IMPACT OF LEGISLATION UPON THE DEVELOPMENT OF HOME ECONOMICS EDUCATION IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA UNTIL 1978

The purposes of this study were to: (a) describe events leading to the development of home economics education in North Carolina, (b) describe types of funding and special provision made for home economics education, (c) place the resulting development in chronological order, (d) record significant developments in the home economics student organizations in North Carolina, and (e) record verifiable anecdotes regarding the resulting development of home economics education in North Carolina.;Analysis of the study revealed these major findings: (a) the greatest single force propelling the growth of home economics education in North Carolina was the passage of the Smith-Hughes Act of 1917; (b) ensuing legislation provided for strengthening and expanding home economics programs; (c) major funding sources have come from state and local funds; (d) enrollments increased in response to increases in funding; (e) the major focus of instruction prior to 1963, and in consumer and homemaking since 1963, had remained centered on the improvement of personal and family living skills; (f) occupational home economics programs were developed in response to mandates set forth in the Vocational Education Act of 1963; (g) differences in rate of reimbursement between regular vocational programs and the higher rate of reimbursement from federal monies for consumer and homemaking programs in economically disadvantaged areas served as deterrents to early efforts to expand the occupational home economics programs; (h) as enrollment increased in occupational home economics courses the number of home economics education teachers increased; (i) as school consolidations occurred, and as the number of choices in vocational education increased, membership in the state FHA/HERO organization declined; and (j) as schools consolidated the number of home visits and adult programs conducted by home economics teachers decreased.;Data were collected through the following: an ERIC search, review of federal and state legislation, review of related studies, examination of documents maintained in the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and personal interviews.