Public Policy that Matters for FCS Education

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Public Policy that Matters for FCS Education

• Mandates and Related Resources for Strengthening
  and Promoting Family and Consumer Sciences
  Education

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Traditional Focus CTE Legislation

• FCS Education has historically been funded under
  federal vocational education/ career technical
  education legislation
• Currently operates as allowable use under the
  Carl D. Perkins Act of 1998 slated to be
  reauthorized in summer 2006
• Reauthorization to focus on accountability for
  outcomes, academic as well as vocational
  achievement, career pathways

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Retaining CTE Funding

• Continued Perkins funding will require
  quantitative evidence of program outcomes and not
  just anecdotal descriptions
• Need to collect tangible facts about student and
  program outcomes and share them with local,
  state, national policymakers graduation rates,
  college attendance, test score gains, earnings.

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Utilize Other Public Policies to Build Support
for FCE Programming

• Financial Literacy
• School Wellness Policies
• Sexual and Reproductive Health Education
• Healthy Marriage Initiative
• Pregnant and Parenting Student Policies
• Policies on Shaken Baby Syndrome

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Financial Literacy

• The National Council on Economic Education
  reports that 38 states (76) now have personal
  finance standards or guidelines
• 21 states require them to be implemented
• 8 states require a course to be offered 7 states
  require a course for graduation
• State-by-state information can be found in
  Survey of the States Economic and Personal
  Finance Education 2004 www.ncee.net

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School Wellness Policies

• P.L. 108-265 Child Nutrition and WIC
  Reauthorization Act of 2004 requires all school
  districts with federally funded school meal
  programs to develop and implement wellness
  policies by the 2006-07 academic school year

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School Wellness Policies, cont

• Wellness policies must include goals for
  nutrition education, physical activity, nutrition
  guidelines for school meals and availability of
  other foods at school
• State-by-state health nutrition policies
  available at Education Commission of the States
  www.ecs.org
• See also www.schoolwellnesspolicies.org
  www.schoolnutrition.org www.nanacoalition.org

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Sexual and Reproductive Health Education

• Sexuality education laws vary greatly among
  states, although the federal government has spent
  1Billion promoting abstinence-only approaches
  since 1982
• Many states have guidelines for what must be
  included in sexuality education and how, if it is
  taught (e.g., an abstinence-only approach,
  medically accurate information, and parent
  permission)
• Many states require specific instruction on
  prevention of HIV/AIDS

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Sexual and Reproductive Health Education, cont

• State-by-state listing of policies and guidelines
  can be found at the Sexuality Information and
  Education Council of the United States
  www.siecus.org
• Monthly state policy updates on sexuality
  education and reproductive health and numerous
  resources, including a Powerpoint presentation on
  need for sexuality education, can be found at the
  Guttmacher Institute www.guttmacher.org

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Healthy Marriage Initiative

• Included as part of the 2005 reauthorization of
  TANF legislation (Temporary Assistance to Needy
  Families Welfare Reform), signed Feb. 8, 2006.
• Authorizes 150 million to help couples gain
  greater access to services necessary to form and
  sustain a healthy marriage.

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Healthy Marriage, cont.

• Up to 50 million may be used to encourage
  responsible fatherhood
• Funds may be used for 8 activities including high
  school education on the value of marriage.
• More information is available from the U.S.
  Department of Health Human Services,
  Administration for Children Families
  www.acf.hhs.gov/healthymarriage

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Education for Pregnant and/or Parenting Students

• State policies vary widely from no policy to
  requiring local districts to provide special
  teenage parent programs
• Several states that do not require special
  programs provide funding for districts that offer
  them
• A state-by-state listing of policies can be found
  at the National Association of State Boards of
  Education website www.nasbe.org/healthyschools/Sta
  tes/Pregnant2020Parenting.html

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Policies Related to Shaken Baby Syndrome

• The Skipper Initiative (Shaking Kills Instead
  Parents Please Educate and Remember) is promoting
  education programs and policies to prevent SBS
• Efforts have resulted in legislation in 7 states
  requiring education for high school and middle
  school students on shaken baby syndrome
  (Wisconsin, Nebraska, New York, Missouri,
  Illinois, Minnesota, Pennsylvania)

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Shaken Baby Syndrome, cont.

• U.S. Senate adopted a resolution designating the
  third week of April as the National SBS Awareness
  Week House action on a counterpart bill is
  pending
• For more information see www.skippervigil.com

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Implications

• Existing policies can be used to advocate for
  expanded role of FCS Education
• Policies in one location can be used to advocate
  for similar mandates/guidelines in other
  states/localities

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Developed by

• Wendy L. Way
• Professor and Associate Dean of Academic
  Affairs
• University of Wisconsin - Madison