Over the past decade there has been a growing investment in professional development (PD) programs for K-12 mathematics teachers. Researchers and policy makers often inquire about the effect of professional development programs and whether they are having a positive impact on students' learning, and which type of programs aid in students ' academic improvements. In view of the continued concern about the low achievement of U.S. students in mathematics there is a strong need to better understand the effect of PD on student learning and more specifically, which components of PD are more beneficial and are likely to enhance students' math learning. This study offers evidence in an effort fill the gap in the literature by examining the relationship between professional development and student achievement. A meta-analysis methodology was used to synthesize quantitatively and aggregate the results of the prior studies that have used scientific methods and reported numerical results. The time period for the selection of studies is from 2003 to 2014. Findings in this study confirm earlier literature and offers guidance about three effective components (duration, content, and intervention modality) in professional development programs that have been found to have a positive relationship with students' achievement. The results also highlighted the importance of content focus, sufficient duration and multiple modalities of professional development programs aiding teachers in their ability to become more effective in the classroom leading to increased students' achievement in math.