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Family & Consumer Sciences Education

The field of Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education has a recognized role in addressing pressing global challenges through research, education, and extension.

FCS educators work to achieve optimal and sustainable quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. Despite the positive contributions of FCS education, there is an established and growing shortage of family & consumer sciences professionals to serve in educator positions in secondary education, higher education, and Extension education. This shortage increasingly results in educator positions going unfilled or filled by individuals without family & consumer sciences credentials. Shortages of family & consumer sciences educators and those enrolled in family & consumer sciences educator preparation programs can result in program closures. A considerable amount of synergy exists between NIFA goals, and strategic efforts to increase the number of professionals prepared to enter into family & consumer sciences educator roles. NIFA’s Division of Family & Consumer Sciences supports several ongoing efforts to promote educator preparation for the next generation of family & consumer sciences professionals.

Background, Initiatives, and Programs

American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences 
Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Education: Filling the Family & Consumer Sciences Educator Pipeline 
Say Yes to FCS: Filling the Family & Consumer Sciences Educator Pipeline 
Great Plains IDEA: Interactive Distance Education Alliance Family and Consumer Sciences Education

NIFA Education Grant Programs

Higher Education Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) 
Higher Education Challenge (HEC) Grants Program 
Secondary Education, Two-Year Postsecondary Education, and Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom Challenge Grants Program (SPECA) 
Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (HSI)

Related Associations & Honor Societies

Family, Career and Community Leaders of America 
American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (AAFCS) 
Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), FCS Education Division 
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) Board on Human Sciences (BoHS) 
Council of Administrators of Family and Consumer Sciences (CAFCS) 
Family & Consumer Sciences Education Association (FCSEA) 
International Federation for Home Economics (IFHE) 
National Association of Teacher Educators for Family and Consumer Sciences (NATEFACS) 
National Association of Teachers of Family & Consumer Sciences (NATFACS
National Coalition for Black Development in Family & Consumer Sciences 
Kappa Omicron Nu (KON) 
Phi Upsilon Omicron

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