Graduation rates are steadily increasing, but students are graduating from high school with inadequate skills and knowledge to be competitive in this global economy. In addition, when students transition from elementary to middle school and then to high school, parental involvement declines. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to explore novel insights from the perceptions of parents/guardians of their understanding and role of parental involvement to increase college and career readiness of high school students in a Title 1 high school. The Profile of the South Carolina Graduate and Joyce Epstein's Overlapping Spheres of Influence and Parental Involvement was the conceptual frameworks that guided the study. The Profile of the South Carolina Graduate's five foundational structures and Joyce Epstein's three overlapping constructs and six types of parental involvement framed the research questions to address the parents' perception of their involvement to support the overall success of students in collaboration with school staff and administration to increase college and career readiness. A purposeful sample of 10 parents/guardians from a Title 1 high school who had students in grades 11th and/or 12th participated in semi-structured interviews. Data gleaned from interviews were transcribed, member checked, triangulated, and coded for emergent themes. The findings of this study presented six common themes: 1. "Parents are Participators, More than Spectators" 2. "Parents are their child's first teacher" 3. The Village Concept 4. Parent Communication is Essential with the School and their Child 5. Building and Maintaining Relationships through Collaborative Connections 6. Parents want "A Seat at the Table." The findings suggested that parents viewed their involvement as critical in helping students become college- and career-ready. Their understanding of parental involvement was that of an active participator, support and encouragement for their child to be successful in life. The findings also suggested that parents/guardians viewed communication, building and maintaining collaborative relationships, and being included in decision-making aspects of the school as essential to increasing college and career readiness. Recommendations for future research include considering the conceptual frameworks of this study to focus on creating a collaborative partnership between the school, parents, and community that will maximize future success for students after high school. Ultimately, the research identified strategies that can be used to increase parental involvement and college and career readiness of high school students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]