Request for Proposals
This Request for Proposals is for person or firm to conduct evaluations of three Public Broadcasting Service ("PBS") TeacherLine courses for childcare providers and early childhood educators and three technological enhancement projects to improve and augment their outreach to young children and their caregivers. This project is time sensitive and must be completed no later than September 14, 2010.
The three TeacherLine Courses were developed by PBS and are listed in PBS's Teacherline course catalog. Each course is 15-hours long and takes place over a six week period. The first two courses, Preparing Preschoolers for Success (RDLA051) and Ready to Read and Write with Digital Media (RDLA056), focus on helping preschool instructors and caregivers learn how to use digital media (PBS programming and online resources, in particular) to help preschoolers develop early literacy skills. The first course launched in 2007 and was formatively evaluated by Education Development Center. The second course, which launched in 2009, was constructed with the benefit of lessons learned from the formative evaluation of the first course. The third course, Ready to Spark Word Power, which is currently scheduled to launch in February 2010, is designed to provide after-school providers with practical strategies to help struggling and reluctant early readers (children ages 6 to 9) become more proficient readers.
The Online Professional Development component of this RFP entails conducting summative evaluations of the first two courses and a formative evaluation of the third course.
CPB anticipates funding three Ready to Learn properties (WordWorld, The Electric Company, and Super WHY! Reading Camps) to develop a unique set of technology-based tools to reach a designated audience. These technological enhancement projects vary significantly in the type of educational material being developed, the type of media used, and in the method of reaching the target audience. However, the primary goal of all three is to increase young children's exposure to high-quality literacy content.
The Technological Enhancement Projects component of this RFP entails conducting a process/utilization evaluation that examines how each newly developed product supports adults in enhancing children's early literacy experiences.