Is it time to bring back home ec classes?

Guests: Ruth Graham and Carol Werhan

With a country hooked on processed and fast foods, a difficult economy for many Americans, and increasing numbers of men and women sharing household and childcare responsibilities, there’s a renewed call to incorporate “home economics” courses into middle and high school curricula. Forget those images of girls sewing aprons and skirts and learning how to make cinnamon toast. This is not your mother’s home ec. Today’s classes have been rebranded with the title of “family and consumer sciences” and include topics like nutrition, financial literacy, and building healthy relationships. Journalist RUTH GRAHAM wrote all about the efforts to implement “family and consumer sciences” into schools in an October article in the Boston Globe. She joins us along with CAROL WERHAN, Associate Professor and teacher educator of Family and Consumer Sciences at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas.