Catholic education consortium wins national award

Author: Erik Runyon

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The University Consortium for Catholic Education (UCCE), a program established by the University of Notre Dame to sustain and strengthen K-12 Catholic education, is the 2006 recipient of the C. Albert Koob Award from the National Catholic Educational Association. The award was presented in April at the associations 103 rd annual convention inAtlanta.

Established in 1998 by the educational outreach office of Notre DamesAlliancefor Catholic Education (ACE) – a master of education program that prepares graduates for service as Catholic school teachers – the UCCE supports some of the neediest Catholic schools in the country through the replication of the ACE model of teacher education at other national universities.

I speak for the directors of all of the UCCE teaching-service programs when I say we are daily humbled by the commitment and generosity of the young teachers we place,said Joyce Johnstone, chair of the UCCE and director of educational outreach for ACE.

Through the UCCE, ACE has been able to provide technical, strategic and financial support to young Catholic teacher-service programs as they work to establish their own mission and vision. Additionally, the ACE model has served as an effective vehicle of service to K-12 schools in the most underserved regions of the nation.

Currently, the UCCE includes 13 colleges and universities offering graduate teaching programs that are based on ACEs philosophy of professional teaching, community and spirituality.

For the present academic year, 442 UCCE teachers serve in more than 200 Catholic schools in 49 dioceses and archdioceses in 32 states; there currently are some 1,000 consortium alumni nationwide.

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