Our Mission
Success Stories
Positive Impact
Elisa Reyes and Alexander Saenz are thrilled to participate in Read With Me/ Lea Conmigo and see the benefit of reading books together with their children. Their youngest son, Achilles, participates in the program at Leo Politi Elementary School in LAUSD Local District 4. On a weekly basis, he brings home a backpack filled with books containing award-winning, multicultural children’s literature. “I really want to stress how important the Read With Me program is to our family,” said Elisa Reyes. “The benefit of having books to read at home has made a big impact in my children’s learning capability. Having these wonderfulbooks in our home motivates him to read so he can learn more about the characters and the stories in the books he brings home.” Elisa and Alexander feel empowered by participating in the program. “The key to a bright and successful future for our children is through the education they get at school, but they also need resources at home to support them. Families In Schools helps my children shine with confidence because they love to read.”
Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors
Octavio and Liz Ochoa continue to reap the benefits of the Abriendo Puertas program they experienced two years ago. “We finished the class knowing the
questions we needed to ask teachers in the schools, our rights as parents, who we needed to talk to, where to go to ask for help. 
We have the tools now. It gave us the confidence to speak without embarrassment,” they say. For 10 weeks, the Ochoas attended a workshop series at their local elementary school in Whittier. They wanted to make sure they were doing everything they could to help their nine-year-old son, Octavio Jr., and their younger son, Diego, then two. The couple says the sessions completely changed their approach to parenting. “Even though you’re a parent you don’t know everything,” Liz says. “The program showed us how to lead as parents and how to encourage other parents. We learned all the developmental stages from zero to five years and what to look for, what words a two-year-old should know.”
Invited four years ago by the Lennox School District, and with support from the California Community Foundation, FIS has developed a partnership with school and district staff, which has shaped a comprehensive parent engagement strategy for each school and the district as a whole. The relationship with FIS has also guided school board members in developing policies that embrace parents as genuine partners in support of student achievement. Dr. Jo Ann Isken, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services 
of Lennox School District (shown with Lennox School Board President Marisol Cruz and Superintendent Bruce McDaniel) credits the FIS partnership for improving standardized test scores and increasing English Learner reclassification rates, priorities of state and federal education reform efforts. Teachers remark how the partnership is also yielding a deeper level of parent involvement at school and at home. As evidence, attendance at parent-teacher conferences is at nearly 90 percent, and teachers note that parents are asking more informed questions about their children’s progress. Lennox parents praise their partnership with FIS and emphasize that the various learning opportunities have empowered them with confidence, knowledge and skills to better support their children’s learning.
As an immigrant from a small town in southern Mexico, Maria Orellana was certain of one thing – that education was critical for her children’s success in the United States. With little formal education herself, Maria was not sure how to help her two daughters get into the best colleges to secure their futures. Several years ago, she learned about the FIS Mother/ Daughter program, later renamed GOT College! Her youngest daughter, Daisy, was in sixth grade at Sun Valley Middle School and her eldest, Giovanna, was attending another school. The program brings together parents and their children, and Maria made sure her daughters attended every meeting at Sun Valley Middle School. With each meeting, Maria gained a little more know-how and alot more confidence. Today, Daisy is looking forward to college upon completing her senior year at Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley; Giovanna is in her freshman year at UCLA. Her eyes beaming with pride and gratitude, Maria reflects on the GOT College! experience: “[It] gave me, in my mind, my dream come true.”
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE)
Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), one of ten organizations participating in the Families Improving Education (FIE) Initiative, is making an impact in San Bernardino. As an intermediary of the James Irvine Foundation, FIS supports COPE’s mission to build the capacity of local congregations, lay leaders, and families to participate in local efforts that impact education policies. Reverend Samuel Casey, Executive Director, explains that COPE hopes to develop a strong partnership with both the school system and parents in order to “close the pipeline from
playground toprison” for so many of San Bernardino’s youth. Aided by FIS staff, COPE’s education advocacy has greatly been enhanced and expanded. COPE leaders attribute their organization’s growth to FIS support and FIE resources, and are increasingly more confident in their capacity to lead their coalition of congregations and to engage parents in supporting their children’s education. “We now mobilize and implement a variety of strategies. We have learned to understand what the education data are telling us, and rely on data and research in making our case to district officials. As an organization, we have acquired increased confidence to engage key decision makers within the school system, as well as other stakeholders, in interactions that will ultimately lead to long-term systems improvement for students.” - Reverend Samuel Casey, Executive Director, COPE