[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21873-21877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-9485]
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Notice Inviting Proposals for Taking Ownership and Operation of
the TEACH Campaign
AGENCY: Office of Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice inviting proposals for ownership and operation of the
TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting effort and the maintenance and
operation of the Web Portal.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Education (Department) has set a goal
for the United States to lead the world in completion of postsecondary
education by 2020. The Department recognizes that the most significant
in-school-factor in a student's education is his or her teacher, and
wants to
[[Page 21874]]
encourage a large and diverse group of high-performing individuals to
pursue a career in teaching. As one strategy to reach this goal, the
Department launched the TEACH Campaign--a national teacher recruiting
effort with the goal of contributing to a high-performing and more
diverse teaching force by linking prospective teachers to opportunities
for preparation, licensure, and employment. Through a contract, the
Department launched the TEACH Campaign using traditional media, digital
media, social networking, and direct outreach and follow-up activities
with potential and current teachers, and supported it with a Web-based
portal (http://www.teach.gov, and associated social networking accounts
with YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, collectively referred to as the
``Web Portal'') that is available for use by potential and currently
employed teachers for free. The TEACH Campaign (i) targets individuals
between the ages of 18 and 25, especially those who are potential high-
performers and are among populations under-represented in the teaching
profession or are individuals interested in teaching English learners,
students with disabilities, or in the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in underserved communities (the
targeted populations), (ii) strives to enhance public perception of
teachers, and (iii) develops support for new and already-practicing
teachers. The TEACH Campaign, which is supported through the Web
Portal, is based on a comprehensive strategic communications plan,
which includes a clear and identifiable ``brand,'' celebrity and
teacher public service announcements that are disseminated through
multiple formats (e.g., traditional media, digital media, and social
networks), and direct outreach and follow-up activities with potential
teachers. The Web Portal is designed to improve the recruitment,
training, mentoring, retention, and placement of teachers.
The Department plans to transfer ownership and operation of the
TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting effort and the Web Portal, to
an entity or to a group of entities that enter into an agreement to
collaborate, form a consortium, or establish a partnership (entity)
that works outside of the Federal Government and that would, with its
own resources, execute and continuously improve an excellent and
effective teacher recruiting effort, continuously improve a highly
visible and useful Web Portal, and continue to make the Web Portal
available at all times to potential and currently employed teachers for
free. Through this notice, we are inviting proposals from entities
interested in owning and operating the TEACH Campaign, including the
recruiting effort and the Web Portal.
DATES: To ensure that your proposal receives consideration, it must be
received by the Department no later than May 19, 2011. The Department
would like to announce the selected entity on or about June 20, 2011.
Please inform us via e-mail by May 4, 2011, if you intend to submit
a proposal. Notification of your intent to submit a proposal will help
the Department prepare for the review process. Please note that you may
still submit a proposal if you do not indicate that you intend to
apply. Instructions for submitting a proposal are set forth in the
Submission Requirements section later in this notice.
Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or
auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should e-mail
[email protected]. If the Department provides an accommodation or
auxiliary aid to an individual with a disability in connection with the
application process, the individual's proposal remains subject to all
other requirements and limitations in this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please send
an e-mail to: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Through the fiscal year 2009 appropriation under the School
Improvement Programs account, Congress authorized the Secretary of
Education to carry out activities, such as the TEACH Campaign, to
improve the recruitment, training, mentoring, retention, and placement
of teachers in order to improve educational outcomes. See Public Law
111-8, Division F, Title III, March 11, 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act
(Act), Div. F, Title III, School Improvement Programs, Section 4,
preceding Division A of the Act, and the House Manager's Explanatory
Statement, published in the Congressional Record on February 23, 2009,
which provided the following: ``In addition, up to $7,500,000 shall be
available for the Secretary to use for teacher and principal quality
initiatives designed to improve recruitment, training, mentoring,
retention, and placement, and transform education outcomes.''
To achieve the ultimate goal of once again leading the world in
college completion by 2020, the Department, through a contract,
designed and created the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting
effort and the Web Portal. The recruiting effort and the Web Portal
were designed to, among other things: (i) Increase interest in, and
access to, the tools needed to prepare for and secure a position in the
teaching profession, particularly among the targeted populations, (ii)
enhance the public perception of teachers, and (iii) develop support
for new and already practicing teachers. The Web Portal was launched on
September 27, 2010, and continues to be available to potential and
currently employed teachers for free.
The Department believes that the effectiveness of the TEACH
Campaign would be significantly enhanced--that is, would provide long-
lasting benefits to the targeted populations and to the Nation--if an
outside entity assumed responsibility for ownership and continued
operation of the recruiting effort and the Web Portal. The Department
will provide the selected entity with information we gathered on the
early use of the recruiting effort and the Web Portal, including on the
costs of operation and the audiences that have accessed the Web site,
in order to help the entity effectively maintain, operate, and enhance
the Web Portal and improve the recruiting effort. In addition, the
Department will, through a transfer agreement signed by the Department
and the selected entity, set forth the terms of the transfer of
ownership of the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting effort and
the Web Portal, to an entity outside of the Federal Government, and the
operation of the TEACH Campaign and the Web Portal by that entity with
the entity's own resources.
Some of the key provisions of the transfer agreement will be the
following:
Objective. The transfer agreement will require the selected entity
to agree that the objective of the TEACH Campaign is to (i) recruit
more than a million total new teachers, with an emphasis on recruiting
members of the targeted populations, (ii) enhance public perception of
teachers, and (iii) develop support for new and already-practicing
teachers (the Objective).
Privacy Policy. The transfer agreement will require, among other
things, that the selected entity include on the Web Portal a privacy
policy that protects the privacy of the users and limits the selected
entity's use of users' data. Further, the transfer agreement will
require that any data about users that the Department transfers to the
selected
[[Page 21875]]
entity will be used only for the purpose of improving the recruitment,
training, mentoring, retention, and placement of teachers in order to
improve educational outcomes and will not be used for another purpose
without the consent of the user.
Trademarks. The Department has created trademarks to identify and
distinguish the TEACH Campaign (Trademarks). Pursuant to the
transfer agreement, the Department will assign all rights in the
Trademarks to the selected entity.
Web Address. Because the Web Portal is currently registered as a
``.gov'' domain and ``.gov'' domains are only available to official
government organizations, the selected entity must re-register the Web
Portal with an alternate domain that is appropriate (e.g., .org, .com,
or .edu).
Responsibilities of the Selected Entity. The duties of the selected
entity will include, at a minimum:
(1) Making the Web Portal readily available at all times to
potential and currently employed teachers for free.
(2) Solving any implementation problems in order to keep the
recruiting effort and the Web Portal operating in at least the same
condition in which they are transferred to the entity.
(3) Enhancing the overall quality of the recruiting effort and the
Web Portal, including but not limited to, enhancing the content made
available through each, such as providing better information on how to
become a teacher, on State certification processes, and on job
listings.
(4) Identifying new populations of potential teachers (e.g.,
members of the military, mid-career professionals, and recent
retirees), while continuing to reach out to the targeted populations
identified in this notice.
(5) Continuing and enhancing outreach efforts designed to elevate
the public perception of teaching and through traditional and digital
marketing and outreach strategies.
(6) Continuing and enhancing direct outreach and follow-up
activities with the targeted populations through, for example, public
events and other programming.
(7) Building business partnerships and coalitions that will help
develop the TEACH Campaign into a nationally prominent effort to bring
a large number of high-performing individuals into the next generation
of teachers, including individuals from the targeted populations.
Based on these general expectations, an entity interested in
acquiring ownership and operation of the TEACH Campaign, including the
recruiting effort and the maintenance and operation of the Web Portal,
should submit a proposal that addresses the following key factors,
which are designed to enable an entity to demonstrate its ability to
recruit teachers, its prior success in executing large projects, and
its ability to effectively manage the TEACH Campaign, including the
recruiting effort and the Web Portal.
Key Factors
The entity's proposal must include evidence that the entity will
meet the following factors:
(1) The entity's ability to increase interest in, and access to,
the teaching profession among the targeted populations.
(2) The entity's ability to achieve established goals, including
prior success in executing large projects.
(3) The entity's planned use of a privacy policy that protects the
privacy interests of the users of the Web Portal; limits the entity's
use of users' data; and ensures that any data about users that the
Department transfers to the selected entity will be used only for the
purpose of achieving the Objective and will not be used for any other
purpose without the consent of the user.
(4) Demonstrated substantive interest in the goals of the TEACH
Campaign and an expertise in recruitment.
(5) Demonstrated capacity to complete a recruiting effort, or
demonstrated willingness to enter into a partnership with an entity
with such capacity.
(6) Demonstrated organizational capacity to conduct direct outreach
to, and follow-up efforts with, the targeted populations, or
demonstrated willingness to enter into a partnership with an entity
with such capacity.
(7) Entity's capacity to enter into partnerships with partners or
potential partners, who can supplement and enhance the entity's ability
to establish a successful recruiting effort.
(8) The technological infrastructure and other resources to operate
and maintain effectively the TEACH Campaign, including the Web Portal,
and make it available to potential and currently employed teachers for
free.
(9) A proposed system for measuring the entity's success in meeting
the Objective.
(10) Evidence of the entity's fiscal and management capabilities.
The Department will use the following criteria to evaluate how well
the proposals submitted in response to this notice address these Key
Factors.
Note: The maximum total score any proposal can receive is 100
points. The maximum score for each criterion is indicated in
parentheses below.
Organizational Capacity (25 Points)
(1) The extent to which the entity describes a comprehensive vision
for an enduring recruiting and outreach effort that at a minimum meets
the Objective.
(2) The quality of the proposed project personnel, and the extent
to which the personnel have the appropriate qualifications,
competencies, and experience in the management of (i) a recruiting
effort that includes traditional media, digital media, social
networking, and direct outreach and follow-up activities with
prospective teachers, and (ii) the operation and maintenance of the Web
Portal in a manner that achieves the Objective.
(3) The extent to which the entity (i) has the technological and
financial resources, and skills to maintain and operate the TEACH
Campaign, including the Web Portal, and ensure that the Web Portal is
made available to potential and currently employed teachers for free,
(ii) has the capacity to develop and execute a recruiting effort that
includes traditional media, digital media, social networking, and
direct outreach and follow-up activities with prospective teachers and
(iii) has the resources and capability to meet the Objective.
(4) The extent to which the entity demonstrates the ability to
enter into partnerships and coalitions that will help develop the
project into a nationally prominent movement to recruit a large, high-
performing and diverse group of individuals into the next generation of
teachers.
Management Plan (25 Points)
(1) The extent to which the entity provides a comprehensive
description of the proposed plan in a clear and sequential fashion for
(i) accomplishing all of the responsibilities listed in the
Responsibilities of the Selected Entity section of this notice, (ii)
effectively managing the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting
effort and the Web Portal, and (iii) enhancing and continuing operation
of the recruiting effort and the Web Portal.
(2) The extent to which the entity's proposed system for evaluating
its success in meeting the Objective is likely to produce data that
accurately measure its success in recruiting more than a million total
new teachers, including teachers from the targeted populations.
(3) The extent to which the entity's privacy policy to protect the
users of the Web Portal is effective, limits the entity's use of users'
data, and ensures
[[Page 21876]]
that any data about users that the Department transfers to the selected
entity will be used only for the purpose of improving the recruitment,
training, mentoring, retention, and placement of teachers in order to
improve educational outcomes and will not be used for any other purpose
without the consent of the user.
(4) The extent to which the time commitments of the entity's staff
are appropriate to operate and maintain the TEACH Campaign, including
the Web Portal, and an effective recruiting effort that includes
traditional media, digital media, social networking, and direct
outreach and follow-up activities with prospective teachers.
Outreach Efforts (25 Points)
(1) The quality of the entity's marketing and outreach plan for the
TEACH Campaign, which includes a description of the goals of raising
the public perception of teachers and of the TEACH Campaign's
Objective.
(2) The extent to which the entity demonstrates the ability and
prior success in executing large efforts of this type.
(3) The extent to which the entity demonstrates strong familiarity
with and success in using traditional media, digital media, and social
media campaigns and how it plans to maintain active communities via
social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, email lists, and
bulletin boards to encourage new users to engage with the TEACH
Campaign and encourage return visits to the Web Portal.
(4) The extent to which the entity demonstrates a thorough
understanding of the targeted populations of potential and current
teachers.
(5) The quality of the entity's plan for continuing and enhancing
direct outreach and follow-up activities with the targeted populations
(through, for example, organizing public events and other programming).
The Web Portal (25 Points)
(1) The quality of the entity's plan and vision for the enhancement
and continued operation of the Web Portal.
(2) The extent to which the entity demonstrates that it has the
technological and financial resources and skills to maintain and
operate the Web Portal, and to ensure that the Web portal is made
available to potential and currently employed teachers for free in
perpetuity.
(3) The extent to which the entity demonstrates the capability to
aggregate content and data regarding the full cycle of becoming a
teacher (e.g., teacher preparation institutions, scholarships, State
certification processes, and job listings) and publish and maintain up-
to-date and useful information for potential and current teachers.
(4) The extent to which the entity demonstrates the ability to
integrate the Web Portal into off-line (e.g., radio, print, and
television) and on-line (e.g., search engine, video, and video games)
advertising and promotion campaigns.
(5) The extent to which the entity provides credible evidence that
the management of personnel, partners and potential partners, physical
resources, activities, and work production will result in a robust and
high-quality Web Portal with a 99.99 percent ``uptime rate'' exclusive
of published maintenance periods and inclusive of clear communication
to users of what to expect in the event of technical difficulties.
(6) The quality of the entity's plan for monitoring and evaluating
the intended use, effectiveness, and improvements of the Web Portal.
Interests of the Federal Government
To protect the Department's interests in the TEACH Campaign,
including the Web Portal and the Trademarks, the selected entity must
provide a written assurance executed by an appropriate officer that--
(1) The entity acknowledges that the Department will assign to the
selected entity ownership and operation of the TEACH Campaign,
including the Web Portal and all rights and interests it possesses in
the data and content therein, as well as the Trademarks, including all
rights and interests possessed therein.
(2) The entity agrees to own and operate the TEACH Campaign,
including the Web Portal and the Trademarks, consistent with its
proposal and with the purposes and provisions of this notice.
(3) The entity agrees, per calendar year, to submit three quarterly
reports and an annual report regarding the operation, audience, and use
of the TEACH Campaign, including the Web Portal, in such detail as the
Department specifies in the transfer agreement until the Department and
the entity mutually agree in writing that the selected entity achieved
the Objective.
(4) The entity acknowledges that if it fails to comply with the
transfer agreement at any time prior to achieving the Objective, all
rights and interests in all data and content of the TEACH Campaign,
including the Web Portal, and any improvements thereto; all
intellectual property rights, including the Trademarks; and all
databases needed to operate the TEACH Campaign and the Web Portal will
revert back to the Department at no cost to the Department (Reversion).
In the event of a Reversion, the Department can transfer ownership,
operation, and interests in the TEACH Campaign, the Web Portal, and the
Trademarks, to another entity in accordance with a notice published in
the Federal Register.
Termination of Certain Rights, Duties, and Obligations
All duties, obligations, and restrictions of the selected entity,
as specified in the transfer agreement, including, but not limited to,
the selected entity's obligation to provide quarterly and annual
reports to the Department, and the Department's right to repossess the
TEACH Campaign, including the Web Portal and the Trademarks, will end
upon the Department's and the selected entity's mutual written
determination that the selected entity achieved the Objective.
Availability of Funds
The Department anticipates that there will not be any Federal funds
available to support the TEACH Campaign, including the Web Portal, once
ownership and operation are transferred from the Federal Government to
the selected entity. Upon the transfer, the TEACH Campaign, including
the Web Portal will be the sole responsibility of the selected entity
to bear all costs associated with ownership and operation thereof.
Other Required Information in Proposals
Proposals submitted in response to this notice also must include
the following information:
(1) Name, address, and contact information for the entity
submitting the proposal.
(2) Mission statement of the entity.
(3) The entity's current Web site URL.
(4) The most recent audited information (such as that contained in
a consolidated financial statement) regarding the financial condition
and other capabilities of the entity.
(5) Description of existing programs owned and operated by the
entity that could support the entity in achieving the goals of the
TEACH Campaign, including the Web Portal.
Submission Requirements: Interested entities must submit a proposal
for owning and operating the TEACH Campaign, including the recruiting
effort and the maintenance and operation of the Web Portal, that
addresses the factors and associated criteria outlined in this notice.
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Proposals may be submitted electronically or in paper format by mail or
hand delivery. We will not consider any proposal that does not comply
with the deadline requirements.
a. Electronic Submission of Proposals. If you choose to submit your
proposal to us electronically, email your proposal to [email protected].
Please note the following:
You must complete the electronic submission of your
proposal by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on May 19, 2011.
You will not receive additional point value because you
submit your proposal in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if
you submit your proposal in paper format.
You must submit all documents electronically, including
any narrative sections and all other attachments to your proposal as
files in a .PDF (Portable Document) format only. If you upload a file
type other than a .PDF or submit a password-protected file, we will not
review that material.
Prior to submitting your electronic proposal, you may wish
to print a copy of it for your records.
We may request that you provide us original signatures on
other documents at a later date.
Deadline Date Extension in Case of System Unavailability: If you
are prevented from electronically submitting your proposal on the
deadline date because [email protected] was unavailable, we will grant
you an extension of one business day to enable you to transmit your
proposal electronically, by mail, or by hand delivery. We will grant
this extension if--
[email protected] was unavailable for 60 minutes or more
between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on
the deadline date; or
[email protected] was unavailable for any period of time
between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the deadline
date.
We must acknowledge and confirm these periods of unavailability
before granting you an extension. To request this extension or to
confirm our acknowledgment of any system unavailability, you may e-mail
[email protected]. If [email protected] was unavailable due to technical
problems with the system and, therefore, the proposal deadline is
extended, an e-mail will be sent to all entities that informed the
Department that they intended to submit a proposal.
Extensions referred to in this section apply only to the
unavailability of [email protected]. If [email protected] is available,
and, for any reason, you are unable to submit your proposal
electronically, you may submit your proposal in paper format by mail or
hand delivery in accordance with the instructions in this notice.
b. Submission of Paper Copies of Proposals by Mail. If you submit
your proposal in paper format by mail (through the U.S. Postal Service
or a commercial carrier), you must mail the original and two copies of
your proposal, on or before the proposal deadline date, to the
Department at the following address: The TEACH Campaign, Office of
Innovation and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20202-5930.
You must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(i) A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(ii) A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the
U.S. Postal Service.
(iii) A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial
carrier.
(iv) Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the
U.S. Department of Education.
If you mail your proposal through the U.S. Postal Service, note
that the Department does not accept either of the following as proof of
mailing:
(i) A private metered postmark.
(ii) A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service.
If your proposal is postmarked after the proposal deadline date, we
will not consider your proposal.
Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated
postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your
local post office.
c. Submission of Paper Copies of Proposals by Hand Delivery. If you
submit your proposal in paper format by hand delivery, you (or a
courier service) must deliver the original and two copies of your
proposal by hand, on or before the deadline date, to the Department at
the following address: The TEACH Campaign, Office of Innovation and
Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW.,
Washington, DC 20202-5930.
The Department accepts hand deliveries daily between 8:00 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal
holidays.
Electronic Access to This Document: The official version of this
document is the document published in the Federal Register. Free
Internet access to the official edition of the Federal Register and the
Code of Federal Regulations is available via the Federal Digital System
at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys. At this site you can view this document,
as well as all other documents of this Department published in the
Federal Register, in text or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). To
use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at
the site.
Dated: April 14, 2011.
James H. Shelton, III,
Assistant Deputy Secretary for Innovation and Improvement.
[FR Doc. 2011-9485 Filed 4-18-11; 8:45 am]
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