Request for Proposals Introduction

Mastery Charter Schools is inviting local external organizations to provide engaging, high quality and fun in-person enrichment programming to our K-12 students this summer.  These services will complement Mastery-led K-12 academic programming across our schools.  This spring, Mastery campuses will gather registration information from families and students to inform planning.

Contingent upon funding, Mastery anticipates the contract term to be from approximately June 10 – August 2, 2024

Mastery is seeking to partner with high-quality external organizations with the capacity, talent, expertise and experience to deliver outstanding summer programming to our students in Philadelphia and/or Camden.

 

Background on Mastery Charter Schools

At Mastery Charter Schools, we believe educational inequity is the most pressing social problem facing our country and the civil rights issue of our day. Mastery exists to help solve this problem. Our ultimate goal is to create a model urban school district that serves all students with excellence. We are organized around one driving mission: All students learn the academic and personal skills they need to be truly prepared for postsecondary success and able to pursue their dreams. To fulfill this mission, we attend to the whole child – academically and emotionally – matching high expectations for students with high levels of support.

Mastery Charter Schools is a nonprofit network of more than 24 schools serving over 14,000 students in Philadelphia and Camden.   We are the largest turnaround school operator in the nation and have been lauded by President Obama and the US Department of Education for our ability to dramatically boost academic achievement in historically low-performing schools.

We know neighborhood schools matter and that all students deserve access to a great education.

 

Mastery’s Vision for Summer Learning

All Mastery schools will provide K-12 students with robust summer learning programming that includes:

• Engaging, joyful and student-centered instruction
• Fun and engaging enrichment opportunities aligned with student interests
• Meaningful two-way partnerships with families & students

 

Scope of Services

We are seeking organizations able to provide support in staffing and operating summer programs according to the following parameters:

• Program Components: We are seeking organizations that may provide one or more of the following programs to our students. In your proposal, please clearly state which of these services you plan to offer (which may can include one or more component depending on the capabilities of your organization):
  • Academic enrichment programming (Ex. Science, social studies, STEM, coding, robotics, social justice, music, dance, art, electives, etc.) for interested students
  • Non-academic programming (Ex. Play, sports, swimming, etc.) for interested students
• Program Delivery: Organizations must deliver programming in-person to students (no virtual programming or hybrid programming options)
• Age Group: We are seeking organizations that can provide programming to K-12 students. Please specify in your proposal which ages and grade bands your services will support.
• Scale: Organizations should clearly state the total number of students and/or schools they can support through their services.
• Program Dates: In-person programming housed at Mastery campuses should be offered to students from July 8 – 31, 2024.
• Daily Hours: Organizations should provide summer programming that fits within the bounds of a typical school day with a start time of 8:30 am and end time by 3:30 pm on weekdays. Typically, Mastery schools prefer to provide academic programming in the morning and enrichment programming in the afternoon. There is flexibility on daily hours of programming based on constraints identified by organizations in their proposal.
• Program Location: Mastery prefers that programs be offered directly at one of our campuses so that students can participate in Mastery-led academic programming in the morning and enrichment programming led by external organization partners in the afternoons. We will also consider proposals for programs provided at external locations in close proximity to the schools and neighborhoods we serve.
• Tracking Program Participation & Effectiveness: Organizations will need to closely monitor and maintain accurate records for student enrollment, attendance and participation and agree to administer a Mastery perception survey to families and students and share data with Mastery staff.
• Materials: Students will have access to computers and consistent Internet access at our campuses if needed to support enrichment programming. Organizations should provide any additional curricular materials and/or any equipment required to operate programs to Mastery students.
• Meals: Mastery will be equipped to provide breakfast and lunch to our students this summer free of charge for organizations seeking to house programs at one of our campuses.

 

Timeline

Mastery expects to follow this timeline for this RFP process:

• April 15 – post RFP to Mastery website and begin accepting proposals
• May 6 – proposals due
• June 7 – organizations notified if they will be selected for summer enrichment programming

*Note: this timeline may be subject to change

 

Required Content for Proposals & Submission Instructions 

Interested organizations should email their proposal to RFP@masterycharter.org by May 6 at 5 pm:

• General summer program overview
• Proposed approach for providing enrichment programming and/or non-academic programming
• Staffing and capacity plan for how the organization will staff and operate this program over the summer
• Proposed budget, included expected costs for planning and implementation broken down by specific categories for staffing, program management, materials and any other relevant categories that align with your proposal
• Any additional information and documentation that will strengthen your summer learning proposal

Proposals should be clear, concise, complete and well-organized.

 

Proposal Evaluation Criteria

Mastery will use (but will not be limited to) the following criteria to evaluate proposals:

• Strong track record of success and positive outcomes with Black and/or Latinx students from low-income communities
• Potential for programming to provide an engaging, joyful and fun experience for Mastery students
• Scale for how many students and/or schools your organization can serve
• Organizational capacity to deliver on strong planning and implementation of summer programming on an accelerated timeline
• Cost effectiveness
• Clarity, organization and comprehensiveness of proposal

 

Organization Requirements

All organizations that submit proposals must adhere to the following requirements:

• Demonstrate financial stability
• Have adequate staffing capacity in place to deliver on commitments outlined in proposal
• Identify primary points of contact who will lead and coordinate this work with Mastery
• Responsive and frequent ongoing communication and collaboration with Mastery central office staff and school leaders at each Mastery campus to align and coordinate on this work
• Flexibility to adapt and tailor planning and implementation to align with Mastery network and school goals
• Adherence to all Mastery policies related to diversity, equity and inclusion (see more information on this in the Mastery’s Equity Vision section below)
• Mastery Schools requires, in accordance with New Jersey and Pennsylvania laws, that all employees and employees of our vendors/contractors who provide supports and services for Mastery students complete the criminal and child abuse background checks required by the state of which services are being rendered prior to working in our schools and/or external locations that provide summer programs. Vendors/contractors must also represent that neither it, nor any of its owners or employees, have been convicted of, nor indicted for, a crime related to public or charter school education, or listed by a federal agency as debarred, excluded, or otherwise ineligible for participation in a public or charter school. Contractor must agree to notify Mastery in the event of any such conviction, indictment, listing or notification arising during the contract term.

 

Mastery’s Equity Vision:

We believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to achieving our mission.

We strive to be an anti-racist school district that eliminates the inequities in academic achievement that limit our students’ choices; that cultivates classrooms where every student is affirmed, supported, and held to high expectations; and that nurtures a diverse organization where students, staff, and families are valued, respected, and included.

 

M/W/SBE Program

Mastery Charter strongly encourages and supports utilization of MBE/WBE participation in this RFP process.

 

Questions / Closing

Please email [email protected] if you have questions about this RFP.  We are looking forward to reviewing proposals- thank you for considering this incredible opportunity to provide dynamic summer learning experiences for our students!