Involvement Counts: Family and Community Partnerships and Mathematics Achievement

National and international studies have made student performance in mathematics a high priority in schools. Using longitudinal data from elementary and secondary schools, the authors examined the connections between specific family and community involvement activities and student achievement in mathematics at the school level. After the authors controlled for prior levels of mathematics achievement, analyses indicated that effective implementation of practices that encouraged families to support their children’s mathematics learning at home was associated with higher percentages of students who scored at or above proficiency on standardized mathematics achievement tests. Findings suggest that subject-specific practices of school, family, and community partnerships may help educators improve students’ mathematics skills and achievement.