Girard has provided start-up funding and other strategic investments in a small number of charter schools with innovative educational models. Grantees have included: Escondido Charter High School, Gompers Preparatory Academy, Heritage Digital Academy, High Tech High, Health Sciences High and Middle College, Keiller Leadership Academy and North County Trade Tech High School.

Over a period of several years, the Girard Foundation worked with the California Charter Schools Association and a group of local charter schools to develop better ways of meeting the needs of special education students. The charters wanted to assume responsibility for their special education programs instead of depending on their authorizing district for services. Several charters are now able to offer their own, higher-quality programs, while saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual fees they previously had to pay the district. The project also led to the establishment of the San Diego Special Education Improvement Authority, a membership organization that monitors program quality and provides training and staff to participating schools.  

Girard worked with RPP International and the San Diego Business Roundtable for Education to provide a series of workshops that helped over 29 charter schools use data more effectively to improve instruction, evaluate programs and communicate with their constituencies.  Program ran between 2002-2005.

Designed by the California Charter School Association to increase the number of “high-quality” charter schools in CA, CCQI was a comprehensive program for new charter schools that provided training and extended supports in the areas of leadership, instruction and operational management. Over 49 schools participated in the CCQI between 2005-2009, and many of its core elements have been incorporated in "Charter Launch" and other current CCSA programs.

The Foundation collaborated with the AVID Center to help Oceanside Unified and Poway Unified School Districts in their efforts to better prepare all students for success in college. Operating between 2003-2007, the collaboration resulted in the development of district-wide AVID strategies (many of which have since been adopted in schools around the country) and in improvements on a variety of metrics such as college prep completion rates.

Girard Foundation created this program to increase the number of low-income students enrolling in college.  The program   provides a variety of services and financial support to students that maintain a 3.3 GPA or higher. Girard PREP operated at Lincoln High School between 1987-2003 and been offered at Oceanside High School since 2002. The program played an important role in creating a "college-going culture" at both schools and has consistently posted almost 100% college enrollment for program graduates.  

San Diego CTE Collaborative 

Girard commissioned USD's Center for Education Policy and Law (CEPAL) to conduct research on technical education (CTE) programs in California.  The resulting report, "A Study of Career and Technical Education Programs and Funding in California and San Diego County, was published in 2008 and was the focus of a day-long forum attended by over 80 local and state educators.   An online map of various sources of CTE funding was also developed and posted to the San Diego County Office of Education's website.

Girard Foundation worked with four local districts (Escondido Union, Poway Unified, San Dieguito Union, San Marcos Unified) to identify and implement organizational changes that would allow school principals to shift their focus from administrative duties to the job of being a “leader of learning.”  The project ran between 2003-2006.  Specific changes made by the districts included: delagating more responsibilities to teacher leaders and administrative assistants, computerizing administrative support systems and creating professional support networks for the principals

The Foundation took a lead role in creating a countywide collaborative of universities, school districts and the San Diego County Office of Education interested in improving the preparation of school principals.  The program ran between 2000-2004.  Key outcomes of the initiative: major changes to local administrative credentialing programs were made, over 70 aspiring principals completed an intensive two-week field experience, and the SDCOE expanded its leadership development services.

Created in collaboration with UCSD, the Principals Executive Program (1997-2002) gave experienced school principals an opportunity visit a local businesses and community organizations and to be exposed to management concepts from leaders outside the educational world. Over 165 principals from around the county completed the program, which received consistently positive reviews from participants and their superintendents.

Girard Foundation created ESTI in 1995 to help five local schools more effectively integrate technology into their curricula. A key to the program's success was the use of two outside consultants who worked with the schools to develop their technology plans and train staff. 

In 1996, the Girard Foundation helped establish the Teachers Fund at the San Diego Foundation.  The program, which is still operating, provides small grants to elementary and middle school teachers, enabling them to purchase materials or carry out projects that they would otherwise have to pay for out of their own pockets.  

In 1999, Girard commissioned a study of local teacher preparation programs. The research firm, SourcePoint, surveyed a variety of stakeholders including recent graduates, education faculty, and district administrators.  Among other things, the results drew attention to the need for better student teaching experiences and for more training in classroom management and parent relations. 

The Girard Foundation was a major collaborator and funder on a two-day summit on teacher recruitment, hosted by the Cal-Teacher Recruitment and Incentive Program (Cal-TRIP).  Held in 2001, the Summit brought together over 150 education, government and business leaders to discuss solutions to the growing shortage of teachers.  Promising ideas were captured in "Explorations of Best Practices in Teacher Recruitment and Preparation," a white paper that was widely distributed throughout the state.

School Finance

Rose Institute's "Annual Analysis of San Diego County Public School District Budgets"

Conducted by the Rose Institute of Claremont-McKenna College, this annual study compared the revenues and expenditures of all 43 school districts in San Diego County between 1997-2001. The study received extensive media coverage and encouraged school districts to be more publicly transparent about their finances.

User-Friendly Budget Format   

Based on reactions to the Rose report, Girard Foundation commissioned School Services of California to create the "User-Friendly Budget" format, an annually updated software product which school districts can use to produce simple-to-understand financial reports for their constituents. Since its release in 2002, SSC has documented over 900 users of the tool in school districts throughout California, colleges of education, and the California Department of Education.