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have suggested the program's curriculum has become outdated.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.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens