Learn about the Alliance 2019 Summit & Parent Engagement Awards

November 7, 2018

7:30 AM – 4:00 PM 

The Center at Cathedral Plaza

555 West Temple Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

This year’s theme inspires us to be agents of change, compelled by our shared belief that when we act in unison, we have the power to strengthen our schools, our communities, and our civic society. We seek to change the corrosive environment that thrives on fear, distrust, and divisiveness. As agents of change, the current political environment does NOT portray the principles of the democratic society we have sought to invigorate and protect. United in Action we will learn together, we will organize, and we will work to ensure healthy families, good schools, and enriched communities.

Keynote Speaker: Ralph Smith

Managing Director, The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

About Ralph Smith:
Ralph Smith is the Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading. The Campaign has a network of more than 300 communities, representing 44 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada – with 4,1000 local organizations and more than 520 state and local funders (including 191 United Ways.

It focuses its efforts on ensuring that more children in low income-income families are reading proficiently by the end of third grade, succeed in school and graduate prepared for college, a career, and active citizenship.

For two decades, Smith taught Corporations and Securities Law and Education Law and Policy as a member of the Law Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. During this time he also served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer for the School District of Philadelphia, and as a senior advisor to Philadelphia's mayor on children and family policy.

Morning Address: Michele Siqueiros

President, The Campaign for College Opportunity

About Michele Siqueiros:
Michele Siqueiros grew up in Los Angeles and was the first in her family to graduate from college thanks to federal, state, and college financial aid. She is passionate about the power of college to change lives, and the power of public policy making to expand or constrain college opportunity.

 As President of The Campaign for College Opportunity, Siqueiros works to expand access and success in college for California students by raising public attention on the critical challenges facing higher education, mobilizing a broad coalition of supporters, and influencing policymakers.

The Campaign’s mission to increase college-going and completion rates is driven by a strong belief that California’s future economic success depends on our ability to produce the best-educated workforce in the nation and that our diverse population of young adults deserve the same opportunity provided to previous generations – regardless of race or socio-economic status.

Under her leadership in 2010, the Campaign led the effort for historic transfer reform that makes it easier for students to transfer from any California Community College to the California State University system. She has worked to secure millions in state budget funding for student aid and to expand spots for more students in the state’s public colleges and universities. The Campaign has assembled a statewide network of over 12,000 coalition supporters, engaged over 50,000 young people and their families through scholarship contests which awarded well over half a million dollars in scholarships; released over 80 prominent reports on higher education; and passed important legislation improving remedial education, student support services and establishing a community college student success scorecard.

Siqueiros graduated from Pitzer College with a bachelor of arts degree in political studies with honors in Chicano/a studies. She received her master of arts in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She lives in the City of Los Angeles.

Session PDFs are available for download below:

8:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration

8:15 a.m. Morning Plenary – United In Action: Building Communities and Schools for All

Welcome address: Michele Siqueiros, President, Campaign for College Opportunity

9:15 a.m. Concurrent Sessions I

• Closing the Opportunity Gap by 2023 – Alliance for a Better Community (ABC)
• Reading Roads: Guiding Families on the Path to Literacy in the Early Years – Families In Schools (FIS)
• Social-Emotional Wellness – Child Care Alliance Los Angeles (CCALA) & First 5
• Using Educational Theatre to Engage Parents, Families, and Students – Kaiser Permanente
• What is the CA English Learner Roadmap? – The Education Trust West
• What Will it Take to Center Race and Relationships in California Schools – Californians for Justice (CFJ)

10:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions II

• Knowledge is Power: Using Federal and State Data to Enhance Local Education Equity – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Latinos in Tech: Sus Hijos y Los Trabajos del Futuro – TXT: Teens Exploring Technology
• Parent Warriors In Action (Parent Engagement Panel) – Families In Schools (FIS)
• State of Latinx and Blacks in CA Higher Education – Campaign for College Opportunity (CCO)
• Using Educational Theatre to Engage Parents, Families, and Students – Kaiser Permanente
• Where do I go from here? Connecting First Gen Students to Higher Education Opportunities – Cal-SOAP Los Angeles

12:00 p.m. Concurrent Sessions III

• Early Childhood Well-Being – First 5
• Building a Los Angeles Coalition for Equity in Education – Great Public Schools Now (GPSN)
• Digital Equity in Education – California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF)
• Knowledge is Power: Using Federal and State Data to Enhance Local Education Equity – American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
• Transforming Special Education: Advocating for Schools Where All Students Can Thrive – Innovate Public Schools

1:30 p.m. Excellence in Parent Engagement Awards Lunch

Community Champion Award presented to Weingart Foundation

Gayle Miller Corporate Citizen Award presented to the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation

Lunch Plenary Keynote Address:

Ralph Smith, Managing Director of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading

3:00 p.m. Afternoon Plenary | Reimagining Our Schools

Superintendent Austin Beutner, Los Angeles Unified School District, along with Parent & Student Voice

Moderator: Layla Avila, CEO/Executive Director, Educators of Color

Gayle Miller Corporate Citizen Award

Community Champion Award

Families In Schools established the Excellence in Parent Engagement Award in 2010 to honor the legacy and leadership of Maria Casillas, our founding President. A life-long educator, Maria Casillas is an exemplary role-model and advocate for parent engagement who led Families In Schools from 2000 – 2010.

Event // Portraits // Break-out Sessions

Summit Information:
Alliance@familiesinschools.org