Parents, Power, and the Reform of Mathematics Education

Abstract

Recent education reform recommendations call for increased parental involvement and the promotion of partnerships between schools and communities. However, many of the reports and documents containing these recommendations speak to parents and educators in vague terms that do not identify a clear role for parents to play in their children's education. Moreover, much of the research regarding parent involvement is deficient in breadth and devoid of content; this is especially true regarding parental involvement in secondary mathematics education. This article explores the role of parents in three urban high schools engaged in the reform of mathematics education. In particular, mathematics teachers' perceptions of parents and parents' perceptions of their children's mathematics education are examined. While paying attention to issues of power; it is argued that at all three of these high schools, parents are involved in the reform of mathematics education in a limited and passive fashion.