2005 California Education Code Sections 52485-52490 Technical Education

52485.  (a) The Legislature recognizes that home economics career
technical education includes two distinct programs, consumer home
economics education which is crucial to the economic and social
well-being of individuals and families, and home economics related
occupation programs, which provide a continued source of trained and
qualified individuals for employment in various fields, including
child development and education, consumer services, fashion design,
manufacturing and merchandising, food science, dietetics and
nutrition, food service and hospitality, hospitality, tourism and
recreation, interior design, furnishings, and maintenance.  These
industries are of central importance to the economic growth and
development of the state, and their maintenance requires a continued
source of trained and qualified individuals in order to maintain a
productive workforce.
   (b) The Legislature hereby declares that it is in the best
interests of the people of the State of California that a
comprehensive home economics careers and technology career technical
program be created and maintained by the public school system to
include instruction in consumer home economics education, which
prepares individuals for effective personal life management and to be
a member of a well-functioning family, and instruction in home
economics related occupations education, in order to ensure both an
adequate supply of trained and skilled individuals, and appropriate
representation of racial and ethnic groups in all phases of the
industries.
   (c) For this purpose, the Legislature affirms that a program of
home economics career technical education shall be a part of the
curriculum of the public school system and made readily available to
all school districts which may, at their option, include programs in
career technical home economics education as a part of the curriculum
of that district.
52486.  The State Department of Education shall adopt such rules and
regulations as are necessary to implement the provisions of this
article.  The rules and regulations shall not create any new state
mandates on school districts or county offices of education as a
condition of receiving federal, state, and local funds by those
entities.
   It is the intent of the Legislature that, although this article
does not create any new mandates, school districts and county offices
of education are strongly advised to follow the guidelines set forth
in this article.
52487.  (a) There is hereby created within the State Department of
Education the Home Economics Careers and Technology Career Technical
Education Unit, to be staffed by qualified home economics
education-trained personnel, to assist school districts in the
establishment and maintenance of the educational programs provided
for by this article.
   (b) The staffing of the unit shall be at least 3.3
personnel-years.
   (c) The State Supervisor of the Home Economics Careers and
Technology Career Technical Education Unit, under the direction of
the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall have responsibility
for the administration of the program set forth in this article, as
well as for the articulation of the program to the requirements and
mandates of federally assisted career technical education.
   (d) An appropriate number of employees shall serve as program
consultants in the Home Economics Careers and Technology Career
Technical Education Unit, and shall be available to provide
assistance to school districts.  To the extent possible, the program
consultants shall be geographically located in areas that are most
readily accessible to the school districts they assist.  At least one
consultant shall be responsible for the coordination of the
leadership development activities of pupil home economics careers and
technology organizations and associations.
   (e) The State Department of Education shall accomplish the
staffing of the Home Economics Careers and Technology Career
Technical Education Unit in compliance with this article by
reassigning priorities in staff assignments within the department so
that the staffing results in no new costs to the state.
52488.  (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish
on July 1, 1997, and convene the Home Economics Careers and
Technology Advisory Committee.  The committee shall develop
recommendations for state programs in home economics careers and
technology education for presentation to the Legislature for review
and to the State Board of Education to be used in the development and
adoption pursuant to Section 52486 of the rules and regulations
necessary to implement the provisions of this article.
Recommendations shall include, but not be limited to, the development
of a curriculum and a strategy for the purpose of establishing a
source of trained and qualified instructors for home economics
careers and technology programs throughout the public school system,
and a public information outreach strategy regarding the importance
of consumer home economics education and home economics-related
occupations in California.  Members of the advisory committee shall
serve without compensation, including travel and per diem.  The
advisory committee shall cease to exist on January 1, 2000.
   (b) The committee shall be representative of consumer home
economics education and home economics-related occupation specialists
and representatives of the various fields and industries in
California described in Section 52485.  Nominations for the committee
shall be solicited from the various task forces that have assisted
in the development of curriculum standards for home economics careers
and technology career technical education programs.
   (c) The committee shall be composed of the following:
   (1) A voluntary representative from a university conducting a
teacher education program in home economics careers and technology.
   (2) A voluntary representative from a community college conducting
a program in home economics careers and technology education.
   (3) A voluntary representative from a high school conducting a
consumer home economics program in home economics careers and
technology.
   (4) A voluntary representative from a high school conducting a
home economics-related occupations program in home economics careers
and technology.
   (5) A voluntary representative from a middle level school
conducting an exploratory program in home economics careers and
technology.
   (6) A former student of a home economics careers and technology
education program.
   (7) A parent of a pupil enrolled in home economics careers and
technology education.
   (8) Eight other individuals representing diverse industries
related to established career paths in home economics careers and
technology education from various geographic locations in the state.
   The State Supervisor of the Home Economics Careers and Technology
Vocational Education Unit shall serve as the committee consultant.
52489.  (a) The curriculum of school districts that choose to
participate in the state program of home economics careers and
technology career technical education shall include all of the
following components:
   (1) Organized classes in the study of home economics careers and
technology, both for consumer home economics and home
economics-related occupations.
   (2) A pupil-supervised worksite learning experience appropriate to
the specific home economics career and technology program.
   (3) A program of leadership, organization, personal development,
and service learning.
   (b) Pupil learning activities developed to supplement these
components shall be considered curricular and shall contribute to the
grade of the participating pupil when those activities are integral
to assisting the pupil to achieve the personal or career objective of
the class or course.
52490.  (a) In order to ensure effective instruction in home
economics careers and technology career technical education,
instructors need access to updated curricula that prepares pupils
with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to function as effective
family members, citizens, and community leaders as well as productive
employees in industries critical to the economic growth of
California, including, but not limited to, hospitality, tourism, and
food service.  In addition, an ongoing professional development
program tied to the latest research, educational trends,
industry-validated curriculum standards, and effective teaching
strategies is crucial if instructors are to provide quality, relevant
instruction.
   (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that a statewide home
economics careers and technology curriculum and professional
development project be established to do the following:
   (1) Create opportunities for researchers, higher education,
faculty, and elementary and secondary school faculty to work together
to accomplish all of the following:
   (A) Identify exemplary teaching practices.
   (B) Examine and develop research on learning, knowledge, and
educational materials.
   (C) Give consideration to the implementation of statewide
curriculum standards in the content areas of both consumer home
economics education and home economics-related occupations education,
with particular attention to the learning needs and styles of an
increasingly diverse pupil population, many of whom are
underachieving.
   (2) Be modeled after projects that have been successful in
strengthening systematically the subject matter knowledge and
instructional strategies of project participants, including, but not
limited to, the California Writing Project and the California
Mathematics Project.
   (3) Include an evaluation plan designed to measure the degree of
implementation of the statewide project and local sites, changes in
the instructional practices of participating teachers, and
improvements in the learning and involvement by pupils in career
technical home economics careers and technology education.
   (c) The project shall be established by contract at a university
with a viable teacher education program that prepares instructors to
teach in both consumer home economics education and home
economics-related occupations education programs.  The contract shall
be awarded under the request for proposal provisions of Section
10344 of the Public Contract Code.
   (d) The project shall operate under the direction of the Home
Economics Careers and Technology Career Technical Education Unit
within the State Department of Education to ensure effective
collaboration and articulation of programs in kindergarten and grades
1 to 12, inclusive.
   (e) The project shall be funded only from available federal funds.