Proficiency in math continues to be a success indicator for students who graduate from high school. Research has shown that many students drop out of school, due to a lack of understanding in math foundations. State and national data show a deficiency in math understanding among elementary, middle, and high school students. Over the years, states have modified their math standards to be more aligned with the necessary content knowledge and skills that are needed to be mastered by students for each grade level.The purpose of this study is to determine if the type of instructional approach used in math affects the success outcomes in math. The two instructional approaches examined in this study are the lecture model of instruction and the math workshop model of instruction. The math workshop model of instruction utilizes student motivation, differentiation, and engagement to meet students where they are and to help create a learning path that is conducive to understanding the foundations and applications of mathematical principles and skills. The data for this study was collected through pre- and post-assessment scores, survey data, and focus group data. The data combined will offer insight as to whether one type of instruction is more effective than the other regarding students' achievement in math. The data suggests that the math workshop model of instruction is effective in teaching mathematics to middle school students. The overall performance of workshop students was significantly higher than lecture students across multiple assessments. Although the perceptions of students in both the workshop and lecture model students were similar among most of the survey domains investigated, workshop students did perceive their classrooms as being more controlled, or better managed, than the lecture students.