U.S. Department of Education, Contracts and Purchasing Operations, CPO, 7th & D Streets SW, Room 3616, Washington, D.C. 20202-4443

R -- CHARTER SCHOOL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT POC Pamela J. Weaver, Contract Specialist, 202-260-0183, or Dorothy Hunter, Contracting Officer, 202-708-9256 R- The US Department of Education contemplates extending, for an additional year, work under contract SB97023001. In September 1997, the US Department of Education awarded a contract to Public Policy Associates of Lansing, MI for "Development and Field Testing of a Model Outreach Program designed to attract community institutions, or such key participants as parents, teachers, and principals into founding and operating charter schools". The initial contract provided a valuable contribution to the body of knowledge of charter schools and raised the importance of employer and community partnerships among the charter school community. The greatest value yet of this project will occur in the 3rd year follow-on activities of broad dissemination, outreach and technical assistance. Public Policy Associates, a small business, will: 1) build upon the development of the Learning Network begun under the current contract; 2) continue to expand and market their web-based technical assistance resources and activities through their website; 3) continue development of the "Talent Bank"; 4) develop institutional support for the continuation of the employer-linked Charter School Technical Assistance Network and Support; 5) continue to market the research products previously developed in the contract, plus produce and distribute additional promotional materials and articles for media placement; 6) develop an outreach strategy to national charter school networks and state charter school resource centers; 7) develop an informative event/session for a major national conference in the business community; 8) develop targeted outreach to employers by conducting many workshops and briefings for corporations, businesses, and community groups to engage their support for employer-linked charter schools; 9) develop a media and communication strategy drawing upon the accumulated research and knowledge from the project. The US Department of Education intends to execute this modification to extend this contract on or before August 2, 1999. See Note 22. Posted 06/18/99 (I-SN344781). (0169)

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