University of Notre Dame’s Fighting for Our Children’s Future National Bus Tour Kicks Off

Good news for Catholic Schools from my alma mater, the University of Notre Dame. Starting Thursday, the university's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) is launching the Fighting for Our Children's Future National Bus Tour. On Thursday, October 3rd, ACE will be co-hosting an important conversation about faith-based schools and American cities. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spelling, Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, former DC Mayor Anthony Williams, and other distinguished guests of the George W. Bush Institute will gather to discuss the topic “Sacred Spaces: Faith-based Schools and American Cities” and the conversation will be streamed live 9:30 am-12:30 pm ET.

Here's more on this amazing tour:

Notre Dame--September 26, 2013-- Next week, the University of Notre Dame will hit the road in support of a quality education for every child. To celebrate its 20 years of service, the university's Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) is launching the Fighting for Our Children's Future National Bus Tour, a cross country effort to raise awareness for the profound impact that K-12 schools have as agents of human formation and social transformation, and to celebrate the unique role that Catholic schools play in nurturing the soul of our nation.

Visiting nearly 50 cities during the 2013-14 academic year, the tour will begin in Dallas in conjunction with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football game against Arizona State University at AT&T Stadium on October 5th. It will continue, from there, to the Midwest and East Coast in the fall, and the South, Southwest and West Coasts in the spring.

At each stop along the route, the Fighting for Our Children's Future National Bus Tour will feature a variety of events, ranging from conversations and panels with city mayors, state senators and education reformers to visits at partnering Catholic schools. ACE founder Rev. Timothy Scully, CSC and other Notre Dame experts will meet with civic, diocesan and education leaders to discuss crucial concerns, such as the formation of the next generation of school leadership, the critical role Catholic schools play in the future of the American education system, and the right of every child to have equal access to an outstanding education.

In addition to engaging these topics, the tour aims to celebrate local school successes, honor educational partners and entrepreneurs, and promote the message that Catholic schools are good for America.

"We want to draw greater attention to the amazing legacy and bright future of these schools that form engaged citizens and advance the common good," says Rev. Timothy Scully, C.S.C., who co-founded ACE 20 years ago. "Our themed ACE bus will promote the message that access to a high-quality education is a basic civil right, inspiring all those who have joined Notre Dame in fighting for our children's future."

Notre Dame will join with children, teachers, parents and other stakeholders in these hometown visits as the Alliance for Catholic Education looks toward the next 20 years of its commitment to sustain, strengthen and transform Catholic schools.

Weekly blog posts, multimedia and commentary will be published on ace.nd.edu/20 as news unfolds along the route. For more information about the tour, the role of Catholic schools in the American education system and Notre Dame's commitment to the future of children and schools, media representatives can visit ACE's media room.

About the Alliance for Catholic Education
The University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Education impacts the lives of several hundred thousand children nationwide by preparing highly talented teachers, principals and school leaders, while offering an array of professional services for US Catholic Schools—the world's largest private school system. ACE works in partnership with hundreds of schools to ensure that the students in their communities, many of them from low-income families in high poverty communities, have access to a high-quality education.

About Catholic Schools
Catholic elementary and secondary schools in the United States have helped generations of immigrant communities achieve a better life since the mid-19th century. Today, these schools educate over two million students, many from disadvantaged populations in under-resourced communities. Despite limited budgets, Catholic schools provide a remarkable, often transformative education to children of all faiths and save American taxpayers billions of dollars each year.

I'm looking forward to following the tour on the official website. If you are a champion of Catholic education, please join me in spreading the good news about ACE's upcoming Bus Tour. Efforts like this one deserve to be shared and celebrated!