Quick look: OCDE has announced a half dozen OC school districts as the first awardees of its Innovation Funding Initiative, supporting projects aimed at strengthening student engagement and achievement.
The Orange County Department of Education has announced six school districts as the first awardees of its Innovation Funding Initiative, a program designed to support innovative approaches that strengthen student engagement and learning.
The selected projects range from collaborative math “learning labs” for teachers in Fountain Valley to student-built tiny homes in Fullerton that will support families experiencing homelessness, along with expanded International Baccalaureate programs and career pathways at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach.
Each district — they’re listed below — will receive up to $525,000 over three years to develop and implement projects beginning in July 2026 and continuing through June 2029.
Interest in the inaugural funding cycle was strong. Since the application window opened on Dec. 3, OCDE received 29 applications representing 22 Orange County school districts, each proposing new approaches to address unmet needs in education.
“This initiative is about creating the conditions for bold ideas to take root and flourish,” said County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stefan Bean. “Our districts are already exploring creative ways to support students. This investment helps elevate those ideas and creates opportunities for educators to learn from one another.”
The Innovation Funding Initiative is part of Dr. Bean’s 5-3-1 Strategic Plan, which guides OCDE’s efforts to improve student outcomes across Orange County through five strategic priorities, three core initiatives and one overarching goal.
Awardees and projects
For the initiative, the goal is to help educators test promising ideas, learn from the results and share strategies that can be refined and replicated across Orange County schools.
The six selected districts will launch projects focused on areas including instructional improvement, college and career readiness, hands-on learning and student engagement. Here’s a closer look at each one.
- The Anaheim Union High School District will implement its Integrated College and Career Readiness Roadmap, which will develop personalized six-year academic and career plans for students while strengthening connections between classroom learning, career pathways and local workforce opportunities.
- In the Fountain Valley School District, the Math Learning Lab Model will bring teachers together for collaborative classroom “learning labs” designed to strengthen math instruction through job-embedded professional development aligned with the 2024 California Mathematics Framework.
- The Fullerton School District will expand its Construction Academy Tiny Home Project, where students design and build code-compliant tiny homes through hands-on construction and project-based learning. The homes will support local families within the district experiencing homelessness.
- At Ocean View High School in the Huntington Beach Union High School District, the College & Career-Ready Global Citizens initiative will expand access to International Baccalaureate programs while strengthening connections between rigorous academics and career pathways.
- The Orange Unified School District will implement its Teaching Teacher Specialist (TTS) Model, in which experienced educators split their time between teaching and supporting colleagues. Their classrooms will serve as demonstration sites where colleagues can observe effective strategies and participate in job-embedded professional learning.
- Finally, the Saddleback Valley Unified School District will integrate the Inclusive Skill-building Learning Approach (ISLA) into its existing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework across nine secondary schools. The effort focuses on helping educators respond to student behavior through relationship-building, skill development and restorative practices, with the goal of improving engagement, strengthening school climate and reducing suspensions and other exclusionary disciplinary practices.
Beyond funding, participating districts will join an Innovative Educators Learning Community facilitated by OCDE, where educators will collaborate, share lessons learned and highlight strategies that may inform future innovations across the county.
OCDE also plans to spotlight the projects during an Innovation Summit scheduled for spring 2027, where educators will share early insights and help shape future rounds of the Innovation Funding Initiative.
The awardees were first publicly announced during Wednesday’s meeting of the Orange County Board of Education.
More information about the initiative is available at ocde.us/InnovationFunding.