No surprise that parental influence is strongest. In addition to frequent contact, parent money also affects what options beyond high school the student has.
It would be interesting to see how parent demographics affects what they approve / disapprove of what their kids do after high school. For example, how does it differ between parents who:
- Have BA/BS degrees or higher, and
- Work in BA/BS jobs.
- Work in non-BA/BS jobs.
- Unemployed.
- Do not have BA/BS degrees, and
- Work in middle/higher income career jobs.
- Work in lower income or unstable jobs.
- Unemployed.
Parent influence could mean that some students are pushed into paths that are not their optimal ones, or discouraged from paths that are their optimal ones.