The Dare program: Is it as effective as it once was?
The Dare program is a popular substance abuse prevention education program that has been implemented in 75% of American schools. However, recent research suggests that it may not be as effective as it once was.
The origins and challenges of the DARE program
The DARE program was launched in 1991, as part of the United States' war on drugs. It was designed to teach children the negative effects of drug use and to encourage them to resist peer pressure to experiment with illegal drugs. For most of the 1990s, DARE was a hugely popular drug-prevention program that cost taxpayers an estimated $600 million to $700 million per year and served more than 200 million students nationwide. But, the program failed to prevent drug use in the long term. What's more, the program was plagued by many problems, including a lack of scientific studies and political motivations. In 2003, the Government Accountability Office reviewed six long-term evaluations of the DARE program and found that it did not significantly affect illicit drug use by youth.
The structure and approach of the DARE program
DARE was created in part by Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates and LA Unified School District, as a way to reach school children during the War on Drugs. It uses uniformed police officers to visit classrooms to teach kids about the dangers of drug use. During the program, the police officers also teach kids about gangs and violence. The program is a collaborative effort between the police, schools, and parents. The program uses an educational approach, with instructors using techniques of facilitation to guide the students in small cooperative learning groups. They work with students to apply the DARE decision-making model to real-life situations and practice problem-solving skills.
Changes and improvements in the DARE curriculum
In the latest version of the curriculum, called "keepin' it REAL," the focus is on social responsibility and good decision making. The curriculum also incorporates more behavioral prevention specialists rather than law enforcement officials. According to Michelle Miller-Day, co-developer of the new DARE curriculum, the change from a law enforcement emphasis to more of a behavioral prevention emphasis is meant to help teachers relate to students and provide them with more realistic content. The new curriculum has been approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices, which is a database of over 160 interventions that have been proven to be effective.
The effectiveness of the new DARE curriculum
For middle schoolers, the curriculum has changed to a new version of DARE called "keepin' it REAL." This program has been proven to have an immediate effect on student drug use in controlled studies. This is a welcome development for many people, as it means that DARE programs will finally be more effective than they have been in the past. This will save millions of dollars in taxpayer money, as well as the time and energy that is spent on a program that does not work.
Limitations and the need for a holistic approach
Although DARE programs have had positive effects on students' knowledge of drugs, attitudes about drug use, and social skills, these benefits dissipate after one to two years. The program is not a permanent solution to the drug problem, as it does not address the root causes of addiction, such as family and community factors.
