Adult Education and Immigrant Integration PWS DRAFT 05-02-2012.docx

Adult Ed & Immigrant Integration Draft: 5/2/2012 ED-VAE-12-R-0058

Performance Work Statement (PWS) Adult Education and Immigrant Integration U.S. Department of Education (ED) Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL)

A. Background According to the 2010 American Community Survey (ACS), there are approximately 38 million foreign born individuals living in the United States. This number quadrupled from 9.6 million in 1970. Immigrants bring a great deal to this country: innovation, entrepreneurship, linguistic and cultural diversity, some are highly educated and bring specialized skills and training; those that are less educated often meet specific workforce and industry needs, and immigrants often bring linguistic and cultural backgrounds that are needed in our increasingly diverse workforce.

Immigration continues to have a significant effect on both the general U.S. population and the U.S. workforce. Not only is America’s labor force expected to grow much more slowly over the next 20 years than it did between 1980 and 2000, but also almost none of the recent workforce growth is coming from native-born workers. For example, between 2000 and 2005, two-thirds of the nation’s civilian labor-force growth and 86 percent of its employment growth was generated by new immigrant arrivals.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Kirsch, I., Braun, H., Yamamoto, K., & Sum, A. (2007). America’s perfect storm: Three forces changing our nation’s future. Princeton: Educational Testing Service.]

Therefore, successful integration of immigrants is vital to the social and economic strength of the United States. However, immigrants often face challenges which hinder their full integration and participation in the American spheres of work, school and community. These challenges include, but are not limited to, limited English proficiency, lack of access to job training and retraining, lack of access to credentialing and licensing, lack of access to employers, lack of access to technology, limited understanding of the U.S. educational systems; and lack of understanding about U.S. civic engagement. Moreover, new immigrants to the United States have highly divergent skill distributions and are heterogeneous with respect to their educational attainment, native language literacy skills, and their English proficiency.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Kirsch, I., Braun, H., Yamamoto, K., & Sum, A. (2007). America’s perfect storm: Three forces changing our nation’s future. Princeton: Educational Testing Service.]

About 2 million immigrants come to the U.S. each year seeking jobs and better lives. According to U.S. Census data, about 50 percent of them have low literacy levels and lack high school education and English language skills, severely limiting their access to jobs and job training, and higher education. Furthermore, the level of English proficiency and degree of educational attainment also affects whether immigrants become naturalized citizens. Citizenship rates among immigrant adults are strongly associated with both their level of formal schooling and their English-speaking proficiencies. [footnoteRef:3] However, other immigrants are highly skilled yet underemployed. The Migration Policy Institutes estimates that “as of 2006 there were more than 6.1 million immigrants 25 or older with a bachelor’s or higher degree, representing 15.2 percent of all college- educated persons in the U.S. civilian labor force.”[footnoteRef:4] [3: National Commission on Adult Literacy. (2008). Reach higher, America: Overcoming crisis in the U.S. workforce. New York: Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy.] [4: Batalova, Jeanne and Michael Fix. 2008. Uneven Progress: The Employment Pathways of Skilled Immigrants in the United States. With Peter A. Creticos. Washington, DC, Migration Policy Institute.]

The United States faces many local, state and national challenges when the full integration of its immigrants is hindered: a lack of linguistically diverse and culturally competent workforce and professionals in such high-demand fields as Healthcare, Education, IT, Law, Government service, Management; a smaller hiring pools of qualified workers; a weakened civic structure due to limited civic engagement; and less family engagement in children’s education.

To address known gaps in immigrant integration and to build a sustainable foundation for future efforts, the White House created an interagency task force which launched the New Americans: Citizenship and Integration Initiative. This initiative seeks to identify best practices and to gain helpful insight into how the federal government can shine a spotlight on successful models of immigrant integration. The Initiative has identified three important pillars of immigrant integration. They are:

· Linguistic integration

· Civic integration

· Economic integration The Initiative defines linguistic integration as an important goal of immigrant integration. It defines linguistic integration as occurring when non-English proficient individuals have acquired the necessary English language skills and related cultural knowledge in order to meaningfully participate and fully contribute to their community. This definition recognizes the value of other languages while still recognizing the importance of learning English. Among the various potential strategies, the initiative believes it can achieve linguistic integration by improving immigrants’ access to effective and innovative English language programs.

The Initiative defines civic integration as another important goal. Civic integration occurs when all community members belong, are secure in their rights, exercise their liberties, and share ownership in the community and nation’s future. Among the strategies being considered by the initiative for achieving civic integration is supporting immigrants on the path to citizenship.

Finally, the Initiative defines successful economic integration as occurring when both employers and workers understand their rights and workers have the resources to excel and obtain economic and financial self-sufficiency. There should be a level playing field for all workers that promotes diverse, healthy, and safe environments as well as mutual respect for all parties. Among the strategies under consideration by the Initiative for achieving economic integration is supporting career development through training and education.

Historically, OVAE has provided services to help immigrants integrate. Nearly half of the more than two million students enrolled in state adult education programs are English language learners; many of these adult education students are undereducated, lack native language proficiency, do not complete citizenship requirements, and have limited skills and therefore limited educational and career opportunities. Under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), a federally-funded, state-administered adult education formula grant program supports English Language/Civics instruction specifically aimed at promoting civic integration through civic education. Also, numerous past and current federally-funded activities have provided technical assistance to the field of adult education around transitioning English language learners to college and careers. This new activity will build upon those lessons learned.[footnoteRef:5] [5: For examples of previous investments, see ELL-University at www.ell-u.org, the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition Network at http://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/, Transitioning English language learners at http://www.air.org/focus-area/education/index.cfm?fa=viewcontent&content_id=333, and the LINCS English Language Acquisition resource collection at http://lincs.ed.gov/lincs/resourcecollections/adultell. ]

The Department is now seeking to build upon lessons learned by identifying a more holistic, integrated approach to meeting the linguistic, civic and economic needs of immigrants. Rather than compartmentalizing services, the Department is interested in identifying models that more strategically coordinate across services and service providers to promote immigrants’ linguistic, civic, and economic integration—particularly as it relates to low- and high-skilled immigrants. The Department is committed to supporting evidence-based, effective and innovate programs through such an integrated approach.

Thus, with this new initiative, the Department is seeking to:

a. Encourage innovative models that integrate language development, naturalization, civic engagement, education and workforce development;

b. Improve access to effective online and hybrid learning opportunities, especially for limited English speaking, low-skilled immigrants, refugees and foreign-born professionals;

c. Strengthen local community partnerships to maximize efforts serving both immigrants and receiving communities, particularly for limited English speaking, low-skilled immigrants, refugees and foreign-born professionals;

d. Form a greater scale of impact and access in improved quality, increased naturalization rates, and improved labor market outcomes for limited English speaking, low-skilled immigrants, refugees and foreign-born professionals;

e. Create “transformational zones”[footnoteRef:6] that establish new ways of work, and build the capacity to support these new ways of work; and [6: Fixsen, D. L., Blase, K. A., Horner, R., & Sugai, G. (2009, February). Scaling-up evidence- based practices in education. Scaling-up Brief #1. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, FPG, SISEP. ]

f. Better understand how to replicate successful and innovative integration models.

B. Purpose and Objectives With a particular focus on how Adult Education can 1) improve immigrants’ access to effective and innovative English language programs, 2) support immigrants on the path to citizenship, and 3) support career development through training and education, OVAE is seeking to identify effective models to support immigrant integration, devise technical assistance to help states and local communities plan and implement these models, plan for sustainability, and support the demonstration of innovative new models.

To achieve the primary purpose of this contract, in collaboration with OVAE, the contractor shall meet the following objectives:

1. Manage the project to ensure accountability and successful outcomes.

2. Convene a Technical Work Group (TWG) to advise the contractor and ED throughout the project.

3. Articulate a framework to guide technical assistance and create a technical assistance implementation plan that is evidence-based and designed to support place-based initiatives to leveraging strategic partnerships to promote linguistic, civic and economic integration for low- and high-skilled immigrants.

4. Select place-based immigrant integration initiatives to receive technical assistance.

5. Deliver and document the effectiveness of the technical assistance, and based on documentation, provide recommendations for replication of these now evidence-based, effective integration models and practices.

6. Disseminate lessons learned about coordination of services for immigrants to promote linguistic, civic and economic integration C. Legislative Authority This activity is authorized under Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), of the Workforce Investment Act of 1998, Public Law 105-220, Section 243, National Leadership Activities. Section 243 allows the Secretary of Education to establish and carry out a program of national leadership activities to enhance the quality of adult education and literacy programs nationwide.

D. Scope of Work and Period of Performance The contractor shall be responsible for carrying out all phases of work. The period of performance of this contract is thirty-six (36) months from the award date.

The contractor is required to provide the services described in section E. Tasks (see below) of this PWS. All tasks are to be interpreted with reference to the information provided in this PWS. The contractor shall work in coordination with Department of Education leadership and staff, especially the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR), during the development phases of all tasks; and the COR will review and approve all deliverables. The contractor shall submit one electronic copy by email of each draft and final deliverable to the COR and the Contract Specialist (CS).

E. Tasks

1. Manage the Project and Ensure Accountability

2. Convene a Technical Work Group (TWG)

3. Design the Technical Assistance Approach

4. Recruit and Select Appropriate Place-based Initiatives

5. Deliver and Document the Approved Technical Assistance

6. Disseminate the Design and Lessons Learned from Implementation Task 1. Manage the Project Task 1 is comprised of two subtasks that support overall project management: 1) conduct regular monthly meetings, including an initial project kick-off meeting with the Department and 2) ensure accountability through reporting. The contractor shall be responsible for the following project management duties and functions:

Subtask 1.1: Conduct Meetings The contractor shall organize, facilitate and participate in meetings with Department personnel to ensure coordination in the accomplishment of the Tasks.

A) For the Initial Kick-off Meeting: The contractor shall meet with the COR, the Contracting Officer (CO), Contract Specialist (CS), and other Department staff at Department facilities in the Washington, DC area within ten days following the award date of this performance-based contract. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss upcoming tasks and the goals and phases of this project, review key target dates and deliverables, and the scheduling of activities and other issues related to the conduct of work. The COR will identify the date, time and place for the meeting and will assume responsibility for inviting relevant Department staff. The contractor shall submit to the COR for review a draft agenda for the meeting five days before the kick-off meeting date. The COR shall review the draft agenda and provide feedback to the contractor within three days. The contractor shall submit to the COR a summary of the meeting no later than five days after the meeting. The summary shall include the revised COR-approved agenda, meeting notes, and the schedule of deliverables with hard calendar dates as well as any other items discussed and agreed upon during the meeting. The COR shall review the meeting summary materials and provide feedback to the contractor within five days.

B) Monthly Progress Meetings: The contractor shall set up monthly conference calls with the COR and other relevant staff to discuss upcoming tasks and the goals and phases of this project, review key target dates and deliverables, discuss issues and challenges, and the scheduling of activities. The contractor shall send the COR agenda items two days prior to the monthly meeting. Notes and follow-up items from the monthly meetings shall be sent to the contractor within three days of the meeting.

Subtask 1.2: Ensure Accountability Through Reporting Through regular communication and reporting, the contractor shall ensure that the Department understands the status of the contractor’s progress, provide the status of deliverables, and address challenges that arise. The COR will review each report (see below) and provide comments to the contractor within ten days of receipt.

Quarterly Progress Reports: The contractor shall prepare quarterly progress reports, not to exceed10 pages, due to the COR, within ten days of the end of each quarter. The quarterly progress reports shall:

· Provide a summary of the major activities and accomplishments for the reporting period;

· Document progress of the agreed-upon schedule to-date, specifying the extent to which the project is on schedule;

· Identify and discuss significant challenges that arose, significant deviations or problems that were encountered and how they were addressed, as well as lessons learned; and

· Provide a brief highlight of the activities planned for the next reporting period.

Furthermore, the quarterly progress reports shall identify and discuss any guidance that may be needed from the COR. If there are no problems/issues, the report shall state that there are no problems/issues. If there are problems/issues with the schedule of activities or deliverables, the contractor shall describe the plan for solving the problems.

Should a significant problem arise, at any time, the contractor shall notify the COR within two days to provide an update and discuss actions that shall be taken.

Final Report: The contractor also shall prepare a final summary report describing the activities and tasks that have occurred over the three years of the contract. The final report shall be written documentation of the project and shall not exceed 25 pages. This report can be submitted in place of the final quarterly progress report.

The final report also shall include the following information:

· Purpose of the project;

· A summary of the project accomplishments and findings, according to Task;

· Challenges encountered and how they were addressed and resolved, as well as lessons learned;

· Descriptions of the Framework and technical assistance materials developed; and

· Recommendations for future extensions of the effort.

The contractor shall submit a draft of the final report to the COR for feedback two months prior to the end of the contract. The COR will provide feedback within ten days of receipt of the draft. The contractor shall revise the draft based upon the COR’s feedback and submit a final report to the COR no more than ten business days after receipt of the COR’s feedback on the preliminary draft, which shall be no later than one month prior to the end of the contract.

Deliverables:

a) Draft agenda for the kick-off planning meeting

b) Summary of the kick-off planning meeting

c) Monthly meeting agenda items

d) Notes from monthly meetings

e) Eleven (11) quarterly progress reports

f) Draft of the final report

g) Final report Task 2. Convene a Technical Work Group (TWG) The contractor shall convene, within the Washington, DC area, a technical work group (TWG) comprised of subject matter experts (SMEs). The purpose of the TWG is to provide guidance and subject matter expertise to this project. The TWG shall include representatives with expertise relevant to creating, supporting and sustaining place-based models that integrate linguistic, civic and economic support.

The contractor shall identify and recruit no fewer than 12 individuals. Expertise and leadership in the field shall be evidenced by, for example, relevant advanced degrees and years of work for the target population as, for example, a teacher, counselor, researcher, director, community leader, business leader, civic leader, policy director, advocate, or community organizer. The contractor shall submit a list of recommended TWG members along with current resumes or curriculum vitae, no more than eight pages per resume, to the COR within six weeks of award date. The COR will provide feedback to the contractor within seven days.

The contractor shall then proceed with recruiting TWG members based upon COR feedback. The contractor shall submit a roster of confirmed TWG members to the COR within two months of award date. If during the course of the contract, a TWG member needs to withdraw participation, the contractor shall propose a replacement member within 10 days of the member’s withdrawal by submitting the recommended individual’s curriculum vitae to the COR. The COR will provide feedback to the contractor within seven days. The COR has final approval of TWG members.

The contractor shall convene the TWG for no less than three face-to-face meetings throughout the period of performance. The contractor shall coordinate with the COR to ensure that meetings shall be convened at times and places which enable participation of appropriate ED staff. The COR will be responsible for identifying appropriate ED staff and coordinating with them. The contractor shall submit a proposed agenda for each TWG meeting to the COR for review no fewer than 15 days prior to each TWG meeting. The COR shall provide feedback to the contractor within seven days. The final agenda for each meeting shall reflect the COR’s feedback. Within seven days of each TWG meeting, the contractor shall submit a written summary of each meeting including handouts and presentation materials.

The contractor shall support the logistics for all TWG meetings including meeting materials, meeting supplies, and any required facilitators or presenters. Also, since the purpose of the TWG is to provide guidance and subject matter expertise to the government regarding this project, the contractor shall support all travel including airfare (or mileage), lodging (one night per meeting day) and per diem for TWG members, as well as any required presenters or facilitators needed to achieve agenda goals. All meetings will be held at ED facilities; therefore, the COR will coordinate for required audio, visual, or technical equipment and support for such meetings.

Deliverables:

a) List of recommended TWG members

b) Roster of confirmed members recruited for the TWG

c) Draft agendas for three TWG meetings

d) Summary for three TWG meetings Task 3. Design the Technical Assistance Approach Task 3 is comprised of subtasks:

3.1: Articulate a Framework to Guide Technical Assistance 3.2: Create a Technical Assistance Implementation Plan Subtask 3.1: Articulate a Framework to Guide Technical Assistance The contractor shall develop and submit to the COR within 12 weeks of award a Framework to guide provision of technical assistance (see sub-task 3.2 below). The Framework shall be based upon the goal of providing coordinated services to low- and high-skilled immigrants to promote their effective linguistic, civic and economic integration. The Framework shall identify the various services needed by both low- and high-skilled immigrants in order to attain linguistic, civic and economic integration.

ED anticipates that not all of the needed services will be appropriate to be provided under AEFLA. Therefore, the Framework shall clearly and explicitly identify the need for appropriate strategic partnerships. The Framework shall describe the types of potential partnerships, such as partnerships with public and private stakeholders, organizations, and/or educational institutions in order to maximize capacity to serve the linguistic, civic and economic needs of local and regional immigrant populations.[footnoteRef:7] [7: While AEFLA funds may only be used for AEFLA-eligible populations, the sites may coordinate partnerships in order to meet the needs of immigrants who are non-AEFLA-eligible, but whose needs fall under the collective umbrella of linguistic, civic and economic integration services.]

The Framework shall identify recruitment, intake, educational and career counseling, and retention strategies appropriate for both low- and high-skilled immigrants. The Framework shall also outline how traditional adult education services might be appropriately altered to better meet the linguistic, civic and economic integration needs of these two distinct immigrant sub-populations. The Framework shall clearly demonstrate how technology can be leveraged to improve linguistic, civic and economic integration for low- and high-skilled immigrants. The Framework shall also, as appropriate, consider the role of staff/professional development in maximizing linguistic, civic and economic integration for low- and high-skilled immigrants.

The COR will provide feedback on the proposed Framework within ten days. The contractor shall incorporate the feedback and finalize the Framework within twenty days. The contractor shall then work with the COR to implement the approved Framework.

Subtask 3.2: Create a Technical Assistance (TA) Implementation Plan By the sixteenth week after award, the contractor shall submit a preliminary draft TA Implementation Plan to the COR for review. The preliminary TA Implementation Plan shall describe the overall plan for design, coordination and implementation of the project, and include:

· A logic model depicting the planned activities and outcomes of the project[footnoteRef:8]; [8: Refer to: Designing Evaluations at http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-12-208G ]

· The proposed process to identify technical assistance needs of participating sites and engage them in action planning;

· A proposed sequence for technical assistance activities to address needs identified that includes opportunities for both formal and informal collaborative, peer learning;

· Proposed subject matter experts (SMEs) required to address technical assistance needs;

· Schedule for delivering technical assistance to selected sites, including means, modes, and frequency of communication between the contractor and the sites and among sites[footnoteRef:9]; [9: NOTE: It is not the intention of the Department that funds from this project be utilized for website development. A Drupal Commons community of practice, with document storing and sharing capability, will be made available to the project through the LINCS project (see http://lincs.ed.gov; this platform will be relaunched in Drupal code in the summer of 2012). Offerors are encouraged to consider how to maximize the use of the provided platform and minimize other expenditures or efforts on other proprietary or public platforms.]

· Plans to conduct the collection of data and documentation, including any coordination with OMB Paperwork (if necessary);

· Specific roles and responsibilities of the contractor, the sites, and the partners in the collection of data and documentation; and

· A background section indicating how the project is based in knowledge of the field, how it is innovative, and how it represents an integration model.

The preliminary TA Implementation Plan shall clearly reflect OVAE’s vision for the selected sites (see Task 4 below) becoming “transformation zones” where immigrant integration is conducted in ways that strengthen capacity of the community partners to continue to provide integrative services even after the technical assistance support is removed.

The draft TA Implementation Plan shall also provide for the convening of the participating sites/place-based initiatives. At the kick-off and conclusion of the technical assistance phase, the contractor shall plan to convene no less than five representatives from each participating site, and ED staff. These meetings should be planned to maximize the sharing and learning of site staff to ensure effective working relationships, timely communication, and shared sense of ownership of the project throughout the technical assistance phase.

The contractor shall coordinate with the COR to ensure that meetings shall be convened at times and places which enable participation of appropriate ED staff. The COR will be responsible for identifying appropriate ED staff and coordinating with them. The contractor shall submit a proposed agenda for each convening to the COR for review no fewer than 15 days prior to each meeting. The COR shall provide feedback to the contractor within seven days. The final agenda for each meeting shall reflect the COR’s feedback and be submitted within 5 days of the COR’s feedback. Within seven days of each site convening, the contractor shall submit a written summary of each meeting including handouts and presentation materials.

The contractor shall support the logistics for all convenings including materials, supplies, and any required facilitators or presenters. Also, since the purpose of the convening is to provide guidance and subject matter expertise to the government regarding this project, the contractor shall support all travel including airfare (or mileage), lodging (one night per meeting day) and per diem for site staff (no more than five per site), as well as any required presenters or facilitators needed to achieve agenda goals. All meetings will be held at ED facilities; therefore, the COR will coordinate for required audio, visual, or technical equipment and support for such meetings.

The COR will provide feedback on the draft TA Implementation Plan within ten days. The contractor shall incorporate the feedback and finalize the TA Implementation Plan within twenty days. The contractor shall then work with the COR to implement the approved TA Implementation Plan.

Deliverables:

a) Preliminary draft Framework

b) Final Framework

c) Preliminary draft TA Implementation Plan

d) Final TA Implementation Plan

e) Two draft agendas

f) Two final agendas

g) Meeting summary notes from two convenings

Task 4. Recruit and Select Appropriate Place-based Initiatives The contractor shall create a plan to select no fewer than five sites to receive technical assistance. The sites selected shall collectively represent the range of populations, geographic diversity, and needs that are representative of the targeted population, as described in this PWS. The site selection plan shall include proposed outreach and recruitment strategies, timelines, and a proposed process for qualitatively selecting from diverse interested place-based initiatives focused on immigrant integration as discussed in this PWS.

The Plan for Site Selection shall be due to the COR no later than six months from the start of the contract. It shall provide the detailed outlines and timelines for producing:

· Call to the Field announcement of the opportunity;

· A recruitment plan indicating the dissemination channels and mechanisms to be utilized to announce the opportunity and the length of time the call will remain “open”;

· The process and, if applicable, the materials that sites will complete for consideration;

· Process for ensuring the interested sites’ goals/objectives are consistent with ED’s;

· Process and rubric for selecting particular place-based initiatives to receive technical assistance. ED anticipates that, at a minimum, the rubric shall include at least minimum requirements for the potential site’s needs of target population, numbers of participants served, existing partnerships, and resources.

The COR will provide feedback on the proposed site selection plan within ten days. The contractor shall incorporate the feedback and finalize the site selection plan within twenty days. The contractor shall then work with the COR to implement the approved site selection plan.

A Roster of Interested Parties, including any materials submitted by sites along with a cover memo summarizing the information, shall be submitted to the COR within the timeline detailed in the Plan. This deliverable shall indicate the sites that submitted full packages as well as document interim queries from sites that did not submit a full package. The Roster shall be due 15 days after the closing of the application process. The COR will review and provide feedback within ten days.

The contractor shall coordinate with the COR to schedule a teleconference within 15 days with appropriate ED staff to review the submissions and discuss the range of needs represented. The contractor shall submit a summary of the teleconference meeting to the COR within five days. Based on technical direction given during the teleconference, the contractor shall submit a Final Roster of confirmed participating sites, within seven days of the teleconference.

Deliverables:

a) Site Selection Plan

b) Final Site Selection Plan

c) Roster of Interested Parties

d) Summary of Teleconference Meeting

e) Final Roster of Confirmed Participating Sites Task 5. Deliver and Document the Approved Technical Assistance Implementation Plan The contractor shall oversee the implementation of the technical assistance at each site, as set forth in the approved implementation plan. The contractor shall provide oversight to each site via on-going meetings with the site coordinator. On-going meetings may take place in-person, via phone and/or virtually, as described in the approved TA Implementation Plan. At least one meeting for each of the five selected sites shall be in-person and on-site.

The contractor shall document its oversight of the delivery of the technical assistance by maintaining meeting notes that are submitted monthly. The contractor shall document the in-person and on-site meetings at each of the five selected sites with meetings notes, including field notes, such as a description of the site, classroom visits, and staff interviews. The contractor shall submit meeting notes and field notes to the COR within ten days of returning from an on-site visit.

The contractor shall coordinate with participating sites to propose data in order to document the effectiveness of the models and practices in relation to the contract’s purpose and objectives as described in this PWS. Data collection plans must adhere to federal guidelines pertaining to information collection and the Paperwork Reduction Act.[footnoteRef:10] Documentation may include: [10: Refer to: http://ocio.os.doc.gov/ITPolicyandPrograms/Information_Collection/dev01_003742 ]

· Numerical data indicating success or failure rates, in terms of adult student/participant outcomes;

· Interview data with individual students/participants, teachers, staff, employers, community members and other relevant stakeholders;

· Observational data of classroom practices and programmatic activities;

· Samples of student/participant work;

· Survey data with relevant stakeholders; and/or

· Action research data and reports.

The contractor shall, in cooperation with each site, submit a Data Collection Plan within two months of selection. This Plan shall outline the types and quantities of data to be collected, sources and ownership agreements, and detail the roles and responsibilities of the contractor and site staff in the collection and sharing of such data.

The purpose of the data is two-fold: to provide evidence for the effectiveness and/or limitations of the integration model, and to provide a base of evidence for subsequent recommendations regarding replication of these innovative integration practices in other localities.

The COR will provide feedback on the draft Data Collection Plan within ten days. The contractor shall incorporate the feedback and finalize the Data Collection Plan within twenty days. The contractor shall then work with the COR to implement the approved Data Collection Plan.

Building upon the descriptions of each site submitted at time of selection, the Final Report (see Task 6) shall include a case study for each site that includes the collected data and evidence and lessons learned for future implementation efforts.

During the TA implementation phase, the contractor shall coordinate with the COR to schedule four Quarterly Progress Briefings by teleconference with appropriate ED staff to review the technical assistance and discuss the sites’ progress. The contractor shall submit a summary of the teleconference meeting to the COR within five days.

Deliverables:

a) Monthly Site Meeting Notes

b) Draft Data Collection Plan

c) Final Data Collection Plan

d) Four Quarterly Progress Briefings

e) Four Progress Briefing summary notes

Task 6. Disseminate the Design and Lessons Learned from Implementation In consultation with the COR and based upon lessons learned from this project, the contractor shall disseminate information about promising practices in immigrant integration through multiple venues. The contractor shall present annually at national adult education conferences, participate in online discussions, and develop written summaries so that states can learn about promising practices in immigrant integration. The contractor shall consult with the COR on appropriate topics, venues and formats.

Within 12 weeks of each national conference, the contractor shall meet with the COR to identify areas on which to focus the session and the development of the activities and materials. Based on technical direction, progress on the materials development should be provided in monthly progress report calls.

Within five weeks of the national meeting, the contractor shall submit the draft participant/facilitator materials. The COR shall review the draft materials and provide any necessary comments within five days of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from the COR’s comments and submit the final meeting materials for approval within seven days of the national meeting.

In addition, the contractor shall make experts (project staff or SMEs) available to serve as guest facilitators for up to two, one-week discussions on the LINCS communities of practice (formerly listservs). The timing and focus of the discussions shall be determined in collaboration with the COR and will depend upon developments within the technical assistance and integration models. Once timing and topics are determined and at least one month before the scheduled online discussion, an outline of the announcement, materials to be shares, and points to elaborate during the guest appearance shall be submitted to the COR for review. The COR shall review the draft materials and provide comments within five days of receipt. The contractor shall incorporate any revisions resulting from the COR’s comments and submit the materials to the LINCS community of practice moderator and COR.

The contractor shall submit two Summary Reports, up to 30 pages each, plus references and appendices, that share lessons learned summarizing the programs, practices, outcomes and impact of the project components, in order to serve as a resource for replication of programs and practices. These Reports will be intended for publication and public discussion and promotion (in contrast to the contract’s final report in Task 1). The outline, format, and content shall be determined in collaboration with OVAE leadership in an initial teleconference briefing in the thirtieth month of the contract. Technical direction provided at this time should inform the initial outlines.

These Summaries may include, but are not limited to, components such as:

· An Executive Summary

· The Purpose of the project

· Description of the target population(s), including challenges and needs

· Description of the site selection process, including how selection was directly related to the contract’s purpose and objectives

· Description of the partnership formations and coordination, in relation to contract’s purpose and objectives, including the role and responsibility of each partner

· Explication of the program models and practices, including the theoretical and research-base of these models and practices

· Explication of the program implementation at each of the sites, presented as case studies, including initial plans, data collection, collection method, description of data analysis, challenges encountered, how challenges were addressed and resolved, remaining challenges and questions yet to be resolved

· Cross-case discussion and analysis of the data and the documentation collected, particularly as related to the contract’s purpose and objectives

· Recommendations for replication of models and practices in different localities and regions

· Appendices including supplementary materials, such as appropriate artifacts

· Recommended links and resources

· Bibliography These summaries shall be well grounded in the theoretical and empirical research literature, as appropriate, to demonstrate the grounding of the technical assistance in best practices in the adult education field. The discussion section and the recommendations section should be well grounded in and evidenced-by the data and documentation collected from the technical assistance.

The contractor shall submit an outline of the two Summaries to the COR for feedback ten days after the briefing. The COR will provide feedback within ten business days of receipt of the outline. The contractor shall submit a draft, based on the COR’s feedback on the outline, within 20 days. The COR will submit feedback within 10 days. The contractor shall submit a final report to the COR no more than 15 days after receipt of the COR’s feedback on the preliminary draft, which shall be no later than one month prior to the end of the contract.

Deliverables:

a) Meeting materials for three national adult education conferences

b) Draft participant/facilitator materials

c) Final participant/facilitator materials

d) Draft online communities of practice materials

e) Outlines for two Summary Reports

f) Drafts for two Summary Reports

g) Two final Summary Reports

Deliverable Schedule Task 1. Manage the Project

Task 2. Convene a Technical Work Group (TWG)

Task 3. Design the Technical Assistance Approach

Task 4. Recruit and Select Appropriate Place-based Initiatives

Task 5. Deliver and Document the Approved Technical Assistance Implementation Plan

Task 6. Disseminate the Design and Lessons Learned from Implementation

NOTES:

(1) All major products and deliverables will need explicit clearance by Office of the Assistant Secretary, ED/OVAE, prior to public release. All reports shall conform to the guidelines stated in ED’s Guide to Publishing at the U.S. Department of Education at http://www2.ed.gov/internal/PubGuide.pdf.

The Department of Education recommends the following sources for editing: for spelling – Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, for abbreviations, capitalization, dates, numerals, usage and titles – Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, and for bibliographies and footnotes – Chicago Style Manual.

(2) The contractor shall provide all deliverables (all products and web materials) intended for posting on the Department’s website in accordance with the following:

Note: Large documents for which the PDF file exceeds five megabytes in size shall also be provided in multiple PDF files that subdivide the document into logical units each smaller than one megabyte.

Deliverables that are created specifically for the web and do not have published counterparts in print form shall follow the same guidelines. Hardcopy shall be submitted along with the electronic files through appropriate Department clearance and sign-off requirements, which will be the same as or equivalent to those for publications. Deliverables shall meet the requirements for posting on ED.gov stated in the ―ED.gov Management and Publishing Policies: http://www2.ed.gov/internal/wwwstds.html