Pubdate: Tue, 27 Jun 2000 Source: North Shore News (CN BC) Copyright: 2000 by the North Shore News Contact: http://www.nsnews.com/ Author: Dr. Charles K. Curtis POSITIVE DARE SURVEY RESULTS NOT REPORTED I am concerned that a recent article (June 9, WV drug program panned) and an editorial criticizing the DARE program in West Vancouver schools may seriously damage the reputation of this program, and, indeed, cast reproach upon those students in West Vancouver who have neither experimented with, nor do they ever intend to experiment with, "some form of drug." Since my report on DARE was referred to in the article by Katharine Hamer, in which the chairman of the Youth Advisory Committee is quoted as recommending that DARE "should be abolished completely," I should like to comment on several findings in my study that should be considered in any decision to remove DARE from West Vancouver schools, and also to suggest that although several recommendations of the committee should certainly be examined, its report needs to be put in the proper context. To begin with, I acknowledge that the comments you selected from my report were accurate, and I have no argument with their use. However, as a researcher who spent almost a year conducting the study, I am disturbed by the obvious disregard of the many very positive findings I reported. For example, while it is true that some parents recommended changes in DARE content, teaching strategies, and materials, 86% of the parents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the "way DARE is taught," and 85% "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the DARE materials they had seen or had heard about. Furthermore, a decidedly large majority of the teachers agreed that the content of DARE was age-appropriate for their students and a clear majority of teachers agreed with the teaching strategies used in DARE. And, 72% of the students believed that the information learned in DARE was "truthful and up-to-date." Other findings that should be considered in any recommendation to remove DARE from the schools and that were not mentioned in the News article might be the following, based on questionnaires completed by 1,089 students in DARE classes, 672 graduates of DARE programs (core graduates enrolled in Grades 6 and 7 and middle school graduates in Grades 8 and 9), 45 teachers in DARE classrooms, and 422 parents of DARE students (for a total of 2,228 responses): 88% of the parents, 72% of the DARE students, and 60% of the DARE graduates believed that DARE taught students effective strategies for avoiding drug use. Teachers believed that DARE did this for at least "many" of their students. 92% of the parents, 77% of the DARE students, and 67% of the DARE graduates suggested that DARE taught students to consider the consequences of their actions before they act. Teachers agreed with this objective for at least "many" of their students. 80% of the teachers, rated DARE at least a "good" drug education program; 98% rated it at least "adequate." 67% of the teachers rated DARE at least a "good" violence-avoidance program; 81% rated it at least "adequate." 96% of the parents, 92% of the teachers, 74% of the DARE students, and 89% of the DARE graduates recommended that the program be continued in their schools. My task was to assess attitudes of students, teachers, and parents toward DARE, and it seemed reasonable to assume that whether students actually used DARE strategies might be a factor in their opinion of DARE. Therefore, I asked DARE graduates if they had been involved in situations where drugs or alcohol had been available or where violence had been a possibility. Two-hundred and sixty DARE graduates (39%) acknowledged that they had been in situations involving drugs or alcohol. Of these students, 117 (45%) stated that they had used strategies learned in DARE to avoid taking drugs or drinking alcohol. The most frequently given response (76 times) for not using DARE strategies in such situations was that the student had simply wanted to take the drugs or the alcoholic drink. Only eight students actually stated that they had not used DARE strategies because they had thought such strategies would not work Additionally, 321 DARE graduates (50%) reported that they had encountered situations where they felt violence was likely to occur. One hundred and fifty (47%) of these students used what they had been taught in DARE to either remove themselves from danger or eliminate it. Thirty-six students had not used DARE strategies because they enjoyed fighting, and 35 stated that when the situation arouse there had not been enough time to use DARE strategies and they had had to defend themselves. Only 10 students refused to use DARE strategies because they had believed that they would not have worked. One hundred and seventeen encounters with drugs and alcohol and 150 potentially violent situations were successfully managed because students utilized the skills they learned in DARE. Certainly, a reader of my report will note statements aimed at improving DARE, and I am certain that these are presently being considered by DARE instructors. However, as an educator, I am not aware of any school program including curricula from the ministry --that cannot be improved, or that is without its critics. And, although at this time most materials used in DARE elementary programs are prepared in the United States, this is not inherently bad. In fact using U.S. textbooks in B.C. schools is not uncommon, as a perusal of any list of prescribed social studies texts will confirm. A careful reading of the comments by the Youth Advisory Committee suggests to this reader that the committee's criteria for judging DARE appear to be more relevant for programs offered to high school students. For example, the comment that the content of DARE is "juvenile" is appropriate since the DARE programs offered when my study was conducted were prepared for elementary, or "juvenile," students. Moreover, although I am not a drug educator, it seems to me that programs examining societal and personal problems that might be correlated with drug use, discussions of the use of hard drugs, and realistic materials such as Through a Blue Lens are more appropriate at the high-school level than in the grades where DARE is presently taught. The research on drug education suggests that drug education programs tend to have only a short-term effect, implying the need for programs throughout both the elementary and high school years. This would support the Youth Advisory Committee's recommendation and that of many parents who were part of my survey that drug education be included in the high-school curriculum. And, according to the parents in my study, means for managing or controlling violence should also be taught in schools, at all grade levels. It should be noted that violence-avoidance is an important aspect of DARE programs. I concluded my report with the comment that "in a short period of time and with programs involving just a few hours each, DARE has managed to gain a solid reputation in West Vancouver -- without compromising its message." I see no evidence that would cause me to change this conclusion. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek