Request for Proposals: Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation

Posted by on February 24, 2014

REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation

BACKGROUND
Through the generosity of Philip B. Lindy, Drexel University has established the Philip B. Lindy Inner-City Public School Program at Drexel University (“Lindy Scholars Program”) to provide resources and services that aims to level the playing field in public education by increasing academic achievement and expanding the social horizons for middle school students living in Drexel’s West Philadelphia vicinity. The program encourages children and families to share in, and benefit from the University’s vast educational, technological, and cultural resources. The Lindy Scholars Program is a collaborative effort between The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement and The Goodwin School of Education. The Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, a division of the Office of the Provost, is responsible for managing the program.

The overall goal of the Lindy Scholars Program has been to provide mathematics, writing, and literacy enhancement programs along with other related services to students in grades 6-8 enrolled in Alain Locke, Martha Washington, and Morton McMichael Elementary Schools all located within West Philadelphia. Drexel staff, faculty, and student volunteers work closely with school administrators, community leaders, students, and parents to help identify the needs of those served. In addition, provide services on campus and within the community that are expected to make measurable positive improvements in academic performance and retention.

Students participating in the program engage in afterschool and Saturday programming designed to facilitate the academic and social development, respectively through homework help, academic filed trips and hands on science and literacy curriculum. In addition, Lindy Scholars Program offers monthly Lindy Family Seminars to engage the Scholars’ families. Beyond the scope of work done during the afterschool and Saturday component, the Lindy Scholars Program provides teacher professional development in the participating schools. The Lindy Scholars Program’s theory of change is that by providing direct supports to the Scholars and their support networks, comprised of members of their schools, communities and families, the Scholar will have a larger web of informed supporters.

Program recruitment began in spring 2009 with 5th grade students from three partnering elementary school. Many of the 5th graders recruited continued through the Lindy Scholars Summer Program at Drexel from June-August 2009. Both the spring and summer programs allowed the students and the program to develop further so that by 6th grade, students were fully enrolled in the Lindy Scholars Program for the entire school year. As the program progressed, additional cohorts of students were added each year from each school. Administrative changes prompted several changes within the program, one of which was the removal of the Lindy Scholars Program from one participating school and the adoption at another. Ideally, each of the three schools would have a participant group of 75, which includes 25 from 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

SCOPE OF PROJECT
This evaluation will serve three purposes:
1. Examine the extent to which the program has achieved its mission and stated goals
2. Explore the impact of the program on past and current scholars
3. Inform program development decisions regarding future program format and goals

SCOPE OF SERVICES
This RFP seeks evaluation services that integrate and build off of prior program evaluations. The proposed design should address the following questions and examine identified outcomes. The Lindy Scholars Program is also interested in having the evaluator propose and explore additional questions and alternative approaches to best practices as it relates to all segments of the program. A competitive proposal will introduce a plan for working with the Lindy Scholars Program office to integrate existing data and the collection of new data to:
1. Demonstrate the impact of Lindy Scholars Program in school attendance, grade point averages, PSSA scores, and 8th grade graduation rates.
2. Determine if there are any individual or familial outcomes experienced by the scholars and families as a result of participation in Lindy Scholars Program.
3. Based on past data collected and new sources of data identified by the evaluator, what are the benefits of participation in the Lindy Scholars Program for scholars, advisors, families, teachers and schools?
4. Use results of the evaluation to inform the program design and integration of STEM focused curriculum and activities into the future Lindy Scholars Program.
5. Design an effective data collection and management system for ongoing formative and summative program evaluation.
6. Assist Lindy Scholars Program staff in determining how best to define and measure impact in future programing.

Lindy Scholars Program will provide the contracted evaluator with all available materials including existing program data from the current database. However, additional data will need to be collected to complete this project. Lindy Scholars Program will arrange sites and participants’ compliance with the evaluator and help to facilitate access to all materials.

DELIVERABLES
Evaluation deliverables include:
1. Monthly progress meetings
2. Comprehensive program evaluation report accompanied by a formal presentation of findings
3. Separate executive summary of the evaluation for dissemination to boards of directors, funders, and program sites
4. Electronic copies of all reports, protocols, instruments, interview schedules, on-line questionnaires, coding guides, data dictionaries, databases or electronic information systems developed for this evaluation, as well as any analysis outputs.

QUALIFICATIONS
Drexel University’s Lindy Scholars Program seeks a qualified evaluation provider who:
1. Can establish a positive and facilitative partnership with the Lindy Scholars Program and program sites
2. Demonstrates experience in developing, selecting and applying principals of program evaluation while maintaining respect for program participant experience
3. Has experience in integrating quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods
4. Has the capacity to work with multiple data collection methods and sources within the specified time frame
5. Can produce reports and documents that capture relevant data, create a compelling case that is accessible by the funding community and on-going program development, and can advise on and produce credible products.

SUBMISSION, DEADLINES, AND QUESTIONS
3 hard copies of the proposal shall be placed in a sealed envelope, bearing the name and address of the evaluation firm and clearly marked with the words, RFP Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation. No binders please. All proposals must be received by 4:00 p.m. on March 28, 2014. Proposals received after that time will not be considered.

Proposals should be delivered to:
Drexel University
c/o Anna M. Rivera
Director of Procurement Operations
3201 Arch St, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19104
RE: RFP Lindy Scholars Program Evaluation

All proposals will be opened by University Procurement and recorded as received.
Questions about the Scope of Services or the RFP should be emailed to: Jennifer Johnson Kebea, jpj38@drexel.edu, no later than March 17, 2014

Answers to questions, if appropriate, will be addressed in an email that will be transmitted to all participating bidders by March 21, 2014.

All proposals shall remain firm and cannot be withdrawn for a period of 90 days after receipt of proposals. No proposal will be accepted after the above-specified time.

EVALUATION OF THE PROPOSAL
The following criteria are expected to be among those used in the selection process. They are presented as a guide for the evaluation firm in understanding Drexel’s requirements and expectations for this project and are not necessarily all inclusive or presented in order of importance.

1. Proposed Project Approach. Emphasis will be on grasp of the problems involved, soundness of approach, effective use of time and the quality of the overall proposal.
2. Proposed costs.
3. Experience, expertise, and capabilities of the evaluation firm.
4. In-person meeting and presentation.

Drexel reserves the right to award in part, to reject any and all proposals in whole or in part for misrepresentation or if the evaluation firm is in default of any prior Drexel contract, or if the proposal limits or modifies any of the terms and conditions and/or specifications of the RFP. Drexel also reserves the right to waive technical defects, irregularities and omissions if, in its judgment, the best interest of Drexel will be served.

Drexel reserves the right to correct inaccurate awards resulting from its clerical errors. This may include, in extreme circumstances, revoking the awarding of a contract already made to an evaluation firm and subsequently awarding the contract to another evaluation firm. Such action on the part of the University shall not constitute a breach of contract on the part of Drexel, as the contract with the initial evaluation firm is deemed to be invalid from the outset and of no effect, as if no contract ever existed between Drexel and the evaluation firm.

Consideration will be given to the evaluation firm who has prior experience in dealing with a private, not-for-profit research university environment and are familiar with university needs and requirements including timely deliveries. Please submit a list of references, including both past and present clients. While cost is a consideration, Drexel reserves the right to select a proposal or proposals in whole or in part, which the University deems best meets the goals of this request regardless of cost.

Drexel reserves the right to terminate the engagement due to any form of non-compliance or unsatisfactory performance.

Drexel reserves the right to select more than one evaluation firm through the RFP process.