D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is a global initiative established in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District, aimed at educating students about the risks associated with drug use, gangs, and violence. The program was created in response to rising concerns about drug addiction and youth violence and operates through a collaboration between local law enforcement and school systems. D.A.R.E. provides training and resources for police officers who serve as educators in schools, teaching children decision-making skills and promoting healthy choices.
While early evaluations of D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness suggested limited impact on reducing drug use, the program has evolved over the years. It underwent significant revamps in 2001 and 2008, leading to the introduction of the "Keepin' It REAL" curriculum, which emphasizes decision-making and communication rather than solely focusing on drug prevention. D.A.R.E. has expanded its topics to include issues such as cyberbullying and internet safety, fostering positive relationships between students and police officers through classroom interactions.
Today, D.A.R.E. operates across all U.S. states and in nearly fifty countries, continuing to adapt its curriculum to better address the needs of diverse student populations and enhance its educational impact.
D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
DEFINITION: Drug Abuse Resistance Education is a combined program of law enforcement agencies and school systems around the world educating students about the consequences of drug use, gangs, and violence.
DATE: Established in 1983
Background
The Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program was established by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1983 to address drug addiction and violence among children and adolescents. The program received early support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and many private donors. In its early days, D.A.R.E., under its cofounders, LAPD officers Glenn Levant and Daryl Gates (who later became LAPD chief), focused both on demand reduction (decreasing the desire for drugs by making students aware of the physical, personal, and social consequences of drug use) and, with law enforcement agencies, on supply reduction (decreasing drug availability to potential addicts of all ages).
D.A.R.E. is a decentralized non-profit that relies on the collaboration between local school districts and law enforcement agencies. D.A.R.E. provides online access to curriculum guides and instructor tools. Instructors, who are local law enforcement officers or police officers, must hold the minimum training standards for peace officer status in their state. They then must complete two years as a peace officer with full police powers along with an eighty-hour course, D.A.R.E. officer training (DOT).
Early research investigating the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. programs indicated that the effect of these programs was minimal, and one study (published in 2004) argued that the program did not warrant being funded. The authors of this critical study also indicated, however, that most studies of D.A.R.E. have not used a pretest/post-test format. If D.A.R.E. were to be studied using this more rigorous format, the study authors added, it might be shown to be more effective. However, a 2009 report by the US Bureau of Justice Assistance reviewed thirty evaluations of D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness and found no significant long-term effects on participants' drug use.
In the early 1980s, before the existence of programs like D.A.R.E., 66 percent of high school students had used illegal drugs; in 2008, illegal drug use among high school students had decreased to about 47 percent, although the impact of D.A.R.E. on this decline is thought to be negligible. The D.A.R.E. program was revamped in 2001 and again in 2008 to make it more effective. D.A.R.E. now operates in every state in the United States and in close to fifty other countries. Ongoing reviews of the program's impact are continuing, and D.A.R.E. has altered its curriculum to improve its effectiveness. In 2009, D.A.R.E. introduced its "Keepin' It REAL" program, which focuses less on drugs and more on improving students' decision-making skills. (REAL stands for refuse, explain, avoid, and leave.) In 2022, the American Addiction Centers reported that Keepin' It REAL, which is based on science and peer interaction, was offered in multicultural, rural, and Spanish versions and was succeeding in preventing drug use among students.
Mission and Goals
The mission of D.A.R.E. is to provide students with information and skills for making good and healthy decisions for safer and healthier lives. While the program originally dealt with the topics of drug use and violence, it has been expanded to include gangs, Internet safety, and the prevention of cyberbullying and its focus has shifted to improving communication and decision-making skills. D.A.R.E. also attempts to establish positive relationships between police officers and school children by allowing officers to visit schools to speak in a friendly, approachable manner.
All officers have mentors who are senior D.A.R.E. officers. Mentors teach the classroom officers how to effectively present material to children, inform them of helpful interactive activities, and provide further tips on teaching about drugs and violence. All D.A.R.E. officers provide students with skills to help them make informed decisions in and out of the school environment. Doing so helps the students build self-esteem, stand firm against peer pressure, and develop the courage to refuse drugs or to refuse to participate in violent or dangerous activities.
Bibliography
Bergman, Greg, and Aubrey Fox. Lessons from the Battle over D.A.R.E.: The Complicated Relationship between Research and Practice. Washington, DC: US Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2009. Office of Justice Programs, www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/lessons-battle-over-dare-complicated-relationship-between-research. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Berry, Matt. "Does the New DARE Program Work?" American Addiction Centers, 10 Nov. 2022, americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/new-dare-program-work. Accessed 20 Nov. 2022.
Cima, Rosie. "DARE: The Anti-Drug Program That Never Actually Worked." Priceonomics, 1 Oct. 2015, priceonomics.com/dare-the-anti-drug-program-that-never-actually/. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Ennett, Susan T., et al. “How Effective Is Drug Abuse Resistance Education? A Meta-Analysis of Project DARE Outcome Evaluations.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 84, no. 9, 1994, pp. 1394-401, doi.org/10.2105/ajph.84.9.1394. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Hecht, Michael L., et al. “Culturally Grounded Substance Use Prevention: An Evaluation of the Keepin' It R.E.A.L. Curriculum.” Prevention Science: The Official Journal of the Society for Prevention Research, vol. 4, no. 4, 2003, pp. 233-48. Springer Link, doi.org/10.1023/A:1026016131401. Accessed 18 Sept. 2024.
Kanof, Marjorie E. “Youth Illicit Drug Use Prevention: D.A.R.E. Long-Term Evaluations and Federal Efforts to Identify Effective Programs.” Washington D.C.: GAO, January 15, 2003.
Levant, Glenn A. Keeping Kids Drug Free: D.A.R.E. Official Parent’s Guide. San Diego: Advantage, 1998.
Nordrum, Amy. "The New D.A.R.E. Program—This One Works." Scientific American. Scientifican American, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.
Rosenbaum, Dennis P., and Gordon S. Hanson. "Assessing the Effects of School-Based Drug Education: A Six-Year Multilevel Analysis of Project D.A.R.E." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 35.4 (1998): 381–412. Print.
West, Steven L., and K. K. O’Neal. “Project D.A.R.E. Outcome Effectiveness Revisited.” American Journal of Public Health 94 (2004): 1027–29. Print.