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Evaluation of D.A.R.E.

Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is a public health education program that's aimed at educating children in schools about the dangers of drugs. Its popularity has risen due to a good majority of public schools leveraging the program at some point in the health education curriculum. In addition to focusing on drug education, D.A.R.E. also focuses on teaching the importance of abstaining from alcohol as well as the pitfalls of alcohol abuse.

  1. Overview

    • According to D.A.R.E., more than 75 percent of school districts in the United States teach the D.A.R.E. program, which offers different curriculums to students in elementary, middle and high school students. The program enlists the help of uniformed police officers who are part of the particular school district's local police department. Police officers assigned to teach the program are specially trained to provide formal education about drug use and how to resist peer pressure to do drugs.

    Primary Goals

    • D.A.R.E. lesson plans across all age groups focus on four key principles. The first is to provide accurate information to students about alcohol, tobacco and drugs. After educating students and clearing up misconceptions, the program moves on to teach students how to make good decisions. The third principle focuses on strategies to cope with potential peer pressure from other students. The final step of the D.A.R.E. program teaches students to engage in positive alternatives to drug use, such as staying engaged with school activities and clubs and playing sports.

    Effectiveness

    • Independent studies conducted by third-party researchers have largely proven D.A.R.E. to be ineffective in preventing drug use among students, as consumption rates have increased since D.A.R.E. was introduced. D.A.R.E. has countered claims of ineffectiveness by rebutting that only a formal, multiyear study could determine if the program is truly effective. D.A.R.E. has yet to perform a study along these lines, however. According to research by Dr. David Hanson, the U.S. Department of Education has ceased providing federal funding to schools to use for D.A.R.E. because it has proven to be ineffective in curbing alcohol and drug abuse.

    Alternative Programs

    • Modern-day drug and alcohol prevention programs focus more on correcting the social norms surrounding their use among students and their peers. Studies demonstrated that students greatly overestimated the amount and frequency that their peers drink and use drugs, which leads to increased pressure for students do the same so they feel like they belong. Correcting this thinking and providing the real social norms about drinking and drug use helps lower that pressure.

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