Dare role model program

The state-funded Drug Enforcement Program used to provide funding for DARE as well, but, the program was eliminated from the Office of Policy and Management ' s budget several years ago. The results of various evaluations of DARE are mixed. There have been so many evaluations of its effectiveness since its inception that we can provide only a brief overview of their conflicting outcomes in this report. To supplement the information summarized below, we list additional articles, websites, and bibliographies on the program in a separate section below.

At first, the program was aimed at students in the last year of elementary school, usually in grades five or six, depending on which is the elementary school exit grade. The program has added a middle school component for grades seven to nine.

It has also expanded beyond drug prevention to cover such activities as drinking and smoking, online safety, bullying, choosing good role models, gangs, and other topics. The program it is still predominantly taught by police officers. Negative Evaluations.

The findings of approximately 30 evaluations, as reflected in several articles and reports, may be summarized as follows:.

The program has some immediate positive effects on students ' knowledge of drugs, attitudes about drug use, social skills, and attitudes toward the police. These effects dissipate within one to two years of students ' participation in the program. The program ' s effect on drug use is either small or unidentifiable and, when identified, dissipates quickly. These studies found that DARE did not prevent drug use in the short- or long-term and students who participated in the program were indistinguishable from those who did not.

Surgeon General , published in by the Office of the U. Surgeon General. Numerous well-designed evaluations and meta-analyses consistently show little or no deterrent effects on substance abuse. Overall, evidence on the effects of the traditional DARE curriculum, which is implemented in grades 5 and 6, shows that children who participate are as likely to use drugs as those who do not participate.

However, some positive effects have been demonstrated regarding attitudes toward police. Positive Evaluations. Ray; Hinds, Joseph E. As already mentioned, DARE ' s curriculum has changed recently. Students on average felt their ability to resist peer pressure declined strongly, about 25 percent between baseline and year five. Additionally, students perceived that more of their peers were using drugs.

The sample as a whole, both treatment and comparison, experienced a significant change in their drug-related behavior. Examining the treatment group DARE and the comparison group other drug education separately reveals an interesting effect.

For the early follow-up measurements, DARE students maintained negative attitudes toward drug use and moderately strong refusal skills. After the full five years, however, these small effects wear off, and there is no discernable difference between DARE students and comparison students. Intervention ID. Factors - Placeholder. Factors - Protective. Good relationship with peers. Parental approval of friends.

Presence and involvement of caring, supportive adults. Having a stable family. Perception of social support from adults and peers. High expectations. Student bonding attachment to teachers, belief, commitment. Effective parenting. Some high school DARE role models choose to drink or use drugs in spite of their pledges to set a good example. The decisions of some role models may damage the reputations of all role models, especially in the eyes of elementary students.

The application to become a DARE role model clearly asks students about prior involvement with drugs, alcohol, and other harmful behavior. However, some students lie about their lifestyles and falsify their applications to become role models.

Currently, there is an anonymous list system that deters students who have made questionable decisions from becoming role models.