Programs

The Foundation for Orange County Public Schools has been working for more than 20 years to support innovative teachers through classroom grants and other programs.

 

Teacher Grants – So far this year, the Foundation has awarded $122,000 to 149 teachers in 82 schools for innovative projects, equipment and supplies in key areas such as math, science, literacy, civics and arts education. Since the Teacher Grant Initiative began in 1996, the Foundation has awarded $2.06 million to more than 3,750 teachers.

 

Read2Succeed – This mentoring program matches volunteers with 2nd graders who are struggling readers. Read2Succeed uses a research-based program called The Six-Minute Solution which quickly builds fluency through interactive peer-to-peer repeated readings of high interest, targeted passages. During the 2011-2012 school year, 102 mentors spent more than 3,500 hours working with 175 students in 46 schools.

 

Middle School Book Clubs – This program works to strengthen the literacy skills of middle school students and encourage reading for enjoyment. Students meet with a facilitor once a week before school begins to discuss the book the group is reading. Each group has up to 15 students.

 

Teach-In – Each year on a single day in November, thousands of adults go back into the classrooms to share their knowledge and experience with students in every grade. In 2011, 4,120 volunteers where in 160 schools and made approximately 7,400 presentations sharing their knowledge and experiences. This year, Teach-In is November 14, 2012.

 

School & District Funds – The Foundation provides district and school support by matching teacher and school needs with investors who want to make a sustainable difference. The Foundation also manages funds for district programs and individual schools. During the 2011-2012 school year, it managed more than $1.2 million for 47 district and school funds.