SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Consulting Services for Study of Academic Achievement of Immigrant and Non-immigrant Minorities
- Notice Date
- 7/30/2003
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- Contracting Office
- Department of Education, Contracts and Purchasing Operations, Contracts (All ED Components), Regional Office Building, Room 3069 7th and D Streets, SW, Washington, DC, 20202
- ZIP Code
- 20202
- Solicitation Number
- Reference-Number-EDOOCR-03-000100
- Response Due
- 8/7/2003
- Archive Date
- 8/22/2003
- Point of Contact
- Melody Anderson, Program Support Assistant, Phone 202-708-8421, Fax 202-260-0526,
- E-Mail Address
-
Melody.Anderson@ed.gov
- Description
- The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) intends to award a sole source purchase order to Professor John U. Ogbu, Chancellor's Professor of Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley. OCR seeks to employ Professor Ogbu as an expert in the academic achievement of immigrant and non-immigrant minorities and through a comparative ethnographic research study provide an explanation as to why the two types of minorities differ in academic orientation and performance. The services would provide valuable insight into the difficulties faced by minorities and look at the dynamic within the minority community of what is called "community" forces. As a result of this research, OCR will be able to use the information as a technical assistance tool in improving the academic performance of minority children by working with parents, schools and community leaders to take into account the effects of "community" forces. In an effort to secure expert consultant assistance, we have competed research over the web of University professors who have expertise, and were unable to find anyone with the extensive knowledge and background. SPECIFIC TASKS: Extensive ethnographic date has been collected on Black Americans, Chinese Americans and Mexican Americans to find out what these groups thought or believed about education and why immigrants seem to be more successful than the non-immigrants in performing academically. Recently similar data has been collected in Asian countries, namely China and Japan, where similar minorities exist, particularly non-immigrant minorities, such as the Burakumin and Koreans in Japan. The proposed work consists of a translation of the Asian data, including the Japanese and some Chinese data, into English. This data will then be analyzed and a comparison report of both the American groups and the Asian groups will be written and provided to the Office for Civil Rights. Included in the report will be recommendations, based on the research, as to how the Office for Civil Rights may incorporate the findings into improving the academic performance of minority children taking into account the dynamics within the minority of what is called "community" forces. RESOURCES: The work will be a fixed price purchase order. Incumbent will conduct the research off site. The research team will consist of a principal investigator, a translator and a clerical assistant. PERFORMANCE DATE: The beginning date for work would commence on or about September 15, 2003, and extend to August 31, 2004. DELIVERABLES: During the contractual period, work would be continuous but intermitten. However, it is anticipated that services may be required for several conference calls and meetings with OCR staff as well as officials of other offices within ED and other government agencies. The Office for Civil Rights will be billed incrementally in three phases: 1) Upon the completion of the translation of the Asian date; 2) Upon the completion of the analysis; and 3) Upon receipt of the research report. At the end of each phase, incumbent will submit an invoice to the Office for Civil Rights, 330 C Street, SW, Attn: Rebecca Hucks, Washington, DC 20202. The invoice will state the number of hours worked and the hourly rate of the individuals completing the work and a list of expenses for supplies and computing services. Payment will be made within 30 days of receipt of the invoice. ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA: The contractor and its employees, agents, and subcontractors shall not use and shall maintain confidentially of any information, report or other work produced or knowledge gained under the contract until such time as such information, reports, or work product is released by the Department into the public domain and becomes publicly available information. The Government may withhold from the amount of the contract any sum the Contracting Officer determines to be necessary to protect the Government against loss as a result of the contractor not maintaining confidentially of any information, report or other work produced or knowledge gained under the contract. SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION: The Office for Civil Rights seeks to employ Professor John U. Ogbu as an expert in the academic achievement of immigrant and non-immigrant minorities and through a comparative ethnographic research study provide an explanation as to why the two types of minorities differ in academic orientation and performance. His services would provide valuable insight into the difficulties faced by minorities and look at the dynamic within the minority community of what is called "community" forces. As a result of this research, OCR will be able to use the information as a technical assistance tool in improving the academic performance of minority children by working with parents, schools and community leaders to take into account the effects of "community" forces. In an effort to secure expert consultant assistance, we have competed research over the web of University professors who have similar expertise as Dr. Ogbu and were unable to find anyone with his extensive knowledge and background. Dr. Ogbu is the only expert who has conducted research in the area and he has written extensively about collective identity and the efforts on minorities. Professor Ogbu is the author of several books and more than 90 articles on these issues and is widely referenced and quoted by academic scholars working in the fields of education and educational anthropology. SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF EXPERT REQUIRED: John U. Ogbu, Chancellor's Professor of Anthropology at the University of California at Berkeley and one of the world's leading educational anthropologists. His recent field of studies were conduced in Oakland and Union City, California on African Americans, Chinese Americans and Mexican Americans and in an affluent suburban community in Ohio. He research focus is on the relationship between collective identity and cultural/language boundaries. His focus is on the sense of "we-feeling" and "belongingness" within cultural minority groups. The proposed contract action is for supplies or services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all proposals received by the response date will be considered by the Government. A determination by the Government not to compete with this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.
- Record
- SN00386955-W 20030801/030730213348 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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