 years old have a nurturing, developmental environment and are ready for school. Partners will create pre-literacy materials for early childhood development facilitators and parents, parenting education for parents of pre-primary school children, and training for local church leaders on early childhood development. Strong Beginnings also includes an innovative learning lab that works with community partners to identify intractable issues that affect child development and learning, develop community-driven solutions to these issues and test these solutions before scaling them up in other areas.

“This award allows Notre Dame to build on our long-term partnerships in Haiti with new innovations and a recognition that we have to prepare young children so that their brains are strong, healthy and ready to learn once they enter school,” said , the director of ACE Haiti Initiatives. “91��Ƶ-based work is necessary, but not sufficient, if we want to set the children we serve on a path to success.”

“The challenges Haitian children face are complex and cannot be resolved solely through a single intervention,” said , the founding director of the GC-DWC.��“We use school-based programs as a point of entry to promote children’s resilience through academic learning and by meeting basic needs, nurturing positive relationships, developing social-emotional and play-based skills and fostering civic engagement.”

Recent reforms in science education have identified a small number of core science ideas that spiral in increasing depth across a young person’s science learning experience. The SPIRAL project will use an existing digital app to collect a diverse set of student artifacts, such as videos of discussions, written responses, and photos of student work, from K-8 science classrooms. The app was developed by the same research team in a previous research study supported by NSF.

“Evidence of student thinking is critical to creating high-quality science learning experiences. Better understanding how teachers can use artifacts from the classroom to think about the long view of student learning could result in new ways of how we think about science education systemically, instead of as individual teachers isolated within their own classrooms,” said Kloser on the launch of this new study.

Teams of teachers representing different grades — for example, a team of kindergarten,��third- and sixth-grade teachers — will work as a vertically aligned professional learning community (PLC) to investigate student thinking and practices related to core concepts in physical science that spiral through these grades.

Members of the PLC will create rich digital portfolios of students’ learning trajectories using the artifacts and the digital portfolio. The research team will concurrently investigate the learning trajectories of these science ideas as well as how professional learning among teachers is facilitated by the vertical PLCs and the digital tool.

While studies about PLCs focus almost exclusively on grade-level collaborations, the SPIRAL project examines an ideal vision of multi-grade teams engaging in complex reflection about spiraling core ideas and scientific practices as they develop over time.

“I am thrilled that Matt and his colleagues have the opportunity to expand their research,” said��, the acting director of the . “It opens up new avenues of collaboration beyond grade-level teams that have the potential to profoundly change how students learn and grow.”

The SPIRAL project will provide more than 150 direct hours of professional development for 30 lead teachers, and more than 25 hours for 120 K-8 science teachers. It could also lead to opportunities for replication in other subjects, informing a much broader field about the use of��vertical collaboration and software tools.

With large gatherings limited because of the threat of the coronavirus, the ceremony will be streamed at 3 p.m. on . The ceremony will feature short remarks from Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the president of Notre Dame.

“We are honored that Fr. Jenkins will celebrate our ACE graduates with us,” said��, executive director of ACE and the acting director of Notre Dame’s��.

During the ceremony, Notre Dame will bestow 130 graduate degrees upon the next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service in two nationally recognized programs.

Eighty-nine ACE Teaching Fellows graduates will receive��master of education degrees��as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Forty-one graduates from ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program will receive master of art degrees in educational leadership, concluding 25 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.

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Headed by , the Coyle Professor of Literacy Education and director of the Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education, the office will create studies that advance knowledge and inform policy on teaching English language arts, such as incorporating media and digital literacies into��teaching��English and increasing the engagement of vulnerable youth by tapping into popular culture to improve literacy outcomes.

The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) established the Squire Office in 2003 in memory of James R. Squire, the executive director of the council from 1960 to 1967. The new office at Notre Dame will serve as a national clearinghouse for studies of English language arts education. The office will also conduct primary research about English language arts teachers, teaching conditions��and student achievement. All research will be publicly available, and programming throughout the year will support its dissemination across the country.

“As language continues to evolve, along with our understanding of how people learn it, solid literacy education research is essential to turning what we know into what we do in classrooms,” said Morrell, a former president of NCTE. “Through the vast network of the National Council of Teachers of English, we will tap the expertise of exceptional researchers and practitioners and make the Squire Office a leading voice in moving literacy education forward.”

“Since ACE’s inception, we’ve been dedicated to the formation of effective teachers who grow to become leaders in their fields,” said , the executive director of Notre Dame’s and the acting director of the , which houses the Center for Literacy Education. “Our relationship with the Squire Office provides a unique opportunity to help develop the skills and understanding of effective practitioners across the country.”

From 2003 to 2014, the Squire Office was located at the University of Michigan under the direction of Anne Ruggles Gere, the Gertrude Buck Collegiate Professor of the 91��Ƶ of Education. The Squire Office published several policy studies each year on key issues in the field, such as fostering high-quality formative assessment and teacher learning communities. The new office at Notre Dame will build on that work, conducting original research and creating white papers and other resources on topics such as:

• Empowering of bilingual students to use their multiple linguistic repertoires and multilingualism in the English/English language arts��classroom.
• Uses of media and popular culture in classrooms.
• Changes in the teaching of canonical and contemporary/multicultural literature and research into innovative practices.

“In a time when English and language arts teachers are under intense pressure to prepare students to meet the demands of 21st-century literacy, decision makers need access to strong research that can inform the development of effective policies and practices,” said Emily Kirkpatrick, the executive director of NCTE. “The National Council of Teachers of English is honored to enter into this partnership with the Center for Literacy Education at Notre Dame, which we believe will equip both educators and legislators with the studies they need to make informed decisions that support the growth of all students.”

The first studies out of the Squire Office at Notre Dame will include a study on racial literacy and an examination of the use of bilingual students’ multiple languages to help them succeed. Additional studies will be published at least once a quarter. Researchers and project leaders will share their findings at conferences and meetings throughout the year.

For more information about the Squire Office,��contact Morrell at emorrel1@nd.edu or 574-631-7804.

Originally published by Theo Helm at on Aug.��20.

Steve Camilleri, the executive director of the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Indiana, and a member of the first class of ACE teachers, will serve as the keynote speaker at the��2019 Commencement Ceremony��of the University of Notre Dame’s ��on Saturday��(July 13).

“We are honored that Steve has accepted our invitation and will celebrate our ACE graduates with us,” said , executive director of ACE and the acting director of Notre Dame’s .

“Steve famously became our first ACE teacher 25 years ago when he was the first person to say yes to our newly formed mission to strengthen, sustain and transform Catholic education. Since then, he has been a tireless advocate for compassionate service to others. He is a pillar in the community, an inspiration and mentor for emerging leaders, and perhaps the most vocal supporter of ACE.”

Camilleri taught fifth- and sixth-grade religion and English at Holy Ghost Catholic Grade 91��Ƶ in Hammond, Louisiana. After his time in ACE, Camilleri returned to Notre Dame and worked in development and special events and as ministries director at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. While pursuing a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from the University, he launched the . In August 2004, Camilleri became the executive director of the Center for the Homeless.

ACE commencement exercises are set for��3:30 p.m.��in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Notre Dame will bestow 132 graduate degrees upon a next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service in two nationally recognized programs.

Eighty-eight ACE Teaching Fellows graduates will receive��master of education degrees as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Forty-four graduates from ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program will receive master of art degrees in educational leadership, concluding 25 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.

ACE will also give three awards during the ceremony. Elias Moo and Maura Shea will receive the 2019 Michael Pressley Award for Excellence in Catholic Education. This award is presented to graduates of the ACE Teaching Fellows program who have distinguished themselves in making significant contributions to the ministry of Catholic education. Moo is the superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Denver and a member of ACE’s 14th class and the Remick Leadership Program’s 15th class. Shea is a member of the 18th class of ACE Teaching Fellows and works for the Witherspoon Institute,��a research center at Princeton University that strives to enhance understanding of the moral foundations of free and democratic societies.

The Michael Pressley Award for a Promising Scholar in the Education Field will be given to Max Engel, an assistant professor at Creighton University and member of the fifth class of ACE Teaching Fellows and the Remick Leadership Program’s third class. This award honors an ACE graduate whose work in academia echoes Pressley’s commitment to strengthening education through research and scholarship.

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Ernest Morrell

, the Coyle Professor in Literacy Education and director of the Notre Dame , ranked 123rd in the 2019 list. , a professor of sociology and the director of the , placed 161st.

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Morrell’s research focuses on developing powerful models of teaching and learning in classrooms and non-school environments to successfully engage urban youth and communities. Morrell also holds appointments in the Department of English and Department of Africana 91��Ƶ, and he is a Fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ. This is the fifth year he has been included in the rankings.

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Berends has written and published extensively on educational reform, school choice, the effects of family and school changes on student achievement trends, and the effects of schools and classrooms on student achievement. Currently, he is conducting several studies on school choice, including an examination of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program. Berends is also a Fellow in the Kellogg Institute for International 91��Ƶ. This is his first appearance on the list.

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“

Mark Berends

I am gratified to see the Institute represented in these rankings,” said John Staud, the acting director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “Our goal is to improve the education of all children, particularly the most disadvantaged, and this shows the national impact of these two outstanding faculty members.”

Rick Hess, the director of education policy for the American Enterprise Institute, compiles the rankings each year. The rankings are based on performances in nine categories that include publications, inclusion on syllabi across the country, education press and web mentions, and mentions in the Congressional Record.

Originally published by Theo Helm at on Jan.��29.

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“We are honored that Bishop Kicanas has accepted our invitation to join in celebrating our ACE graduates for their service to the mission of Catholic education,” said the Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s .

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“Bishop Kicanas has devoted his life to ensuring that all children, particularly those on the margins, have access to an excellent Catholic education. His ministry shows his deep commitment to the life-changing impact that a Catholic school has on children, their families and their communities. We at ACE are grateful for our long partnership with him and the Diocese of Tucson.”

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Bishop Kicanas served as the bishop of Tucson from 2003 to 2017. He is the former vice president and secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and he serves on the USCCB Catholic education and communications committees and the subcommittee on the Church in Africa, and is a consultant on the subcommittee on Hispanic affairs. He is a member of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.

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In 2010, Bishop Kicanas and ACE started two Notre Dame ACE Academies, St. John the Evangelist and Santa Cruz Catholic schools in Tucson. The two schools were the first in a national network of partnerships between Notre Dame and dioceses dedicated to increasing excellence in teaching and learning and advancement in a context imbued with the Catholic faith.

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ACE commencement exercises are set for��3:30 p.m.��in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Notre Dame will bestow 119 graduate degrees upon a next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service in two nationally recognized programs.

��

Eighty-nine graduates will receive��master of education degrees��as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Thirty graduates from ACE’s will receive master of art degrees in educational leadership, concluding 26 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.

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ACE will also give three awards during the ceremony. Flannery O’Connor and Michael Debri will receive the 2018 . This award is presented to graduates of the ACE Teaching Fellows program who have distinguished themselves in making significant contributions to the ministry of Catholic education.

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The Michael Pressley Award for a Promising Scholar in the Education Field will be given to Anna Arias. This award honors an ACE graduate whose work in academia echoes Pressley’s commitment to strengthening education through research and scholarship.

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Narvaez’s book, "," was chosen from among more than 360 total entries from 170 universities and 30 countries.

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The award was established by University Francisco de Vitoria and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation to recognize innovation in scientific research and academic programs based on Benedict XVI’s proposal to broaden the horizons of reason. The university and foundation sought academic works that question and explicitly incorporate reflections on the anthropology, epistemology, ethics and meaning that exist within the specific science. Two awards were given for research, and two were given for academic programs.

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"Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom" outlines an evolutionary framework for early childhood experience that is grounded in developmental systems theory, encompassing not only genes but a wide array of inheritances and epigenetic factors. It describes the neurobiological bases for the development of distinctive moral mindsets, addressing ethical functioning at multiple levels of complexity and context before turning to a theory of the emergence of wisdom. Finally, it suggests that we honor the sociocultural orientations of our ancestors and cousins in small-band hunter-gatherer societies — the norm for 99 percent of human history — for a re-envisioning of an organic, sustainable moral life, from the way we value and organize child raising to how we cooperate with a living planet.

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The book integrates elements of anthropology, clinical and developmental psychology, and neuroscience to examine the influences in early childhood that help shape a person’s moral character. Narvaez also received the 2015 William James Book Award from the American Psychological Association for the book.

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“Our research in the lab examines the evolved developmental niche—the evolved nest for humans — whose primary characteristics emerged with social mammals more than 30 million years ago,” Narvaez said. She and her team have published several empirical papers about the effects of the on well-being and morality in children and adults.

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In giving the award, University Francisco de Vitoria and the Joseph Ratzinger/Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation seek academic works that question and explicitly incorporate reflections on the anthropology, epistemology, ethics and meaning that exist within the specific science.��Narvaez’s book was chosen in the research category.

Narvaez, who joined the����in 2000, has published numerous books and articles on moral cognition, moral development and moral character. She is a co-director of the interdisciplinary����project and the��. She is the exiting executive editor of the����and writes the popular����blog for��Psychology Today.

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The announcement was made jointly by Bishop Gregory Parkes, Superintendent Chris Pastura and Aaron Brenner, the Gary and Barbara Pasquinelli Director of the Notre Dame ACE Academies.

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“The expansion of ACE Academies is a blessing that will benefit many families who choose Catholic education for their children,” Bishop Parkes said. “They have an innovative approach that is meeting an important need.”

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St. Patrick is the third school from the Diocese of St. Petersburg to join the network. St. Joseph and Sacred Heart Catholic schools became part of the network in 2012 under Bishop Robert Lynch.

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“We have a wonderful relationship with the Diocese of St. Petersburg, and we are excited to bring St. Patrick into the Notre Dame ACE Academies family,” Brenner said. “We are committed to working together with St. Patrick leadership to provide a transformational education that guides all students along the path to college and heaven.”

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The mission of the Notre Dame ACE Academies is to provide a Catholic education of the highest quality to as many children as possible by mobilizing the resources of the University, the diocese, statewide parental choice programs and local communities. ACE faculty and staff work closely with school and diocesan leaders to increase academic achievement, boost enrollment and strengthen the schools’ Catholic identity by enhancing school leadership, curriculum, instruction, professional development, financial management and marketing.

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The Notre Dame ACE Academies network was founded in 2010 as a response to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ call for a “new model of sponsorship and collaboration” between Catholic institutions of higher education and parish schools. The network has heeded the call and continues to grow while experiencing both academic and enrollment gains in its schools.

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The existing Notre Dame ACE Academies are closing the achievement gap that many inner-city students experience. From fall 2011 to spring 2015, on average, students improved in math from the 31st��percentile to the 67th��percentile in STAR assessments, moving from the bottom third to the top third in the nation. In 2015, the network was recognized by the White House as an outstanding resource of educational excellence for Hispanic students.

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Enrollment gains at the current Notre Dame ACE Academies have been dramatic as well, defying national trends in Catholic schools. Since the partnership began, Notre Dame ACE Academies in Tucson, Arizona, have increased enrollment by 80 percent, and schools in the Diocese of St. Petersburg have grown their enrollment by 45 percent. Overall, the Notre Dame ACE Academies currently serve about 3,850 students and their families.

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“The partnership with the University of Notre Dame helps us bring the best research and innovation to our students while remaining firmly committed to our faith,” Pastura said. “St. Patrick Catholic 91��Ƶ has a rich tradition of success. As the newest ACE Academy, we will continue that success for many years to come.”

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St. Patrick was founded in 1959 by Rev. John Scully and run by the Sisters of Mercy from Worchester, Massachusetts. The school was first accredited by the Florida Catholic 91��Ƶ Conference in March 1974 and continues to be accredited by the Florida Catholic Conference and the National Council for Private 91��Ƶ Accreditation. St. Patrick serves 155 students from preschool through grade eight. In 2016, Rev. Dominic Corona became pastor of St. Patrick Parish. Mr. Keith Galley was named principal in 2016.

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The school worked with ACE throughout the past school year to implement benchmark testing for students, new curricular programs, professional development for teachers and enhanced school culture elements. This summer, the faculty and staff all attended the Notre Dame ACE Academies Summer Summit on campus at Notre Dame. To start the school year, St. Patrick joined St. Joseph and Sacred Heart for a joint retreat and professional development.

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For more about the Alliance for Catholic Education and the Notre Dame ACE Academies, visit��.

The new Center for Literacy Education will foster collaboration between the institute’s English education faculty and the College of Arts and Letters with a goal to transform literacy scholarship and practice in today’s urban and multicultural urban schools.

“This is an incredible opportunity to tie together the work of the English and Africana 91��Ƶ departments and IEI,” Morrell said.

Morrell was most recently the Macy Professor of English Education at Columbia University’s Teachers College and was the director of Columbia’s Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME).

He is the author of several books, including which won Choice Magazine’s Outstanding Academic Title Award in 2014.

“Ernest is an inspiring example of a talented and selfless person with a passion for helping others, especially children,” said , Charles and Jill Fischer Provost. “His expertise, leadership, and commitment to Notre Dame’s faith-based mission, combined with his exceptional research, teaching, and administrative skills, will add tremendously to our University.”

“Ernest is a tremendous addition to our faculty,” said , the I.A. O’Shaughnessy Dean of the . “His record of high-quality teaching and scholarship on matters of central concern at Notre Dame will inspire faculty and students alike.”

Morrell is serving a three-year term on the American Educational Research Association’s Executive Committee (AERA), where he is also a fellow. He has been president of the National Council of Teachers of English and a member of the International Literacy Association and the ILA’s Literacy Research Panel.

Morrell said he was drawn to Notre Dame because of the way he will be able to make his faith a driving force behind his teaching and research.

“One of the disconnects in my career has been thinking about my professional self and my Christian self. There have been times when it doesn’t seem like those selves can come together at the modern university,” he said.

That disconnect carries over into research.

“When we’re thinking about work in schools, we’re missing a lot if we only focus on public schools,” he said. “The possibility of expanding work to include Catholic schools, to connect faith and mission to pedagogy — we should not have to trade faith for intellectual rigor.”

“You want to move the needle in class and fundamentally change classroom practice,” Morrell said. “We have an opportunity to create dialogue across different disciplines. It sounds like an ambitious agenda, but we certainly have the people in place to do it.”

“Ernest’s leadership has been indelibly shaped by his passion, his tireless work ethic and his natural graciousness,” said , the Hackett Family Director of the Institute for Educational Initiatives. “His work will allow the University to have a transformative impact on the way we understand and teach marginalized children.”

Contact: Theo Helm, ACE, 336-918-9314, thelm1@nd.edu

Shavar Jeffries, president of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) and a leading advocate for expanding public and accountable school-choice opportunities for underserved families, will serve as the keynote speaker at the of the University of Notre Dame’s (ACE) on Saturday (July 15).

“We are delighted that Shavar has accepted our invitation to celebrate our graduates’ gifts to the children and communities we serve and their impact on the future of Catholic education,” said Rev. Timothy R. Scully, C.S.C., the Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Educational Initiatives.

“Shavar has worked tirelessly to expand the choices that parents have for their children – especially those living in underserved and under-resourced communities. His efforts are a powerful witness to the belief that every child deserves the best education possible.”

Jeffries has been a vocal champion of the belief that children’s ZIP codes should not define their destinies. In 2010, he was elected to the Newark Public 91��Ƶs Advisory Board and was then unanimously selected by his colleagues to serve as board president. He became president of DFER in September 2015.

Jeffries also serves as a partner at Lowenstein Sandler, where he has argued for families seeking fair practices in funding education and ensuring that the laws governing education systems help students.

ACE commencement exercises are set for 3:30 p.m. in the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center. Notre Dame will bestow 115 graduate degrees upon a next generation of Catholic school teachers and leaders who completed periods of formation and service with two nationally recognized programs.

A total of 88 ACE Teaching Fellows graduates will receive as the culmination of two years of academic study combined with teaching in Catholic K-12 schools in underserved areas around the country. Twenty-seven graduates from ACE’s Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program will receive M.A. degrees in educational leadership, concluding 26 months of formation that prepared them to be principals and other leaders in Catholic education.

Contact: Theo Helm, ACE, 336-918-9314, thelm1@nd.edu

More than 30,000 children will benefit from a grant awarded to the University of Notre Dame by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve early-grade literacy in Haiti.

The grant is a part of a broader national campaign of the Haitian Catholic Church and its partners to improve literacy outcomes in 1,000 Haitian Catholic schools in the next four years (2016-2020). The USAID grant, which will cover 150 schools, will start in September in Grand Anse and Sud departments in southern Haiti. It will be led by the (ACE) Haiti, in partnership with the (NDIGD), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education (CEEC) and the Ministry of National Education and Training (MENFP).

This initiative was always intended for the Grand-Anse and Sud departments, but following Hurricane Matthew in October, the need has become even more critical. , the Hackett Family Director of Notre Dame’s , said: “Read Haiti will allow us to serve these stricken communities by improving educational outcomes for some of the neediest children.”

By the third grade, 49 percent of Haitian students cannot read. Read Haiti will build upon the success of earlier literacy efforts by Notre Dame, CRS and CEEC in 47 schools in the northern part of the country using a curriculum that includes textbooks, class libraries and structured teacher guides to improve children’s skills in writing and reading in Creole, the native language of 95 percent of Haitians, with a transition to oral French. The project will also fund efforts to train and coach teachers, improve teacher-training modules and work with the Ministry of Education and other partners to support improved literacy learning throughout Haiti.

USAID Haiti Mission Director Jene Thomas highlighted the importance of USAID cooperation with the Ministry of Education of Haiti in the area of early grade reading. “Strengthening early-grade reading and writing is a priority for the Ministry of Education, and we are proud to support this effort to ensure Haiti’s children have the basic education skills they need to advance and, ultimately, contribute to Haiti’s progress.”

USAID awarded $6.3 million to support the initiative.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to show what is possible,” said , associate director for ACE. “Public-private partnerships that leverage the commitment, reach and global networks of the Catholic Church promise to make a transformative impact on the Haitian educational system.”

Contact: Theo Helm, Alliance for Catholic Education, thelm1@nd.edu