Pubdate: Sat, 03 Aug 2002
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2002 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78
Author: Greg Toppo, Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/dare.htm (D.A.R.E.)

STUDY: MANY DRUG PROGRAMS INEFFECTIVE

WASHINGTON - The top three programs used by schools to keep students away 
from drugs are either ineffective or haven't been sufficiently tested, new 
research suggests.

In a study being published today in Health Education Research, a journal 
for educators, researchers from UNC Chapel Hill say many schools are using 
popular programs such as DARE, Here's Looking at You 2000 and McGruff's 
Drug Prevention and Child Protection, which haven't shown the results 
schools should expect, despite years of use.

"It's not a very good use of taxpayer money," said Denise Hallfors, now a 
substance abuse prevention researcher at the Pacific Institute for Research 
and Evaluation, a nonprofit group. She was at UNC when she conducted the 
research.

The study found, in spite of a decade of efforts from the federal 
government to promote proven programs, many schools still use "heavily 
marketed curricula that have not been evaluated, have been evaluated 
inadequately or have been shown to be ineffective in reducing substance abuse."

The most popular, DARE, Drug Abuse Resistance Education, was created by 
police officers in Los Angeles in 1983 to teach children about the dangers 
of drugs. More than 50,000 officers have been trained nationwide and the 
program is being implemented in 80 percent of school districts. In response 
to criticism its program is ineffective, DARE America is conducting a 
five-year study to evaluate a new curriculum.

Hallfors' study, which polled 104 school districts in 11 states including 
the Carolinas and the District of Columbia, showed many schools are using 
research-based programs, but they often don't train teachers adequately or 
don't use all the materials available. Only one in three school districts 
used the programs effectively, the study showed.

She also said federal funding for such programs -- about $5 per child 
annually -- isn't enough, because school districts should hire a full-time 
coordinator.

The survey included school districts in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, 
Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, South 
Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin.

Other researchers have found illegal drug use among teenagers has remained 
level or decreased over the past several years.

A July survey showed drug, alcohol and cigarette use among sixth-to 
12th-graders dropped to the lowest level since 1994, partly because adults 
are warning students about drug use and encouraging them to nurture other 
interests.
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager