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Abstract
To understand how to identify and examine factors that influence parental involvement and math achievement of high school students, I conducted a mixed-method study was guided by the following questions: 1. What are the perceptions of students, teachers and parents regarding parental involvement in secondary math education? 2. Does parental involvement in MINDSET influence mathematics performance for students? 3. Do the weekly newsletters and progress reports used in the MINDSET class influence the perception students, teachers and parents have about parental involvement?This study builds on research that suggests parental involvement impacts students' academic achievement. Data were collected over a period of twelve weeks and included 8 weeks of implementing weekly newsletters and progress reports in a fourth year math course that consisted of eleventh and 12th graders. The data included students' writing, field notes, conferencing transcriptions, my journal mathematical assessment performance, grades, surveys, field notes, and interviews with the students, parents, and teachers. I analyzed these data to answer the research questions above. According to my findings, parents, students, and teachers' perceptions about parental involvement were placed in four categories: strategies for parental involvement, barriers of parental involvement, parents and students' transitional roles, and students' independence. Quantitative analysis revealed that the implementation of weekly newsletters and progress reports did not improve students' academic achievement, as well as influence students, parents, and teachers' perception of parental involvement. However, qualitative analysis revealed that parents and students perceived that the weekly progress reports and newsletters helped improved students grades because of accountability and helped parents to have a positive outlook in involving themselves with their teenagers' math education.