The national standards introduced in 1998 are now taught in today's family and consumer sciences (FCS) classes in secondary schools around the country. The national standards shape the curriculum by addressing content, processes, and outcomes. Over the course of the 3 years of project planning and development, every state was involved in one or…

Successful business people in all walks of life recognize that achieving a balance between their work lives and their families is critical to their personal happiness. Although the subject is mentioned in textbooks and seminars, very little, if any, time is spent discussing how the young career person will achieve this goal. Fortunately, potential…

Integrating mathematics with family and consumer sciences (FCS) has enabled youth to pass the Minnesota 8th Grade Math Basic Skills test. The test focuses on the eight content areas: (1) problem solving with whole numbers and fractions; (2) problem solving with percentage/ratio; (3) number sense; (4) estimation; 5) measurement; (6) tables and…

At one time, the financial unit of a family and consumer sciences (FCS) curriculum was as simple as looking at budgets and doing checkbook exercises. Today, the FCS financial literacy program is a 6-week unit, designed to meet the Colorado Core Life Management Curriculum Standard II, Managing Your Finances, and the FCS Education National Standard…

Many students are curious about the steps in food preparation. As a result of such experiences, the author of this article began to incorporate science demonstrations into food preparation classes. She conducted research, developed resources, and piloted the "Principles of Food Science" class over the next 6 years. "Principles of Food Science"…

One can develop a family and consumer sciences (FCS) course that teaches character education, and allows students to experience the good feelings that come from helping others through The Kindness Company. The Kindness Company is a simulated company that produces items for donation to local charitable organizations. Students get management…

"STOP the Violence--Students Taking on Prevention" is a program designed to involve students and address school violence at its core from the peer-to- peer perspective. Developed by members of the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), the program empowers young persons to recognize, report, and reduce the potential for youth…

In recent years, FCCLA has updated all of its resources, culminating with the latest release, the "Career Connection and Leaders at Work CD-ROM." Curriculum integration has been a key focus of the updating project, and today each national FCCLA program is supported by materials custom-designed for use in family and consumer sciences (FCS)…

It is imperative that school administrators continue to develop and maintain strong family and consumer science (FCS) programs in their secondary schools across the nation. Today's youth and their families need the knowledge, experiences, and skills gained in these family-focused programs. FCS teachers provide necessary interpersonal,…

One of the best ways for students to become involved in the classroom and engaged in their learning is to write. This article presents a rationale for the use of writing in any curriculum and offers suggestions about how to develop writing-to-learn assignments. Writing-to-learn assignments help students understand, reflect upon, and question…

Determining the extent to which the critical science perspective has been implemented in family and consumer sciences (FCS) secondary programs was explored. An informal survey of state supervisors of FCS programs revealed that the critical science perspective of curriculum development is being implemented in slightly less than half (44%) of the…

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) education is important to the well-being of individuals, families, and communities, and a rationale helps to justify the existence of these programs. This article suggests a critical science-based perspective for developing a rationale. In addition, it poses important questions for teachers, educators, parents,…

Adolescent and parent focus groups were conducted to do a needs assessment and discover possible topics for a secondary school family class. Results included identifying teen and parent family-related needs and societal concerns; discovering where teens currently learn about family life; and receiving teen and parent feedback about a proposed…

This article provides an overview of critical science (a practical application of critical theory), a review of the discipline of family and consumer sciences, and examples of what integration of critical science into the discipline would mean for professional practice in any specialization. When addressing practical perennial problems, a critical…

This study compared the effectiveness of problem-based learning (PBL) versus lecture-based instruction (LBI) in high school foods and nutrition classes. Two classes were randomly assigned to the PBL group, while the remaining two were assigned to the LBI group. A pretest was administered. During the semester, LBI students received course content…