On March 16^th, the NJ Department of Education issued a request for proposals to conduct an evaluation of the Abbott reforms, as directed by the NJ Supreme Court in the June 2003 Abbott X Mediation Order.

The Abbott Mediation Order required NJDOE to create a working group to develop a design for the Abbott evaluation. This working group – including representatives from the New Jersey Department of Education, university-based researchers, Abbott districts, and the ELC – was convened last year and developed a specific research design for the evaluation. The Department’s request for proposals is based on that design.

Proposals are due to the Department by April 14, 2005. The award announcement is expected in June 2005 after the Department’s evaluation committee reviews the proposals.

As set forth in the proposal, the Abbott evaluation will identify what school and district practices have improved student academic achievement and other outcomes in New Jersey’s low-income, urban districts. It will have a particular focus on early literacy instruction and examine three distinct school reform models used in Abbott districts: Success For All, America’s Choice, and the Department’s Intensive Early Literacy. The evaluation will also explore what resources are brought to bear and how they are used to improve student outcomes.

"This evaluation was initially ordered by the Court in 1998, and again in 2003", said Lesley Hirsch, Co-Director of the Abbott Indicators Project at ELC. "Now that the RFP has been issued, we expect the NJDOE to move expeditiously to get the evaluation underway," Ms. Hirsch added.

Prepared: April 6, 2005