The D.A.R.E. program stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. This program is taught to thousands of schools throughout America, including a numerous amount of other countries. It includes education in the topics of bullying, internet safety, over-the-counter prescription drugs, and opiates. The D.A.R.E. program has curriculum for those in elementary, middle, and high school, and is a “highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.” Because the program is taught by local police officers, it is thought to develop that relationship between the student community and the police officers. All law enforcement agencies are committed to the D.A.R.E. program and wish to reduce the supply of drugs in the community. This program has connections and oversight from professions in various fields, such as education, scientific, and law enforcement. Because many other preventative curriculums like the D.A.R.E. program are often directed to one specific group, they decided to design this program to cover a large ground of topics instead of just focusing on one. This ensure that the program will reach in more ways than just one. Instead of focusing on never using drugs, the program focuses on social-emotional principles. This encourages the decision-making process to choose not to do drugs. If they are already doing drugs, it may encourage them to stop or decrease their usage. These are the claims that the D.A.R.E. website makes, but are they correct?
The phrase “Just Say No” was used by the D.A.R.E. program for a substantial amount of time that the program was around. The reality of the children actually using those words were unlikely and did not seem realistic. Because of this, a lot of school districts began to pull the program from those schools. If it was not going to be effective, there was no sense in paying for the program. This resulted in a great financial deficit for the D.A.R.E. program, so they changed their focus from drugs, to building character. One focus of the program up until the 4th grade is personal safety. A few others are anger management and coping techniques that do not involve the use of drugs or medications. There is no evidence yet to show the increase within this new strategy of program. An abundance of studies have been in place to test the effectiveness of the program. The results are that more than 30 of the studies have noted that the D.A.R.E. program did not deter students from using drugs. Although the studies did not find a decrease in drug use, they did find a decrease in the likelihood of the students using the program in the future and over time. In one study, 7 percent of 8th graders, 18 percent of 10th graders, and 22.7 percent of seniors reported that they smoke marijuana. However, 5 years pervious to these percentages, only 5.8 percent of 8th graders, 13.8 percent of 10th graders, and 19.4 percent of seniors reported smoking marijuana. Another study was when a survey was filled out by participants when they were 10 years old. They filled out the same survey when they turned 20 years old. Those who were in the D.A.R.E. program and completed it were not less likely to smoke marijuana or tobacco, drink alcohol, use illicit drugs, or fall into peer pressure than those who did not complete the D.A.R.E. program.
In attempts to revise the program again, a new model of the D.A.R.E. program that was introduced was Keepin’ it REAL in 2009. Instead of police officers giving the education, they jut used trained classroom instructors and this model was aimed for 12 to 14-year-old students. It then evolved to 5th and 6th grade by 2013. The education within the new model was brought by prevention experts. This helped the program out, leaving an actual decrease in those who used drugs. The new program is educating them on real life experiences and the effects of drug use rather than pushing “Just say No” to the students.
From the many studies conducted, it is clear that the D.A.R.E. program struggled a lot for a long period of time. I can remember the various activities and assemblies I attended throughout school involving this program. It was just seen as an opportunity to not attend class and do something fun. It never stuck with me throughout my life, and I know that my small school district was one of the many to pull the program. I think that programs educating students on the effects of drugs, or as used in the prompt, sexual education, is important. Even here at Elizabethtown there are signs and flyers everywhere giving the facts about sexual relationships and the diseases you can contract. There are also many flyers and signs giving the facts about drinking safely and what to do if something should happen. There is importance in knowing the facts and risks that you face in making decisions. However, I do know that in middle school and high school, these programs were annoying and repetitive. When you hear the same thing over and over again, it becomes less effective. I do not think that actual programs are beneficial to have within school districts, but I do think that setting a couple days aside throughout the year to educate the students on the risks of their decisions, could be more beneficial.
Resources:
https://www.dualdiagnosis.org/drug-addiction/dare-program-work/
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