Families In Schools Celebrates 25 Years of Advancing School-Family Partnerships, Parent Power, and Educational Equity
Families In Schools (FIS), a nonprofit organization that partners with families, educators, and organizations to advance educational equity, celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 3 with a special benefit gala honoring leaders whose work exemplifies the power of families to transform education.
Founded in 2000, Families In Schools has become a national leader in advancing policies and practices that promote authentic family engagement, strengthen early literacy, and build parent leadership. For 25 years, the organization has championed the belief that when families are informed, empowered, and engaged as true partners in education, students thrive.
“Tonight, we celebrated 25 years of impact, 25 years of parents finding their voice, 25 years of strong school-family partnerships, and 25 years of communities coming together to ensure that a child’s future is not determined by their ZIP code, language, income, or immigration status,” said Yolie Flores, President and CEO of Families In Schools. “Tonight, we also honored six extraordinary leaders whose courage and commitment reflect the values that have guided this organization from the very beginning. As we look ahead, Families In Schools remains committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to become a strong reader and thrive.”
The gala welcomed 270 attendees and was supported by 38 different organizational and individual sponsors. Major sponsors included the California Emerging Technology Fund/School2Home, Broad Foundation, Heising-Simons Foundation, Learning Heroes, and Kaiser Permanente.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, nearly half of the attendees were parents and community leaders whose leadership, advocacy, and partnership have helped drive the impact Families In Schools has achieved over the past 25 years.
Over the past 25 years, FIS has:
- Strengthened school–family partnerships and systems for continuous improvement, developing high-impact tools and curricula and training thousands of principals, teachers, and parents to work as authentic partners in support of student success. FIS led efforts to gain support from the California legislature to invest more than $113 million to build school districts’ capacity in family and community investment through the Community Engagement Initiative.
- Built parent power to advance equitable education policy, supporting parent leaders to successfully advocate at the local and state levels for landmark wins including LAUSD’s A-G for All and Public School Choice, the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), and legislation to strengthen how reading is taught.
- Led efforts to improve literacy through policy change and community mobilization, advancing statewide reform through the passage of AB 1454, while building a parent- and community-driven movement in Los Angeles through the Read LA! campaign—mobilizing partners, advocates, and parent leaders to strengthen reading instruction and improve outcomes across LAUSD.
Families In Schools 25th Anniversary Honorees
Families In Schools recognized six individuals whose leadership, scholarship, advocacy, and commitment to families embody the organization’s mission and values.
- Virgil Roberts, Legacy in Leadership Award
A founding board member and one of FIS’s longest-serving leaders, Virgil Roberts dedicated 25 years of service to the organization. This award recognizes an individual whose vision, service, and unwavering commitment have profoundly shaped Families In Schools and strengthened its mission over time. - Karen L. Mapp, Ed.D., Visionary Scholar Award
Dr. Mapp is a nationally recognized scholar whose research, vision, and leadership have shaped the field of family engagement and elevated the role of families in education. Through groundbreaking scholarship and a deep commitment to equity, she has helped transform how educators, systems, and policymakers understand family power and has left a lasting imprint on the movement for educational justice. - Sandy Mendoza, Heart of Families In Schools Award
This award celebrates the quiet strength and fierce dedication that sustain the organization’s work every day. As FIS’s Director of Advocacy, Sandy Mendoza embodies the true heart of Families In Schools through her unwavering commitment to students, families, and communities. - Mary Lee and Hilda Avila, Power of Families Award
Families are the heartbeat of change. This award honors parents and caregivers whose leadership has transformed schools and communities, proving that when families raise their voices, systems listen. Mary Lee and Hilda Avila exemplify the power of family leadership and the belief that true educational justice begins at home. - Alberto M. Carvalho, Courage in Leadership Award
One of Families In Schools’ core values is courage. At a time when immigrant families faced unprecedented attacks and uncertainty, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho exemplified that value by standing firmly with students and families. His leadership mobilized principals, teachers, and staff across the Los Angeles Unified School District to ensure that schools remained safe, welcoming places where every child could learn, regardless of immigration status.
The June 3 gala served as both a celebration of Families In Schools’ 25 years of impact and a reaffirmation of a simple truth: lasting educational change happens when families, educators, and communities work together on behalf of children. As FIS looks to the future, it remains guided by the belief that family engagement is not a complement to education reform—it is fundamental to achieving educational equity, academic success, and opportunity for every child.
About Families In Schools
For 25 years, Families In Schools (FIS) has served low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, knowing that education remains the single most important opportunity for them. The mission of Families In Schools is to involve families and communities in their children’s education to achieve lifelong success. Read LA!, powered by FIS, is a campaign to ensure all children in Los Angeles can read and thrive.