The National Association of State Administrators for Family and Consumer Sciences Education (NASAFACS), an affiliate of the Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FACS) Division of the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), first began development of national standards for family and consumer sciences in May 1995.  The project to develop national standards created an atmosphere that celebrated the variety that exists among state philosophies and blended multiple approaches to standards and educational delivery systems.  The resulting work became a powerful tool for showcasing the movement from home economics, with an emphasis on technical homemaking skills, to Family and Consumer Sciences Education, with its focus on broader family and society issues, and provided significant new direction for the field. For the last decade, the National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education (NASAFACS, V-TECS 1998) has  provided a strong and clear conceptualization and a common direction for Family and Consumer Sciences Education at the national, state, and local levels. 

In May 2005, NASAFACS initiated a project to update the national standards, utilizing a highly participatory process to collect recommendations from a wide variety of stakeholders.  Over 1,000 reviewers, including FACS educators and subject matter specialists from all states along with representatives of external organizations, business and industry, agencies with direct connections, and other stakeholders, reviewed the National Standards and provided recommendations for the second edition.  Workgroups chaired by NASAFACS leaders analyzed feedback to revise and update the standards and competencies to create the new National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Second Edition (NASAFACS 2008).  The new National Standards, 2nd Edition reconfirms the Vision and Mission for Family and Consumer Sciences Education as the basis for Nationals Standards, continues the format that highlights competencies and process questions, and adds alignment with FCCLA programs, Career Clusters, and 21st Century Skills.

The National Standards for Family and Consumer Sciences Education, Second Edition (NASAFACS 2008) continues the proud tradition of providing the framework for national, state, and local programs that prepare students for family life, work life, and careers in Family and Consumer Sciences by empowering individuals and families across the life span to manage the challenges of living and working in a diverse global society.