Introduction
Rationale for Change
Today's students are
the future leaders and members of
tomorrow's families, workplaces, and communities. They
need to be able to act responsibly and
productively to synthesize knowledge from multiple sources, to work
cooperatively, and to apply the highest standards in all aspects of
their
lives.
Family plays a very important role in our individual lives
and in society and is widely recognized as the context in which its
members
learn about relation to and caring for others, acquire attitudes about
learning
and work, build communication and reasoning skills, learn right from
wrong, and
form patterns of responsible citizenship. Family
members learn to work together within the family
and with other
families to improve conditions in the home, workplace, community, and
world.
The process to develop standards for Family and Consumer
Sciences Education has occurred concurrently with the development of
standards
in several other areas of education. Goals
2000: Educate America Act initiated development of national
educational standards as a
means of encouraging and evaluating student achievement and provided
for
voluntary skill standards related to Career Clusters to encourage youth
and adults
to be better prepared with high-level skills and updated technological
requirements. Standards development that
has
occurred
since then has focused on higher standards for all students, and has
identified
what learners should know and be able to do in discipline-specific
content and
in thinking and process arenas as well.
Vision and Mission - A
Foundation for FACS Standards
The foundation for
the development of the national
standards was laid in March 1992, when vision and mission statements
for Family
and Consumer Sciences Education were developed by FACS administrators,
educators and others during a strategic planning session in Washington,
DC. In October 1993, leaders from the many
segments of FACS profession convened in Scottsdale, Arizona,
to explore and redefine future
directions for the field. The
definitions and directions developed in Scottsdale
were in harmony with the vision and mission statements that had been
developed
for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, and the work was merged. The modified vision and mission statements
were officially adopted in December 1994. The Vision
is:
- Family and Consumer Sciences Education empowers
individuals
and families across the life span to manage the challenges of living
and
working in a diverse global society. Our unique focus is on families,
work, and
their interrelationships.
The
mission of Family and
Consumer Sciences Education is to
prepare students for family life, work life, and careers in Family and
Consumer
Sciences Education by providing opportunities to develop the knowledge,
skills,
attitudes, and behaviors needed for:
- Strengthening the
well-being of individuals and families across the life span.
- Becoming responsible
citizens and leaders in family, community, and work settings.
- Promoting optimal
nutrition and wellness across the life span.
- Managing resources to
meet the material needs of individuals and families.
- Balancing personal, home,
family, and work lives.
- Using critical and
creative thinking skills to address problems in diverse family,
community, and work environments.
- Successful life
management, employment, and careers development.
- Functioning effectively
as providers and consumers of goods and services.
- Appreciating human worth
and accepting responsibility for one's actions and success in
family
and work life.
The vision and mission statements have
been widely
publicized and utilized since that time, and have made significant
impact on
the directions taken by Family and Consumer Sciences Education
curriculum
and
program development at the national, state, and local levels.
The Nature of the
FACS National Standards
The National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences
Education present a vision for the future and provide FACS educators
with a
structure for identifying what learners should know and be able to do. The FACS National Standards are based on
knowledge and skills needed for home and family life as well as those
needed to
succeed in related careers. The national
standards provide an excellent system for meeting the needs of
individuals
preparing for life in a global society while simultaneously preparing
for
careers. The national standards are
comprehensive, designed to encompass the variety that exists among
state
philosophies and to accommodate various approaches to standards and
educational
delivery systems.
Viewed collectively, the national standards provide the
structure for an integrated approach to Family and Consumer Sciences
Education. Educational standards have
been or are being developed in many of the individual career areas
within
Family and Consumer Sciences Education (for example: dietetics, early
childhood, facilities maintenance, food service, hospitality, interior
design,
and so forth), so it is necessary to clarify the roles of these various
sets of
standards. The FACS National Standards
address expectations for overall FACS programs and curriculum design,
while the
standards for individual FACS career areas provide focused and enhanced
content
detail and additional direction for specific career paths.
Educators are encouraged to first establish
their overall FACS program frameworks using the FACS
National Standards as a guide, and then to use standards for
specific career areas to guide the development for specific
career-related
courses of study.
Adaptability and accessibility are important elements
of the national standards. There is wide
variation in what, how much, and when concepts in Family and Consumer
Sciences
Education are introduced to students and in the level of depth to which
any
particular standard or competency may be developed. The national
standards apply to all students,
regardless of age, gender, cultural or ethnic background, disabilities,
aspirations, interests, or motivations.
Different students will achieve understanding in different ways in
different degrees of depth and breadth, depending on interest, ability,
and
context.
Overview
of the FACS
National
Standards
The Family
and
Consumer Sciences Education National Standards form a
comprehensive
structure designed to accommodate varying state philosophies
(competency-based,
conceptual and process perspectives) and multiple issues related to
standards
and delivery systems. FACS, like other
disciplines, is concerned with the integration of academic knowledge
and
achievement in a contextual approach. The
FACS National Standards allows for both competencies and processes to
relate to
standards in a deliberate effort to link the two philosophies.
The FACS National Standards components include Areas of
Study, Comprehensive Standards, Content Standards, Competencies, and
Process
Questions, which are described on the Standards & Competencies
portion of
this website.
|
