PROFESSIONAL
Rigor, Relevance, & Relationships
The Changing Face of FACS Standards
In May 1995, the National Association of State Administrators for Family and Consumer Sciences Education (NASAFACS) and the Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FACS) Division of the Association for Career and Technical Educators (ACTE) embarked upon the development of this country's first national FACS standards. The results, adopted in 1998, reflected a broader view of FACS than the previous home economics-focused model.
Since then, the development and evolution of FACS standards have helped to define FACS as a vital force in educating and empowering today's students to succeed and contribute at all levels of society. In May 2005, NASAFACS went back to the drawing board to update the existing standards, and in 2008, the National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Second Edition, was created.
This latest version of FACS standards represents the culmination of a highly inclusive process. The people who reviewed and contributed recommendations encompassed not only FACS educators and subject matter specialists, but representatives from business and industry, external organizations, and agencies with direct connections-a total of more than 1,000 professionals. These newest standards uphold the previous version's commitment to competencies and process questions. What is new in the 2008 standards is alignment with FCCLA (Family, Career and Community Leaders of America) programs, Career Clusters, and 21st Century Skills.
The reason for these additions? Researchers have determined that, based on societal trends, today's students are likely to work in several career areas and hold a number of different jobs. Therefore, it is vital that these students develop abilities that answer to a wide range of situations, abilities that manifest themselves in the delineated areas of Action, Thought, Communication, Leadership, and Management.
Current NASAFACS standards underscore the need for teachers who are ready to help their students meet the challenges of the 21st century. From parenting to financial literacy and from cooking skills to technological skills, FACS must continue to grow and evolve to accommodate the changing needs of our society. In kind, society must support FACS teachers and students in their efforts to do the same.
The How To features in Glencoe's Discovering Life Skills help students develop the broad abilities they need to handle a wide range of real-world challenges.
To view all of the new NASAFACS standards, visit the American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) Web site at http://www.aafcs.org/FCSstandards/.
