The Ateneo Center for Educational Development (ACED) was established in 1997 by the Ateneo de Manila University to improve the quality of life among the poor through the improvement of public school education.
Initially, ACED concentrated on training for school leaders and teachers to address the poor performance of students in public schools. Specific subject areas such as Reading, Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and Physical Education were given special attention. The training programs emphasized subject matter content, pedagogical approaches, assessment strategies, and the use of technology in teaching. ACED also made sure to provide instructional such as Teaching Guides and workbooks. This endeavor proved to be fruitful, as, under the E-Kasi QC and Policy Governance and Capacity Building Programs (PGCB) from 2011 to 2020, over 30,010 officials, principals, master trainers, and teachers from the DepEd were able to participate in the training programs.
ACED also observed that other factors such as health issues like poor eyesight, dental problems, malnutrition and hunger were the leading causes of absenteeism and poor performance among public school students. Solutions to address these problems were thus sought by ACED. One significant initiative is the country’s first large-scale feeding program for public school children, with its central kitchen based in the Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School in Quezon City. The implementation of this project made a substantial contribution to the eventual passing of the national feeding law—Republic Act No. 11037, otherwise known as the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act.
Even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, ACED remains committed to its mission of helping marginalized communities. ACED immediately organized the provision of food packs as an alternative to school meals for children in response to the public health crisis and its economic implications on struggling families.
Alongside feeding programs in public schools, ACED has also been involved in providing concrete opportunities for improving the life chances of the poor such as enrichment programs in Math and Science and review programs for public school students who intend to apply to the Ateneo Senior High School.
From 2011 to 2021, over 7,454 students from Ateneo actively participated in a variety of ACED programs.