U. S. Department of Education, Application and Control Center, GSA Bldg., Rm. 3633, 7th and D Streets, SW. Washington, D.C. 20202-4725

A -- A-BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT -- A STUDY OF HCARTER SCHOOLS SOL RC 95 1960 DUE 061595 POC Christina McCrary, Contract Specialist, 202 708-9741. 17. I. INTRODUCTION: The United States Department of Education (ED) is interested in receiving proposals for a study of charter schools as authorized in the Elementary and Secondary Education Axt (ESEA), Title X as amended by the Improving Averica's Schools Act of 1994 (IASA), 108 Stat. 3824-3830 (1994). The study shall focus on ''an evaluation of the impact of charter schools on student achievement, including thosed assisted under'' the Federal program for Charter Schools/State Grants authorized in this Act. II. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: ED will consider funding one study which is national in scope or up to three studies of schools in two or mor states. ED expects to award $400, 000 to $500,000 for such study or studies in the first year; and from $300,000 to $600,000 each year for three additional years. Option years are contingent on appropriation of funda and are at ED's discretion. Interested parties may request background information from ED, including a recent report by the General Accounting Office on charter schools and information on Federal Charter Schools/State Grants. Requests for this background information may be made by telephone, mail, telegram or in person. All requests should refer to ''RC 95 1960, Charter School Study''. Call (202) 708-6498 or mail requests to the address above. III. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: ED will use a two-step submission process to evaluate proposals submitted in response to this announcement. For the first step, offerors must submit an abstract of a proposal. ED will evaluate all abstracts against the evaluation criteria below. For the second step, ED will invite full technical and costp proposals from one or more of the top-ranked abstracts submitted in response to this BAA. In theinvitation, ED will specify proposal format and the representations and certifications required under the Federal Ac quisitions Regulations, The Education Department Acquisition Regulations, and other ED clauses to be included in the contract(s) that will result from the BAA. There will be no formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this requirement. An invitation to submit a proposal does not assure subsequ3ent award. No award will be made under this BAA without a full technical and cospt proposal. The cost proposal must provide sufficient detail to allow assessment of costs and the offeror's cappacity to perform the work proposed. To be considered, abstracts of proosals shall be received by 2:00 p.m. EST, June 15, 1995, to the Application and Control Center address stated above. All abstracts should include the identifier PR/Award#: RC 95 1960on the envelope and on the first page. The abstract should provide an overview of the project and associated costs. It shall be prepared on 8.5 x 11 inch plain paper, printed on one side of each page only, in 12-point type, with one inch margins onall sides. Abstracts shall not exceed 15 pages. It shall list projected costs for each year of the study. Any cover letter, statements of projected costs, and all other attachments are subject to the page limit. Offerors shall submit an original and 5 copies of the abstract. IV. TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION: The research design may include cross-sectional or longitudinal studies,a quasi-ex(erimental design, qualitative studies, or other valid research procedures. Abstracts shall clearly state the purpose and objectives of the plan, specify the research design and procedures, and provide abstract schould indicate hoow the proposed research will address the following questions: (1) What are the characteristics of charter schools? (How do they compare with one another and with other public schools in key areas, including goals, expectiations, curricula, teacher qualifications, and methods of assessing achievement?); (2) What is the impact of charter schools on student achievement? (3) Whom do charter schools serve? (E.g., do they attract and serve minorities, at-rist students and other special populations?); (4) What relationships do charter schools have with other state and Feeral programs? (E.g., how do charter schools qualify for, receive, and implement Federal education programs such as title I, special education, and bilingual education?); (5) What Federal, State, and local policies helped or hindered successful program implementation? (E.g., what impediments did charter schools encounter, what regulatory waivers were most helpful?); (6) What organizational and educational policies and strategies are associated with successful charter schools; and, in particular with enhanced student achievement? Whart are the critical conditions to success for a charter school? (7) How does the formation and ocntinued presence of charter schools affect other public and private schools, and broader local, state and national school reform efforts? (8) What are the other critical issues affecting charter schools? Where relevant to the study design, the abstract must must specify: (1) the number and type of charter schools and control schools to be included in the study? (2) procedures for identifying schools for participation in the study, including those, yet unidentified' that will receive funding through Federal Charter Schools/State Grants; (3) sources and availability of existing relevant data on students and schools that shall be used for comparative purposes; (4)measures of student achievement to be used, including variables other than standardized test scores where appropriate, especially where background research suggests that variables are related to student achievement; (5) additional ooutcome variables as suggested by the charters of the schools to be studied, or a procedure for identifying such additional variables; (6) policies, educational strategies, and organizational characteristics of charter schools to be assessed for their independent effect on student achievement and related student outcomes, including a description of how governing flexibility will be measured; (7) socio-economic variables and other variables to be used as control variables; (8) procedures for assessing the effects of self-selection of students into charter schools; (9) criteria and methods to be used to identify successful charter schools and model state charter school laws; (10) (for proposals contemplating continuation of research) a schedule that provides for a report on preliminary findings in the first year and additional major reports at the conclusion of each year, with a brief description of the scope of each report; and (11) (for single-year proposals) a schedule that provides for at least one major final report. V. AWARD PROCESS: The expected award date is September 25, 1995. ED reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received, and to require an offeror to revise its proposal to avoid geographic overlap with other studies to be funded under this BAA. Except when it is determined in accordance with FAR 17.206(b) not to be in the Government's best interest, the Government will evaluate offers to the total price of the base year. For this announcement, technical quality is more important than cost or price. The Contracting Officedr will determine whether the difference in technical merit is worth the difference in cost. Technical quality will be evaluated in a peer review panel, based on the criteria specified below. VI. TECHNICAL EVALUATION CRITERIA: The following criteria apply to both abstracts and full proposals requested under this announcement. No other technichal criteria will be used to evaluate the abstracts or technical proposals. 1. Offeror's understanding of the educational, management and policy issues surrounding the development and maintenance of charter schools and offerors, capacity to work with parents teachers, educators, and others involved in the formation and operation of hcarter schools. Maximum points=35. 2. Scope and technical soundness of the project, including an adequate research strategy to assess the effects of self-selection by students attendng charter schools. Maximum points=35. 3. The quality of proposed personnel, extent to which personnel have appropriate training and experience for conducting the proposed research, including timely completion of projects in research involving school structure, school organization, or school choice. Maximum points=20. 4. Facilities and equipment adequate to conduct the work proposed. Maximum points=10. **** (0128)

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