Research
Exploring the history, identity, and future of Family and Consumer Sciences.
My research interests focus on the history, professional identity, and public understanding of Family and Consumer Sciences. I am especially interested in the transition from home economics to Family and Consumer Sciences, the development of AHEA and AAFCS, student leadership within the profession, and how historical understanding can support stronger advocacy for FCS education.
Proposed Initiative · FCS Education
Practice House Proposal
A proposed experiential learning space for Family and Consumer Sciences students
Connected to
Project includes
- Full written proposal PDF
- Works cited page
- Practice house purpose statement
- Research notes and supporting materials
Why Practice Houses Should Return to Family and Consumer Sciences Education
This proposal argues that practice houses should return to Family and Consumer Sciences education as modern experiential learning spaces. A practice house would allow students to apply classroom content through housing, food, financial management, textiles, child and family development, leadership, and independent living skills.
The project connects the history of home economics with the current needs of FCS students. It presents homemaking not as an outdated idea, but as life management through responsibility, care, planning, leadership, and community building.
"Practice houses should return because they connect the history of Family and Consumer Sciences with the needs of students today. A modern practice house would give students a place to practice real responsibilities, not just learn about them in textbooks."
From the proposal
Home Economics History
I am interested in the origins of home economics as a professional and academic field, including the Lake Placid Conferences, early curriculum development, and the field's original purpose in American education and public life.
AHEA and AAFCS History
The American Home Economics Association and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences have shaped the profession's identity, standards, and advocacy work for more than a century. I am interested in how these organizations developed and how their priorities changed over time.
The Transition from Home Economics to Family and Consumer Sciences
The 1994 name change marked an important shift in how the profession described itself publicly. I am interested in why that transition happened, what it clarified, and what may have become less visible in the process.
FCS Professional Identity
I am interested in how FCS explains its value to students, schools, families, policymakers, and the public. This includes how language, curriculum, leadership, and public perception shape the way the field is understood.
Student Leadership in FCS Professional Organizations
Student organizations have helped develop future FCS professionals for decades. I am interested in how AHEA, AAFCS, FHA, FCCLA, and student units have supported leadership, continuity, and professional identity within the field.
Public Understanding of FCS
Public perception affects enrollment, program support, funding, and respect for the field. I am interested in how FCS professionals can use history, communication, and advocacy to explain the field more clearly.
FCS Education in Schools and Communities
I am interested in how FCS programs have served students, families, and communities across different eras. This includes the field's role in career and technical education, workforce preparation, life skills development, and community well-being.
FCS history is not just nostalgia. It is a professional resource. Understanding where the field came from helps educators explain what FCS is, respond to outdated stereotypes, and advocate for programs in schools and communities.
For a future FCS teacher, historical awareness is practical. It shapes how I introduce the field to students, how I talk with families, and how I respond when people misunderstand the purpose of FCS education.
Explain the roots and original purposes of the profession.
Communicate the value of FCS to students, families, schools, and policymakers.
Respond to outdated stereotypes with a stronger professional narrative.
Connect current curriculum to long-standing human needs.
Advocate more effectively for FCS programs in schools and communities.
Prepare students for real life, careers, leadership, families, and civic responsibility.
Selected artifacts from a personal collection.
This section will highlight selected artifacts from my growing personal collection related to home economics, Family and Consumer Sciences, AHEA, AAFCS, FCCLA, and professional FCS history.
These artifacts help connect the history of the field to its continuing identity, purpose, and public understanding.
Artifact dates and descriptions are based on available information and may be updated as additional research is completed.
Artifact images will be added as the collection is photographed and documented.
Lake Placid Conferences
The Lake Placid Conferences, held between 1899 and 1908, helped define home economics as a field of study and professional practice. These gatherings shaped the intellectual foundation of what would become the profession.
Ellen Swallow Richards and Early Home Economics
Ellen Swallow Richards is widely recognized as a central figure in the development of home economics. Her work connected science, domestic life, education, health, and public welfare.
American Home Economics Association
Founded in 1909, AHEA served as the national professional organization for home economists for most of the twentieth century. Its history reflects the changing priorities, leadership, and public role of the field.
American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
AAFCS succeeded AHEA after the 1994 name and identity transition. Its development reflects the profession's effort to describe the full scope of the field for a new era.
The Name Change from Home Economics to Family and Consumer Sciences
The 1994 transition was more than a name change. It was an effort to update the profession's public identity, align with changing academic and policy language, and better describe the breadth of the field.
Student Units and Student Leadership
Student involvement has long been part of the FCS tradition. I am interested in how student units, FHA, FCCLA, and other student leadership structures have contributed to the profession's continuity.
FCS Education and Teacher Preparation
The preparation of FCS teachers connects the profession's history to its future. I am interested in how teacher education has changed alongside the field and what that history suggests about future challenges and opportunities.
Public Perception of Home Economics and FCS
Public stereotypes have shaped how the field is resourced, respected, and understood. I am interested in how those perceptions developed and how FCS professionals can respond to them more effectively.
Why did home economics transition into Family and Consumer Sciences?
What did the profession gain through the name and identity change?
What may have been lost or misunderstood during that transition?
How has public perception shaped FCS education?
How can FCS professionals explain the field more clearly today?
How have student organizations supported the profession over time?
What role have AHEA and AAFCS played in shaping professional identity?
How can historical research help future FCS teachers advocate for their programs?
How have professional organizations helped protect and redefine the field?
As I continue my education, I am developing a research focus around the history and professional identity of Family and Consumer Sciences. My current interests include the transition from home economics to FCS, the role of professional organizations in shaping the field, and the ways historical understanding can support stronger advocacy for FCS education.
This is a developing area of interest, not a completed research program. I am building my source base, learning from existing scholarship, and approaching the work carefully.
One source I am interested in studying further is Helen Pundt's A History of Excellence, which documents early association history. Any future project connected to revising, expanding, or formally using that material would require appropriate permissions, guidance, review, and approval.
My interest in FCS history is directly connected to my goal of becoming a secondary FCS teacher. Understanding the history of the profession changes how I think about introducing FCS to students, communicating with families, and responding to skepticism about the field.
A teacher who understands where FCS came from is better prepared to explain where it is going and why it matters.
Explain to students and families why FCS matters.
Help students see FCS as more than cooking and sewing.
Connect curriculum to real human needs that are still relevant today.
Advocate for FCS programs in schools and communities.
Support FCCLA advising by connecting student leadership to a longer professional tradition.
Become a more informed and credible representative of the field.
Continue studying FCS history through available sources, archives, and professional literature.
Build a stronger source base on the development of home economics and FCS.
Learn from FCS historians, professionals, and educators who have studied the field.
Review historical documents connected to AHEA, AAFCS, FCCLA, and FCS education.
Develop historically informed teaching materials for future FCS classrooms.
Use history to support advocacy for FCS education in schools and communities.
Contribute to professional conversations about FCS identity, language, and public understanding.
Continue documenting and researching artifacts in my personal collection.