Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is an American education program that tries to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District12 as a demand-side drug control strategy of the American War on Drugs. For more than three decades, D.A.R.E. has also been an international program with its curricula having been taught in more than 28 other countries.
Why Do People Say ‘How Dare You’?
However, to remain relevant, effective, and impactful requires much more… it requires the critical review and substantive contributions of highly respected experts in the field of education, science, and law enforcement. And it also needs the intelligent comments and recommendations of the program’s audience – school children. To this end, several years ago D.A.R.E. established key Advisory Committees, the members of which are actively engaged in the development and implementation of virtually all aspects of the D.A.R.E. program. In contrast, the length of training for most other prevention programs is only 2-3 days and is usually offered only to existing classroom teachers. Further, these programs offer neither a nationwide training system for instructors nor a rigorous process to ensure that training centers are accredited.In contrast, the length of training for other prevention programs is only 2-3 days, frequently offered only online, is usually offered only to existing classroom teachers, and, therefore, does not include in-classroom training.
With each passing year, D.A.R.E.’s success was seen in classrooms and homes leading to rapid growth and expansion. As each decade passed and success increased, the challenges facing children The Most Important Things You Can Do To Help an Alcoholic and families also grew. Today, through the leadership of D.A.R.E.’s dedicated Board of Directors, and the tireless commitment and hard work of tens of thousands of officers and educators throughout America and around the globe, D.A.R.E strives each day to achieve its vital mission… to fulfill a vision. This year millions of school children around the world will benefit from D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), the highly acclaimed program that gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence. D.A.R.E. is the only international drug prevention curricula to hold consultative status with the Committee on Non-Government Organizations of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Multiple government organizations and institutions, as well as highly respected journals, have endorsed and favorably reported upon D.A.R.E.’s keepin’ it REAL curricula.
Years after its effectiveness was cast into doubt, the program remained popular among politicians and many members of the public, in part because of a common intuition that the program ought to work. As an English Educator, Nynke brings a wealth of linguistic expertise, a passion for words, and a profound understanding of effective communication to her roles in various educational settings. With a background as a linguist, logophile, and communication specialist, Nynke has accumulated significant teaching experience in schools, colleges, and English language centers. In 2001, the Surgeon General of the United States, David Satcher, placed the D.A.R.E. program in the category of “Ineffective Primary Prevention Programs”.26 The U.S. General Accounting Office concluded in 2003 that the program was sometimes counterproductive in some populations, with those who graduated from D.A.R.E. later having higher than average rates of drug use (a boomerang effect).
Beyond this, D.A.R.E.’s enhancement lessons include bullying, cyber security, a supplemental marijuana lesson, family talks, and the recently launched K-12 Opioid & & Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention lessons. Multiple studies have been conducted that have established that the keepin’ it REAL elementary and middle school curricula are effective. They mean is research available showing that the curriculum is effective in reducing outcomes such as drug use, bullying and other problem behaviors by improving the decision-making and other skills of those who were exposed to the lessons compared to those who were not? D.A.R.E. curricula have been proven effective and evidence-based through multiple studies.
D.A.R.E., an international 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the most prevalent drug abuse prevention program in the United States, and is often referred to as the most prevalent drug prevention program in the world. The program focused primarily on what it calls “gateway” drugs, such as tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and inhalants, which allegedly lead to harder drug use. D.A.R.E. offers the most comprehensive prevention curricula available for K-12 students anywhere.
Pro 2: D.A.R.E. improves decision making and attitudes toward drug use.
- Most recently, UNC Greensboro’s three year, multi-longitudinal evaluation completed in 2021 concluded “D.A.R.E.’s keepin’ it REAL Elementary School Curriculum is Evidence-based, Successful and Effective.” And, it is the only evaluation ever conducted reviewing prevention education curricula taught by law enforcement officers, rather than teachers.
- Multiple government organizations and institutions, as well as highly respected journals, have endorsed and favorably reported upon D.A.R.E.’s keepin’ it REAL curricula.
- Further, these programs offer neither a nationwide training system for instructors nor a rigorous process to ensure that training centers are accredited.
- With a background as a linguist, logophile, and communication specialist, Nynke has accumulated significant teaching experience in schools, colleges, and English language centers.
- Brené has spent the past two decades studying courage, vulnerability, shame, and empathy.
Proponents say that D.A.R.E. has helped prevent drug use in elementary, middle, and high school students. They contend that D.A.R.E. improves social interaction between police officers, students, and schools, is the most prevalent substance abuse prevention program in the United States, and is popular with kids and parents. In 1998, a grant from the National Institute of Justice to the University of Maryland resulted in a report to the NIJ, which among other statements, concluded that “D.A.R.E. does not work to reduce substance use.”19 D.A.R.E. expanded and modified the social competency development area of its curriculum in response to the report. Research by Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum in 199820 found that D.A.R.E. graduates were more likely than others to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco and use illegal drugs. The evidence suggested that, by exposing young impressionable children to drugs, the program was, in fact, encouraging and nurturing drug use.22 Studies funded by the National Institute of Justice in 1998,1923 and the California Legislative Analyst’s Office in 200024 also concluded that the program was ineffective.
At the height of its popularity, D.A.R.E. was found in 75% of American school districts and was funded by the US government. The program consists of police officers who make visits to elementary school classrooms, warning children that drugs are harmful and should be refused. It also denounced alcohol, tobacco, graffiti, and tattoos as the results of peer pressure. After a review that considered multiple criteria, D.A.R.E. America partnered with Pennsylvania State University to develop and adopt the keepin’ it REAL drug prevention curriculum. In 2008, D.A.R.E. launched keepin’ it REAL in middle schools; in 2013, D.A.R.E. launched kiR’s elementary school curricula.
D.A.R.E.’s elementary, middle and high school curricula, as well as its enhancement lessons on subjects that include bullying, internet safety, and over-the-counter prescription drug and opiates abuse, have been developed through partnerships with highly respected universities and prevention education experts. Each curriculum has been developed and approved under the guidance of D.A.R.E. America’s Scientific Advisory Committee chaired by Richard Clayton, Ph.D. The D.A.R.E. keepin’ it REAL (kiR) middle school curriculum was developed by Pennsylvania State and Arizona State Universities with funding provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The two high school curriculums were developed by Rutgers University and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro respectively. The D.A.R.E. kiR elementary curriculum is currently the subject of rigorous scientific evaluation, results of a preliminary evaluation of the curriculum conducted by Chapman University showed positive outcomes.
Sgt. Dreadfulwater continues to graduate students from D.A.R.E. Program
The curriculum meets multiple National Core Standards in the areas of Reading (Literature, Informational Text, and Foundational Skills), Writing and Speaking and Learning. The 10 lessons in D.A.R.E.’s keepin’ it REAL elementary curriculum are aligned with National Common Core 5th grade standards. D.A.R.E. curricula provide students the knowledge and skills to make good decisions for safe and healthy living. D.A.R.E.’s keepin’ it REAL elementary and middle-school curricula are based on Socio-Emotional Learning Theory which identifies basic skills and processes needed for healthy youth development.
As a gentleman, Lucian will do his duty, but he’s convinced that Gemma trapped him, and has no plans to play the role of doting husband. If D.A.R.E. can prevent even one child from becoming addicted to drugs or dying from a drug overdose then it is worth funding. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The program distributed t-shirts and other items branded with the D.A.R.E. logo and with anti-drug messages. These items were repurposed by drug culture as ironic statements starting in the 1990s. D.A.R.E. was founded in 1983 and has proven so successful that it has been implemented in thousands of schools throughout the United States and many other countries.