The Perils of Parent Involvement: Tracking, Curriculum, and Resource Distortions in a Middle School Mathematics Program

Abstract

This study examines the influence of parent involvement in middle school mathematics track placements on the organization of students and assignment of teachers. Data are from participant-observation of parent-educator relations in a suburban school district in the Northeastern U.S. and the school's documentation of parent requests for mathematics track re-placements and re-placed students' subsequent grades. Though the school made public the importance of middle school mathematics placements to later educational opportunities, only involved, mostly upper-middle class parents learned of the policy. While fewer than 10 percent of parents had their children re-placed, parents' efforts substantially altered the school's placement plans. Track replacements created large upper level heterogenous tracks. Upper-middle class, involved parents also influenced the overall distribution of students on grade-wide teams. Moreover, parents' actions resulted in the frequent reassignment of middle school mathematics teachers. Implications for student access to educational opportunities and for school policy are discussed.