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This program was developed and implemented to deal with the high percentage of Title I parents who lacked involvement with children's educational process. Problems were addressed by the implementation of a quality parental involvement program. Twenty-five elementary school Title I parents with no previous contact with the target site served as members of the target group. The objectives were (1) to improve parent involvement at the target school to 75%; (2) to increase parent involvement with children's education by 50%; and (3) to improve parents' comfort level at the target school to 75%. Three parent workshops were conducted to improve the relationship between home and school. The program included numerous activities for improving parental involvement: (1) parents-kids-computers theme meetings; (2) parent-child activities; and (3) parent education classes. Other strategies were (1) creating parent liaisons; (2) setting up convenient times and places for workshops; (3) providing transportation; (4) providing child care; and (5) overcoming language barriers. All practicum objectives were successfully met by improving parental involvement. Results were measured by comparing pre- and post-parent involvement surveys. The appendix includes parent surveys, practicum information letters, newsletters, workshop invitations, and handouts. (Contains 32 references.) (Author/BGC)

The purpose of this study was to examine the goals of the national Standards for Foreign Language Teaching and Learning, published in 1996, with particular emphasis on Standards goal two Cultures and Standards goal four Comparisons and to compare two German language textbooks in reference to their selection and presentation of cultural materials. Deutsch, Na klar! the third edition was published in 1998 by McGraw-Hill and was one of the first to revise the text in light of the new Standards. Moment, mal! was revised in 1997 by Langenscheidt and due to the historical interaction between the company and American educators it appears reasonable to assume that the text reflects the American Standards as adequately as any German published German language textbook. The introduction provides a brief history of the American national Standards and background information for Deutsch, Na klar! and Moment, mal!. An overview of the standards and discussion of the two goals relevant to this thesis are given in chapter one. Chapters two and three deal with the implementation of the Standards in and a comparison of the two textbooks. The final chapter summarizes findings, observations, and conclusions. It was found that both textbooks go beyond merely teaching facts about language and culture by including cross-cultural experiences. However, Moment, mall exceeds Deutsch, Na klar! in the content and quality of realia that permits students to compare and contrast cultural practices, products, and to a lesser extent perspectives and to learn the linguistic structures necessary to acquire cultural and linguistic competence.

The problem of this survey is to ascertain the relationship between nine Texas art museums and contemporary art, defined for this study as art of the 1970s. The role of the museum and its involvement with contemporary art are also perceived in respect to the general public. The purpose of this study was (1) to visit nine Texas art museums and interview the director or curator of contemporary art, using a standardized questionnaire, and (2) to present and analyze the responses to the questionnaire. The eight questions comprising the survey were formulated to include both practical and philosophical related concerns. Therefore, the survey responses and final conclusions reflect a variety of issues ranging from the physical accommodation of diverse contemporary works to the more fundamental philosophical issue concerned with contemporary art's presence in the museum and the institution's function.