Program Evaluation Partner, PowerCorpsPHL

Posted by EducationWorks on October 16, 2017

PROGRAM EVALUATION PARTNER
RFP PCPHL-LI
Issued: October 3, 2017
Submission Deadline: October 20, 2017 at 3:00pm

About PowerCorpsPHL
PowerCorpsPHL is a City of Philadelphia AmeriCorps initiative, operated in partnership with EducationWorks. Working closely with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Philadelphia Water Department, and partners in the public and private sector, PowerCorpsPHL builds opportunities for young people to create promising futures by tackling pressing environmental challenges and developing the skills required to secure meaningful work.

PowerCorpsPHL enrolls disconnected young adults and returning citizens in full-time AmeriCorps service as the strategy to provide career-connected education and paid, work experiences that support Philadelphia’s environmental stewardship, youth violence prevention, and workforce development priorities.

Designed as part of the career pathway continuum, PowerCorpsPHL intentionally partners with existing service providers, regional industry, and local government agencies to provide clients with the “last step” needed to achieve self-sufficiency and unsubsidized, long-term success. The PowerCorpsPHL model works to reduce structural barriers hindering an individual’s success while supporting young people directly to chart a path forward, engage in the work of personal growth, and cultivate a positive network of support. Through career-connected education aligned to industry standards and work experiences that simulate industry expectations, PowerCorpsPHL provides young people with authentic opportunities to hone career-specific skills. To support long-term success, the initiative phases its interventions and extends its connection to individuals and partners from initial recruitment to well into the career pathway.

PowerCorpsPHL engages young people in cohorts that start twice per year in early September and early March. Recruitment for each cohort begins four months prior to the cohort start date (May and November). Starting in September 2017 with a recent investment from the Lenfest Foundation, PowerCorpsPHL is extending its intervention from 6 months to 12 months with opportunities for early exit starting at month six upon demonstrated readiness for employment. This lengthened approach will create career-specific training tracks that allow members to hone job-specific skills and increase the number and types of industry-recognized credentials members can earn.

Project Overview
PowerCorpsPHL seeks a partner to evaluate the effectiveness of our intervention to date and to develop tools to monitor continuous improvement moving forward. PowerCorpsPHL is specifically interested in evaluation of our program interventions across the following three areas:
1. Program Outcomes
a. Alumni transition to and retention in employment
b. Alumni transition to and persistence in postsecondary education
c. Alumni recidivism
2. Social-Emotional Skills and Social Capital
a. Increased work-readiness skills
b. Increased positive social and professional networks
c. Increased self-efficacy/self-confidence
d. Increased sense of personal responsibility/accountability
3. Environmental Stewardship
a. Change in attitude
b. Change in actions or behaviors
c. Change in career interests
d. Increase in content knowledge

Expected Tasks and Deliverables
*Timeline subject to change based on proposals, with hard end date in May 2018.

Stage 1: November-December 2017
• Review existing program documents and data
• Identify gaps in program codification and existing data
• Observe current program practices and identify gaps between program intent and implementation

Stage 2: January – April 2018
• Develop evaluation metrics aligned to each of PowerCorpsPHL’s three program areas
• Develop assessment tools and data collection process for each evaluation metric
• Test and refine assessment tools
• Collect data using refined assessment tools
• Assess and analyze data to determine the effectiveness of intended interventions across three program areas
• Recommend policy and practice improvements based on data collected
• Train staff on the use of evaluation tools developed for ongoing implementation

Stage 3: May 2018 (latest)
• Present findings to internal and external audiences
• Produce external-facing summary of findings

Any responses received after the due date and time will not be reviewed or considered. We suggest that
you request a delivery receipt. All proposals must be received via email no later than by 3:00 p.m. on
Friday, October 20, 2017.

http://powercorpsphl.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Program-Evaluator-RFP_PCPHL-LI.pdf