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History of Family and Consumer Science Education

  • Treatiste on Domestic Economy Published

    Treatiste on Domestic Economy Published
    Treatise on Domestic Economy published by Catharine Beecher. Beecher envisioned a field that would help students develop the criticial thinking skills needed in their homes and in the community (State University, n.d.).
  • Morrill Act

    Morrill Act
    After the passing of the Morrill Act in 1862, land-grant colleges were established in every state, offering domestic science courses for young women, making it acceptable for women to attend coeducational institutions (State University, n.d.).
  • Sewing and Industrial Education

    Massachusetts legislature passed an act making sewing and industrial education legal throughout the state (Balwin, 1949).
  • Domestic Science Introduced

    Domestic Science Introduced
    Domestic Science classes introduced into New York City schools (Baldwin, 1949).
  • Rumford Kitchen

    Rumford Kitchen
    Presented at the World's Fair (World's Colombian Exposition) in Chicago, the Rumford Kitchen represented a workingman's home and showed how his family could live on $500 a year (Baldwin, 1949).
  • Lake Placid Conference

    Lake Placid Conference
    11 people met in Lake Placid, New York. The name "home economics" was adopted for the broad range of disciplines and scientific studies being discussed (Washington Affiliate American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, n.d.).
  • AHEA Founded

    AHEA Founded
    American Home Economics Association was founded by Ellen Swallow Richards. Ms. Richards was the first female graduate and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was an advocate for the application of scientific and management principles to the family (Washington Affiliate Amerian Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, n.d.).
  • Smith-Lever Act

    Smith-Lever Act
    The Smith-Lever Act established the Cooperative Extension system to provide community educational programs in every county throughout the U.S. Home Economics education was established as part of this community-based eduacational system (State University, n.d.).
  • Smith-Hughes Act

    The Smith-Hughes Act established vocational education for paid employment and vocational home economics education in most public schools. It transformed the frield from a female version of general liberal arts and sciecne education for few women in colleges to vocational home economics edcuation for girls in secondary schools throughout the country (State University, n.d.)
  • Betty Lamp

    Betty Lamp
    AHEA adopted the Betty Lamp as a symbol. The lamp, used widely by early American colonists, represents the enlightenment provided by family and consumer science professional through leadership in thought and action (Washington Affiliate American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, n.d.).
  • George-Deen Act

    Authorized funds for the vocational areas of distributive occupations and teacher education (CTE, n.d.).
  • FHA Established

    FHA Established
    Future Homemakers of America (FHA) was established as a cocurricular high school student organization (State University, n.d.).
  • From Producers to Consumers

    1950s- Production of food, clothing, and home furnishings- and home care of children and sick, elderly, and handicapped family members- began to occur outside the home.
  • Title IX

    Title IX
    Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 prohibited sex discrimination in education, opening all courses to males and female. Male enrollement in Home Economics courses increased (State University, 1972(
  • Carl Perkins Act

    Carl D. Perkins Vocational Education Act was passed. Its goal was go expand, improve, modernize, and develop quality vacational education programs to meet the needs of the workforce and promote economic growth (CTE, n.d.).
  • Perkins II

    Goal was to provide greater vocational education opportunities to disadvantaged individuals (CTE, n.d.).
  • Nine Specific Goals of Family and Consumer Sciences

  • Name Change

    Name Change
    The field changed it name and emphasis to family and consumer sciences to reflect cultural and educational development. Future Homemakers of America was renamed the Family, Career and, Community Leaders of America (State University, n.d.).
  • Perkins III

    Gave states and local school districts more flexibility to develop CTE programs while making them more accountable for student performance (CTE, n.d.).
  • Perkins IV

    Focused on strengthening connections between secondary and post-secondary educatioin and improving state and local accountability (CTE, n.d.)