Pubdate: Sun, 12 May 2002 Source: Messenger-Inquirer (KY) Copyright: 2002 Messenger-Inquirer Contact: http://www.messenger-inquirer.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1285 LOCAL D.A.R.E. PROGRAM NEEDS UPDATE Since its inception in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program has become the signature project in teaching kids about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The program -- taught in more than 80 percent of the country's school districts -- not only serves as a prevention tool, but it also helps boost self-esteem and shows children that law enforcement officers are friendly and approachable. Locally, dedicated officers at the Owensboro police and Daviess County sheriff's departments put their hearts into seeing that kids don't stray from the right path. Their commitment and dedication are unquestionable and should be commended. Despite these efforts, however, there are legitimate concerns about the program's effectiveness. Local law enforcement and school officials must not fall into the trap of confusing the feel-good nature of the program with actual success. It would be unrealistic to think that parents or others in the community would complain about getting a group of students in an auditorium to cheer "Just Say No" to drugs. Few, if any, would say such rallies are anything but positive. Yet, there is significant evidence to suggest that such an approach has little impact on reducing drug and alcohol use among young people. In recent years, the surgeon general and the National Academy of Sciences have suggested the program's curriculum has become outdated. A 10-year study at the University of Kentucky showed D.A.R.E. had lost all effects by the time students reached age 20. A similar study at the University of Illinois lowered the bar further, saying any impression the program made was gone by a student's senior year. In response, the national D.A.R.E. program announced in February 2001 that it had developed a new curriculum aimed at older children with a focus on changing social norms. Seventh-graders would become the primary target audience, with a support program added in the ninth grade. Among the many perceived benefits of such changes, the most crucial is creating a curriculum that students can use as they approach an age where drugs and alcohol become a more serious temptation. But more than a year after such changes were recommended, no significant changes have been made locally. Those changes are expected to be implemented in the fall of 2003, and local officials should follow through with such plans. The national D.A.R.E. program receives about $1.7 million a year from the Department of Justice and another $215 million in indirect benefits from police departments. That's a substantial chunk of the prevention pie to be spent on a program that isn't as effective as it could be. Few things are as important as prevention programs for young people, and it's imperative that updates to D.A.R.E. are made locally to ensure that our limited resources produce maximum results. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens