Family and consumer sciences education national curriculum standards: implementation plans for reform

This study documented the implementation of the national teaching and learning standards developed and published in 1998 for family and consumer sciences curricula in secondary schools. Telephone interviews were used to collect data from 44 family and consumer sciences administrators in state departments of education. The Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM) provided a framework for developing an interview schedule to identify the level and degree of use, concerns, and models of implementation related to the family and consumer sciences national standards.;Descriptive statistics were generated to summarize the data pertaining to the number of states using or not using the family and consumer sciences national standards, components of 16 areas of study most/least used, and the attitudes of family and consumer sciences state administrators toward the standards. Data from open-ended questions were analyzed using hand sorting methods to identify common themes related to concerns and models of implementation.;The interview results showed that 93% of these state department of education family and consumer sciences administrators were implementing the national standards in their states. The top reasons identified for implementing the standards were to improve existing curriculum and as an aid in developing new curriculum. Nine of 16 areas of study were identified as most central to programs in states, and 5 of 16 areas were identified as not central.;Four areas of concern were identified by respondents. They included concern about the standards model, the assessment of standards, timelines for revision, and dissemination of information related to standards. A variety of implementation strategies were also identified, many centering around the use of curriculum teams as a model to guide state standards for education in family and consumer sciences.;Family and consumer sciences state department of education administrators were in agreement that the national standards document has had a positive impact on curriculum development. They also agreed that national standards were a positive tool for public relations and for promoting a positive image of family and consumer sciences as a discipline