REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: COMPACT BLUE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT

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1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: COMPACT BLUE PROGRAM MANAGEMENT Background Compact Blue is an innovative program recently approved for $4 million in grant funding by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Compact Blue will establish a new approach to supporting and developing teachers and principals in all DPS schools, both district-managed and charter. Over a 3.5 year period, Compact Blue seeks to achieve the following outcomes: 1) Increasing the number of high-performing schools in Denver; 2) Institutionalizing structures to support the identification and cross-pollination of best practices across all schools, regardless of governance structure. Compact Blue initiatives will engage district-run and charter schools in authentic and purposeful collaboration. Please refer to the Appendix A: Compact Blue Program for more detailed information about Compact Blue. Compact Blue emanated from and intentionally builds upon the charge of Denver s Collaborative Council. The Collaborative Council was formed to institutionalize collaboration between the charter school community and DPS while providing meaningful leadership and support to policy initiatives. Overview This RFP seeks to identify a partner organization to provide program management services for Compact Blue. The partner organization will be responsible for coordinating the key program activities of the grant, including structuring and rolling out the Peer-to-Peer learning program among district-run and charter schools. The partner organization may choose to identify a lead Project Manager, or may design a staffing structure that includes leadership and support from multiple individuals. The partner organization will be primarily accountable to the Denver Collaborative Council, though the partner organization will also be responsible for engaging with the Compact Blue Advisory Board. The DPS Foundation will manage all grant proceeds and financial reporting related to this grant. The partner organization will not manage the financial accounting and reporting aspects of the grant. Terms & Duration The grant period commenced in December of 2012 and will run through the school year. The initial contract for program management awarded based on response to this RFP will be from the point of award (approximately March 1, 2013) through June 30, 2014, representing the first 1.5 years of the grant period. Ideally, the same partner organization will manage the project for the remaining two years of the grant period. In the spring of 2014, performance relative to the scope of work will be assessed and the contract will either conclude or renew at that point. Should the contract conclude, DPS will issue a second RFP. Partner Organization Role The partner organization selected to manage Compact Blue will be responsible for the following core responsibilities. The organization may choose to staff the project as they desire, within the provided budget, so long as they can demonstrate the ability to complete the following key responsibilities. As a note, respondents may choose to create a proposal to fulfill all or some of the responsibilities outlined herein. Program Management February Office of School Reform & Innovation

2 o Using the Compact Blue Grant Agreement & original Compact Blue Proposal as a guide, manage the implementation of the vision and plan outlined in those two documents. o Create all necessary processes and schedules in order to deliver on the milestones outlined in the Grant Agreement. o Operate within the program budget and partner with the fiscal agent to develop necessary financial reports. o Design the application process for participant schools and facilitate the review of participant applications by the Compact Blue Advisory Board. o Coordinate an Implementation Task Force to supply tactical advice and coordination to the project, based on in-depth knowledge of the participant schools and existing related programs in the district. Program Accountability o Track and report on the progress of the program to the Collaborative Council and the Compact Blue Advisory Board o Ensure the program promotes high-quality learning and professional growth for all participants, with an aim on achieving program performance outcomes. o Per the program plans, collaborate with third parties who may be engaged by the Collaborative Council to conduct analysis on the data and outcomes related to the program Stakeholder Communications & Marketing o Develop regular communications to share with key groups (e.g., Collaborative Council, Compact Blue Advisory Board, DPS Foundation, Participant Schools, community partners, etc.) o Develop tools to recruit and solicit participation from Principals and teachers in schools o Collaborate with the DPS Foundation to develop reports on the program progress that will be shared with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Human Resources o Hire, supervise and manage any personnel necessary to complete the scope of work outlined above Roles of Other Key Parties Denver Collaborative Council o Select & evaluate partner organization o Provide strategic direction and oversight o Manage relationship with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation o More info about the Collaborative Council: Compact Blue Advisory Board o Select schools (Principals and teachers) for participation Denver Public Schools Foundation o Serve as fiscal agent for all grant funds Compact Blue Implementation Task Force o Provide continued oversight of grant work February Office of School Reform & Innovation

3 o Offer guidance and support to partner organization Milestones These are a selection of key milestones in the implementation of Compact Blue that the partner organization selected would be responsible for achieving. For a more detailed list of milestones, please request the full grant agreement from DPS. Launch of Peer-to-Peer Learning Labs, to eventually include up 50 schools and 400 participants: Summer 2013 Mentee Schools participating in PPLL will increase performance on SPF by 15%: Beginning in and continuing throughout the grant period Establish 16 new programs serving high needs students in Denver charter schools, and students who participate in these programs Begin in with 4 new programs and complete by end of rant Selection Criteria All proposals will be evaluated by the Denver Collaborative Council based on the organization s ability to demonstrate the following: Track record of project management Knowledge of and experience in the local Denver education landscape No allegiance to particular school governance type Experience working in adult learning Demonstrated skills to gather buy-in from multiple stakeholders Ability to provide human resources and supervisory support to staff members assigned to Compact Blue Capacity to carry out all tasks outlined in the scope of work within the assigned budget Proposal Components In order to be considered for selection all proposals must include the following: Organization Background (i.e., history, mission, current size, key initiatives) Brief Narrative on how organization meets selection criteria Staffing Plan Proposed Budget for how the approximately $100,000 annually would be spent Any potential conflicts of Interest and policy to disclose and address conflicts that may arise Partner organization selection will provide equal opportunity without regard to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age or disability. Process and Timeline All applications will be reviewed by DPS Staff and the Compact Blue Steering Committee, with the Steering Committee making the final selection. The process and timeline will be as follows: February 12, 2013: RFP Released February 21, 2013: Proposals Due to Alyssa_Whitehead-Bust@dpsk12.org by 5pm. February 22, 2013: Candidates contacted for interviews February 26, 2013: Interviews February Office of School Reform & Innovation

4 March 1, 2013: Final decisions made and applicants notified February Office of School Reform & Innovation

5 Appendix A: Compact Blue Program Compact Blue initiatives aim to incubate and accelerate the use of highly effective, data-driven, instructional practices to produce substantial gains in student achievement and ensure equitable access for all students to high quality educational options. Compact Blue is comprised of the following two programs: 1. Incubating and Accelerating Data Driven Instructional Practice Peer-to-Peer Learning Labs (PPLL) for Data Driven Instruction and Leadership: The PPLLs pair highly effective mentor schools (Blue and high Green schools on the SPF) with less effective mentee schools (low Green and high Yellow schools) for intensive job-embedded learning focused on improving instructional practices and driving increased student achievement. Following a set of overarching program beliefs and guidelines, the PPLLs will be designed and owned by participating schools, with the Compact Blue project management team and the Advisory Board sharing support, monitoring and oversight responsibilities. In exchange for this flexibility, participants will be held accountable to set of program deliverables and short and longer-term performance metrics. More specifically, Compact Blue emphasizes providing teachers and leaders the flexibility to make decisions on how best to develop their craft and how to best serve kids. Compact Blue emphasizes replacing isolated practice and one-size fits all adult learning with school-based collaboration, autonomy and accountability where teachers and principals own the successes and failures of their students. In addition to impacting the schools that directly participate in the programs described below, Compact Blue seeks to elevate the performance of the entire Denver system of schools by creating sustainable mechanisms that support future collaboration, peer-to-peer learning, and diffusion of effective practices across the district February Office of School Reform & Innovation