Pubdate: Mon, 03 Jun 2013
Source: Governing (US)
Copyright: 2013 Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.governing.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/518
Authors: Lisa L. Sample and Crystal Fuller

WHY STATIC, ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SCHOOL DRUG-PREVENTION PROGRAMS DON'T WORK

Often, administrators adopt school-based drug-prevention programs and
continue to use them as long as they are funded, with little attention
paid to their long-term effectiveness. Perhaps the best-known of these
programs is DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), which was
developed in 1983 and still is in use in many schools across the
country. DARE was evaluated throughout the 1980s and '90s, and while
it generally was found to be efficient at educating youth, its effects
were found to be short-lived.

The reason for this shortcoming could be that the program has changed
little over time, even though empirical data show that drug use among
youth is not static. The amounts and types of drugs used by children
vary across decades, by geographic location and by social demographic
factors, which suggests a need to continually revise drug-prevention
programs and adapt them to their locations while moving away from
one-size-fits all programs.

Some drugs, such as methamphetamines, are more commonly used in rural
areas than in more urban communities. Crack cocaine use is reported
more among juveniles in medium-sized and large cities than in rural
counties. Over time, alcohol and marijuana have remained the drugs of
choice among juveniles, but there has been a dramatic increase in
misuse of prescription drugs in recent years, particularly in rural
environments.

In addition to geographical variation, the types of drugs children are
pressured to use have changed considerably since the 1980s and 1990s,
when many drug-prevention programs like DARE were developed. The use
of crack cocaine has declined overall, for example, while the misuse
of prescription drugs materialized in the last 10 years and continues
to increase.

Variations in drug-use patterns among youth also vary by gender, age
and race. Survey results suggest that girls begin taking drugs later
than boys. Over time, drug use among 8th-graders has remained
relatively stable, whereas drug use among 12th graders has declined.
African-American youth use inhalants in greater proportions that white
children, while a larger proportion of Native American juveniles use
methamphetamines as compared to Asian or Hispanic youth.

What all of this means is that if we wish to take a truly effective
approach to drug use prevention, we need to be mindful of the
variations and changes over time in children's drug-use behavior and
continually alter program components to address emerging trends.

Among other steps, schools and communities need to make priorities of
student self-report surveys and program evaluation. These methods can
help schools track emerging trends and spikes in drug use, and also
identify age and gender differences in drug use. Currently, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention fund the Youth Risk
Behavior Survey and the Youth Tobacco Survey, resulting in state-level
data on juvenile drug use. Many states also have local-level surveys
that provide schools with a glimpse into drug use in their specific
municipalities. Participation in these surveys allows schools and
community organizations to track the outcomes of their drug-prevention
interventions and can help schools refine program components to
address shifting trends.

To achieve positive outcomes, schools should rely on evidence-based
prevention programs that address the changing dynamics of juvenile
drug use. Evidence-based programs that have received national approval
for effectiveness can be found on the federal Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration's National Registry of
Evidence-based Prevention Programs.

School-based drug-prevention programs are needed. As resources for
prevention programs in schools decrease, it is imperative that the
resources that remain be used effectively rather than allowing
existing programs to continue unchanged or creating new
one-size-fits-all programs based on local anecdotes and myths.
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