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Past and Future Directions of the D.A.R.E. Program:

An Evaluation Review

Draft Final Report

by

Research Triangle Institute

September 1994

Christopher L. Ringwalt

Jody M. Greene

Susan T. Ennett

Ronaldo Iachan

University of Kentucky

Richard R. Clayton

Carl G. Leukefeld

Supported under Award # 91-DD-CX-K053 from the National

Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.

Department of Justice. Points of view in this document

are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent

the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Past and Future Directions of the D.A.R.E. Program:

An Evaluation Review

Draft Final Report

by

Research Triangle Institute

Christopher L. Ringwalt

Jody M. Greene

Susan T. Ennett

Ronaldo Iachan

University of Kentucky

Richard R. Clayton

Carl G. Leukefeld

September 1994

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter Page

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii

List of Exhibits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

SECTION I: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

1 INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Purpose of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Study Objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Description of the Study . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Strengths and Limitations of the Study . . . 1-3

Overview of the Report . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

2 OVERVIEW AND HISTORY OF SCHOOL-BASED DRUG

PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . 2-1

History of School-Based Drug=20

Prevention Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Drug Use Prevention Strategies . . . . . . . 2-2

History of D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

D.A.R.E. Curricula. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

D.A.R.E. Officers and Training. . . . . . . .2-12

D.A.R.E. in the Context of Other School-Based Drug Use Prevention Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-13

SECTION II: IMPLEMENTATION ASSESSMENT

3 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6

4 STATE-LEVEL OPERATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Instrument Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Agencies Involved . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3

Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

State Training Centers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Challenges and Problems . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-10

Chapter Page

5 SCHOOL DISTRICT DRUG PREVENTION

COORDINATOR SURVEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Sample Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

Sampling frame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

First-Phase Sampling. . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

Second-Phase Sampling . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Survey Estimation . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Instrument Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Administration of D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7

Participation of Teachers=20

and Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

Integration and Coordination. . . . . . .5-10

Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-11

Future Use of D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . .5-12

National Prevalence Estimates of

D.A.R.E. and Other AOD Programs . . . . . . .5-13

Prevalence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-13

Grade Levels Targeted . . . . . . . . . .5-14

Substances Targeted . . . . . . . . . . .5-15

Type of Instructor. . . . . . . . . . . .5-15

Comparison of D.A.R.E. and Other

AOD Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-15

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-16

Satisfaction with Curricula . . . . . . .5-16

Support for Curricula . . . . . . . . . .5-18

Adaptations of Curricula. . . . . . . . .5-21

General Drug Policies . . . . . . . . . . . .5-22

Anti-Drug Policies. . . . . . . . . . . .5-22

Student Assistance Programs . . . . . . .5-22

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-24

6 SITE VISITS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Urban Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Urban School with D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . 6-2

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4

Problems and Improvements . . . . . . . . 6-5

Classroom Observation . . . . . . . . . . 6-5

Chapter Page

Urban School Without D.A.R.E. . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7

Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Problems and Improvements . . . . . . . . 6-8

Classroom Observation . . . . . . . . . . 6-8

Rural Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Rural School with D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-10

Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-10

Problems and Improvements . . . . . . . .6-10

Classroom Observation . . . . . . . . . .6-11

Rural School Without D.A.R.E. . . . . . . . .6-12

Administration. . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Implementation. . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12

Problems and Improvements . . . . . . . .6-13

Classroom Observation . . . . . . . . . .6-13

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-14

SECTION III: OUTCOME ASSESSMENT

7 D.A.R.E. OUTCOME ASSESSMENT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

The D.A.R.E. Core Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Meta-Analysis Background and Study

Selection Criteria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2

Studies Selected. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5

D.A.R.E. Effect Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7

Comparison of D.A.R.E.'s Effectiveness=20

to Other Drug Use Prevention Programs=20

for Youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-11

Methodological Considerations . . . . . . . . . .7-17

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-19

SECTION IV: SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS

8 DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

Implementation Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

Outcome Assessment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-12

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-21

REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . R-1

Appendices

A Sampling for School District Drug Prevention

Coordinators Survey

B Individual Study Descriptions

C Bibliography of Comparison Program Evaluations

D Data Collection Materials for Implementation

AssessmentLIST OF EXHIBITS

Number Page

2.1 D.A.R.E.'s Original Core Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . 2-7

2.2 D.A.R.E.'s Updated Core Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . 2-8

2.3 D.A.R.E.'s Junior High School Curriculum . . . . . . . 2-9

2.4 D.A.R.E.'s Senior High School Curriculum . . . . . . .2-10

2.5 D.A.R.E.'s Parent Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-11

2.6 Curricular Strategies Used in D.A.R.E.'s=20

Core Curriculum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-14

3.1 Jurisdictions of D.A.R.E.'s Regional=20

Training Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

4.1 Percentage of State D.A.R.E. Programs Primarily

=20

Managed by Various State and Local Agencies. . . . . . 4-3

4.2 Percentage of States with D.A.R.E. Policy

Advisory Boards Having Representation of

Various Agencies and Individuals on Such Boards. . . . 4-4

4.3 Percentage of States with D.A.R.E.=20

Educational Advisors Reporting to the=20

Employers of These Advisors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

4.4 Percentage of State D.A.R.E. Coordinators=20

and Policy Advisory Boards Performing=20

Various Functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

4.5 Funding Received in 1991-1992 School Year=20

for State-Level D.A.R.E. Operations. . . . . . . . . . 4-7

4.6 Number of States Receiving Funds for State-

Level Operations from Sources in 1991-1992

School Year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8

5.1 Final Sample Disposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

5.2 Use of D.A.R.E., by Grade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8

5.3 Agencies Administering the D.A.R.E. Program=20

at the Local Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9

5.4 Agencies with Primary Responsibility for

Coordination of D.A.R.E. Activities. . . . . . . . . . 5-9

5.5 Problem Areas That Are Barriers to=20

Implementing D.A.R.E. in All Schools . . . . . . . . .5-11

5.6 Percentage and Estimated Number of School

Districts in the Nation Using Top Three

Packaged Curricula During the 1991-1992

School Year, by Minority Status, SES,=20

and Urbanicity of the School District. . . . . . . . .5-14

5.7 Substances Targeted by, and Types of=20

Instructor of, the Three Most Frequently

Mentioned Alcohol and Drug=20

Prevention Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-15

5.8 Sources of Funding for D.A.R.E. and=20

Other Alcohol and Drug Prevention Programs=20

in the 1991-1992 School Year . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-17

5.9 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol=20

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as=20

Very Satisfactory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-17

5.10 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol=20

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as=20

Very Satisfactory, by Minority Status=20

of School District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-18

5.11 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol=20

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as=20

Very Satisfactory, by Urbanicity of=20

School District. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-19=20

Number Page

5.12 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol and

Drug Prevention=20

Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-19

5.13 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol=20

and Drug Prevention Programs, by=20

SES of School District . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-20

5.14 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other=20

Alcohol and Drug Prevention=20

Programs, by Size of School District . . . . . . . . .5-20

5.15 Adaptations of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol=20

and Drug Prevention Curricula to Meet=20

Specific Needs of District . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-21

5.16 Individuals Trained to Participate in=20

Student Assistance Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-23

5.17 Effectiveness in Implementing Student

Assistance Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-23

7.1 D.A.R.E. Evaluation Studies (N=3D18) . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

7.2 Sample and Methodological Characteristics=20

of the D.A.R.E. Evaluations (N =3D 8). . . . . . . . . . 7-6

7.3 Unweighted Effect Sizes at Immediate=20

Posttest Associated with Eight=20

Evaluations of D.A.R.E.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-9

7.4 Magnitude of D.A.R.E.'s Weighted Mean=20

Effect Size (and 95% Confidence Interval),=20

by Outcome Measures at Immediate Posttest. . . . . . .7-10

7.5 Comparison Drug Use Prevention=20

Programs (N=3D25). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-12

7.6 Weighted Mean Effect Size (and=20

95% Confidence Interval), by Outcome=20

for D.A.R.E. and Other Drug=20

Use Prevention Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-14

7.7 Difference Between Mean Effect Sizes=20

(and 95% Confidence Interval),=20

by Outcome, for D.A.R.E. and=20

Other Drug Use Prevention Programs . . . . . . . . . .7-15

7.8 Weighted Mean Effect Size, by Drug, for

D.A.R.E. and Other Drug Use=20

Prevention Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-16

7.9 Difference Between Mean Effect Sizes=20

(and 95% Confidence Interval),=20

by Drug, for D.A.R.E. and Other=20

Drug Use Prevention Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-16

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) is currently the Nation's predominant school-based drug prevention program, and both its prevalence and popularity continue to expand. The D.A.R.E. program, designed to prevent students' use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, uses trained, uniformed police officers in the classroom to teach a highly structured curriculum. Developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as a collaborative venture, the primary or core D.A.R.E. curriculum is directed toward pupils in the final grade of elementary school (usually grade 5 or 6). Additional curricula for students in kindergarten through fourth grade, junior high school, senior high school, and for parents have been developed and implemented.

Purpose of the Study

D.A.R.E.'s popularity, as demonstrated by the extraordinary growth in its rate of dissemination and by abundant anecdotal reports of its success, is self-evident. In part because of its preeminent position, policymakers, researchers, educators, and parents are asking a number of fundamental questions about the program:

o How effective is D.A.R.E. in preventing drug use?

o What are D.A.R.E.'s effects compared with those of other school-based drug prevention programs?

o What are some of the basic features common to most D.A.R.E. programs?

o Who usually manages the D.A.R.E. program?

o How extensively is D.A.R.E. implemented nationwide?

o How do other alcohol and drug prevention programs compare with D.A.R.E. and D.A.R.E. with them?

To address these and other questions, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) awarded the research team of the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) and the University of Kentucky's Center for Prevention Research (CPR) a grant to conduct an extensive review of the D.A.R.E. program and to assess its place within the context of the broad spectrum of school-based drug prevention efforts.

Study Objectives

The research team proposed and carried out two distinct types of assessments, the first pertaining to implementation and the second to outcomes or effectiveness. The primary objectives of the implementation assessment were to

o assess the organizational structure and operation of representative D.A.R.E. programs nationwide;

o review and assess factors that contribute to the effective implementation of D.A.R.E. programs nationwide; and

o assess how D.A.R.E. and other school-based drug prevention programs are tailored to meet the needs of specific populations.

The first two objectives for the implementation assessment relate exclusively to D.A.R.E. The third targets D.A.R.E. but also includes other drug use prevention programs.

The primary objectives of the outcome assessment were to

o identify all outcome evaluations of D.A.R.E.'s core curriculum conducted to date in the United States and Canada;

o assess the methodological rigor of those evaluations;

o examine the nature and extent of the effects of D.A.R.E.'s core curriculum; and

o compare the effectiveness of D.A.R.E.'s core curriculum with that of other school-based drug use prevention programs targeting 5th- and 6th-grade pupils.

Although the first three objectives of the outcome assessment focus exclusively on D.A.R.E., the fourth places D.A.R.E. in a larger context by comparing it with other drug prevention programs.

In this report, we synthesize the most important findings from both of the assessments and present overall conclusions, and some recommendations.

Description of the Study

To achieve the study's goals and objectives, the research team designed a set of research strategies that would yield data pertinent not only to a review and critique of D.A.R.E., but also to an assessment of how D.A.R.E. compares with other school-based drug prevention programs, and of future directions for these programs.

For the implementation assessment, we collected original data by conducting

o informal interviews and discussions with the coordinators and/or educational advisors of D.A.R.E.'s Regional Training Centers (RTCs);

o a survey of State D.A.R.E. coordinators; and

  • a survey of drug prevention coordinators in a representative, stratified sample of school districts that included districts with and without D.A.R.E.
  • We also conducted site visits to two pairs of schools (one school in each pair had D.A.R.E. and the other did not). We discuss the methodologies used for each component of the implementation assessment in Section II of this report.

For the outcome assessment, the research team conducted a review and assessment of the published and unpublished evaluations of D.A.R.E.'s core curriculum conducted to date. We collected no primary data, but instead studied prior D.A.R.E. evaluations using meta- analytic techniques. The methodologies we used for the outcome assessment are presented in Section III of this report.

At the conclusion of our data collection and analysis efforts, the research team joined Tom Colthurst of the University of California at San Diego Extension Program in March 1993 to host a conference in San Diego, California, titled "Evaluating School-Linked Prevention Strategies Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drugs." Almost an entire day of this 3-day conference for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners centered on the preliminary results from this study. This conference provided an opportunity to disseminate early study findings from both the implementation and outcome assessments, and to incorporate participants' responses (including responses from D.A.R.E. America as well as D.A.R.E. and other drug prevention researchers) to the findings in this final report.

Strengths and Limitations of the Study

We believe our approach to this study was fully responsive to NIJ's solicitation. Among the many strengths of this approach are the following:

o a multifaceted study methodology that collected information from the national, regional, State, and school district levels of D.A.R.E. and reviewed all short- term evaluations of the D.A.R.E. core curricula conducted to date;

o a rigorous examination and synthesis of the results of previous evaluations of D.A.R.E.; and

o incorporation into this final report of both formal and informal feedback from researchers and practitioners attending the dissemination conference.

However, we recognize that there are limitations to our study, due primarily to limitations in the resources available to us. For example, our study budget would not allow us to survey local D.A.R.E. officers and classroom teachers, or monitor the delivery of D.A.R.E. in the classroom. Additionally, some questions raised in NIJ's solicitation, such as issues relating to the effectiveness of the regional and State D.A.R.E. training centers, could be answered only in part. A complete answer would have required a many-layered study that examined training centers' objectives, how these objectives are put into effect through training received both by trainers and by D.A.R.E. officers, and ultimately how the officers perform in the classroom. This was clearly outside the scope of this study. We also were limited in assessing certain questions, such as variability in effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. curriculum by the sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents because of the lack of research in this area (see Chapter 8 for further details).

Given the level of resources available for this study, the research design required some compromises among the multiple objectives invoked in NIJ's stated purposes, goals, objectives, and program strategies.

However, the research team believes that the study represents an optimal mix of data collection methods and sources. Discussions with members of the D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board and other officials associated with the D.A.R.E. training centers, when combined with information gathered from the survey of State D.A.R.E. coordinators, provided answers to the questions relating specifically to the structure and operations of the D.A.R.E. program. The survey of school district drug prevention coordinators yielded information about D.A.R.E. and its relationship to other school-based drug prevention programs. The site visits provided an illustrative, if unrepresentative, snapshot of D.A.R.E.'s implementation in two schools. A rigorous examination of past D.A.R.E. evaluations provided information on the effects of the program on students.

Overview of the Report

This report is organized into four sections and four appendices. Section I contains the first two chapters, which provide an overview and history of school-based drug prevention programs, with detailed information about the curricula and teachers of D.A.R.E.

Section II has four chapters that present the methodologies and results of each of the four components of the implementation assessment. In these four chapters, we present information about the national/regional-level operations of D.A.R.E. (Chapter 3), State-level operations of D.A.R.E. (Chapter 4), and the implementation of D.A.R.E. and other drug prevention programs at the local level (Chapters 5 and 6).

Section III (Chapter 7) presents the methodology and results of the outcome assessment. In Section IV (Chapter 8), we synthesize and discuss findings from both the implementation and outcome assessments, and present recommendations.

Appendix A contains sampling information for the school district drug prevention coordinators survey.

Appendix B contains descriptions of each study utilized in the meta-analysis conducted for the outcome assessment. Appendix C presents a bibliography of comparison program evaluations, and Appendix D contains data collection materials for the implementation assessment.

CHAPTER 2

OVERVIEW AND HISTORY OF SCHOOL-BASED DRUG PREVENTION PROGRAMS AND D.A.R.E.

History of School-Based Drug Prevention Programs School-based educational programs are the most common approach to drug prevention aimed at young people.

Prevention efforts are located in educational settings

both because drug use typically begins during adolescence

and because classrooms provide the best opportunity for

reaching a large number of youth simultaneously.=20

Although rates of drug use among U.S. students generally

have been declining over the past few years (University

of Michigan, 1994), these rates are still higher than

rates of all other Western industrialized nations. =20

The U.S. Congress reacted to concerns about youth

drug use by enacting the Drug-Free Schools and

Communities Act (DFSCA) of 1986. The DFSCA was designed

to establish programs of drug abuse education and

prevention throughout the Nation. A key part of the

DFSCA is Subtitle B of Title IV, which provides Federal

money to States, schools, and communities to initiate or

expand drug prevention programs. Actions resulting from

Subtitle B of Title IV quickly resulted in the single

largest drug prevention activity offered by the Federal

Government, reaching $498,565,000 in FY 1993.=20

Research conducted by RTI staff concerning the

implementation of State and local programs of the DFSCA

found that in the 1988-1989 school year all 50 States,

the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto

Rico have actively participated in programs funded by the

DFSCA at the State and local levels. Of all the school

districts in the Nation, 78% reported that they received

DFSCA funding, either directly or through regional or

county education organizations (Thorne, Holley, Wine,

Hayward, & Ringwalt, 1991).

The DFSCA funds appear to have had a positive

effect on the school-based prevention programs of school

districts. To be eligible for DFSCA funding, schools

must implement a comprehensive drug prevention program.=20

More than half of the districts receiving DFSCA funding

reported that since the advent of such support, they had

been able to expand or increase numerous aspects of their

programs, including=20

o number of grade levels with

substance abuse curricula,

o school-wide emphasis on substance

abuse prevention,=20

o number of teachers and staff

involved, and=20

o number of students involved. =20

A total of 25% of these districts had increased their

curriculum development activities, and 48% had increased

their degree of involvement with other groups in the

community. The availability of DFSCA funds may be more

limited in the future.

Drug Use Prevention Strategies

A variety of school-based intervention programs

have been developed over the past three decades for

preventing drug use among youth (Botvin, 1990; Flay,

1985; Hansen, 1992; Moskowitz, Malvin, Schaeffer, &

Schaps, 1983; Tobler, 1986). The types of programs

differ both in terms of what they teach as well as in how

they are taught (Tobler, in press, 1994). Program

content generally reflects assumptions about why young

people use drugs. For example, activities to boost self-

esteem reflect the belief that low self-esteem is a risk

factor for drug use; strategies that teach youth how to

refuse offers of drugs from friends assume that peer

pressure leads to drug use. Similarly, teaching methods

implemented in various strategies reflect beliefs about

the most effective means for teaching young people not to

use drugs. Programs that use didactic methods reflect a

traditional expert model for learning; programs that

emphasize group activities reflect the belief that

participatory activities enhance understanding and

learning more effectively.

Although hundreds of individual school-based

prevention programs have been developed, they generally

fall into three broad categories:=20

(a) knowledge/information programs, (b) affective

programs, and (c) social influences programs. A fourth

category of prevention programs, alternative programs,

includes those usually offered outside the school

setting. Knowledge/information and affective education

programs have sometimes been grouped together as more

traditional approaches, while social influences programs

represent newer approaches (Bruvold, 1993; Tobler, in

press, 1994). These three types of programs tend to

differ in content, in methods, and in their

effectiveness. Even so, there is overlap among them.

Knowledge/information programs were the earliest

school-based prevention efforts to be developed. These

strategies are based on the assumption that youth begin

using drugs because they are not sufficiently

knowledgeable about adverse consequences. Once youth

have adequate and accurate knowledge about drugs, it is

assumed that they will behave rationally and choose not

to use drugs. It is also assumed that changes in

knowledge about drugs will promote more negative

attitudes toward drug use, which in turn will be a

deterrent to using drugs. Knowledge programs typically

present factual information about the legal, biological,

and psychological effects of drug use. Some of these

programs have adopted scare tactics to present the risks

of drug use to youth in a dramatic fashion. The methods

used by knowledge/information programs typically include

didactic presentations, discussion, and audiovisual

presentations.

Affective programs were developed in the late 1970s

and early 1980s and are based on the assumption that

young people use drugs because of personal and social

deficits. These programs emphasize increasing self-

esteem, enhancing self-awareness, clarifying values,

making responsible decisions, and improving interpersonal

skills. Affective programs often do not mention drug use

at all. By enriching personal and social development, it

is assumed that youth will make responsible decisions

about drug use. These programs typically are taught by

the same types of methods as for knowledge/ information

programs, but they also may include group activities.

Social influences programs are the most recent

approach to drug use among youth. These programs are

based on the assumption that youth use drugs because they

do not have the social competencies needed to resist

social pressures to use drugs. Some programs focus

specifically on teaching youth the skills needed for

resisting drug use influences. Other programs emphasize

developing more general social competencies, such as

increasing decisionmaking, improving communication, and

reducing anxiety, in addition to enhancing drug-specific

social skills. They may also include activities to

correct misperceptions about the prevalence and

acceptability of drug use among peers, as well as

activities that seek to establish conservative group

norms about drug use. Social influences programs

typically include active, participatory learning

experiences, such as modeling, role-playing, and

practicing behavioral skills. Social influence

strategies also frequently and actively involve "peers

leaders" as teachers, in role-playing, or to facilitate

discussion.

Despite the differences across program categories,

there is actually much overlap among school-based

prevention programs in their components. Affective

programs share similarities with some social influences

programs in their emphasis, for example, on developing

personal competencies. Social influences programs

frequently include information about drugs and adverse

consequences. Some programs include elements of all

three categories of programs and have been labeled

comprehensive programs. Indeed, many school-based

curricula, including D.A.R.E., combine strategies that

reflect knowledge/information, affective, and social

influences programs.

Research on the effectiveness of school-based

prevention programs suggests that all three program

strategies are not equally successful in preventing

adolescent drug use (Bangert-Drowns, 1988; Bruvold, 1993;

Tobler, 1986, in press, 1994). Knowledge/information

programs generally have not been effective in preventing

drug use among youth. The evidence suggests that,

although information-based programs may increase

students' knowledge of drugs, they are unlikely to result

in positive changes in either attitudes or behavior. In

fact, some research indicates that these programs may

lead to undesirable changes in attitudes (Bruvold &

Rundall, 1988). Affective strategies also have not

performed well in previous evaluations and meta-analyses

(Botvin, 1990; Tobler, 1986). For example, Hansen,

Johnson, Flay, Graham, and Sobel (1988) found that

students who received an affective education program

reported significantly more drug use than students in a

comparison group and that these differences increased

over time. In contrast, the results of evaluation of

social influences programs have been generally more

positive (Botvin, 1990; Bruvold, 1993, 1986; Bruvold &

Rundall, 1988; Flay, 1985; Hansen, 1992; Moskowitz, 1989;

Pentz et al., 1989; Tobler, 1986, in press, 1994). In

comparison with knowledge/information and affective

programs, social influences programs have been more

effective at preventing adolescent drug use.

History of D.A.R.E.

D.A.R.E. is a school-based drug prevention program

designed to prevent students' use of tobacco, alcohol,

and other drugs. Most D.A.R.E. activities are directed

toward pupils in the last grade of elementary school

(grade 5 or 6), which is thought to be the age at which

youth are most receptive to an anti-drug message, and

before they begin experimenting with drugs (Bureau of

Justice Assistance [BJA], 1991b). The original D.A.R.E.

core curriculum, which was implemented in 1983, was

developed by Dr. Ruth Rich, health education specialist

from the LAUSD. Dr. Rich based the D.A.R.E. core

curriculum on a review of other prevalent drug prevention

programs, particularly Project SMART (Self-Management and

Resistance Training), a prevention program designed by

the Health Behavior Research Institute of the University

of Southern California. =20

From its inception, D.A.R.E. was designed to be a

continuing education program for kindergarten through

high school. To that end, junior high and senior high

curricula were developed in 1986 and 1988, respectively.=20

Additionally, D.A.R.E. designers created a parent

curriculum to teach parents how to recognize and prevent

drug use among youth and to provide them with information

about the program.

D.A.R.E. is distinctive among school-based drug

prevention programs in that it uses trained, uniformed

police officers in the classroom to teach a highly

structured curriculum. D.A.R.E. officers enter the

classroom not only because of a cooperative agreement

between the local school district and law enforcement

agency, but also because the community is willing to

forgo or replace the time that D.A.R.E. officers lose to

other police duties. During D.A.R.E.'s first year, 1983-

1984, 10 officers taught the curriculum to around 8,000

students in 50 Los Angeles elementary schools (BJA,

1991a). D.A.R.E. is now widely implemented throughout

the Nation and parts of Europe and Asia. According to

the BJA (1991b), some 6 million students in the United

States received D.A.R.E. in the 1991-1992 school year,

and D.A.R.E. is currently implemented in 8,000 cities

across the Nation (Glenn Levant, personal communication).=20

Indeed, the D.A.R.E. workbooks are currently available in

Japanese, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Braille. In addition,

D.A.R.E. has been adopted by several governmental

agencies that sponsor schools, including the Department

of the Interior, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the

Capitol police, the National Park Service, and all

overseas branches of the Department of Defense.

D.A.R.E. combines an essentially local, grass-roots

effort with a high degree of centralized program control

asserted by coordinating mechanisms at the national,

regional, and State levels. At the national level,

D.A.R.E. America assumes the primary responsibility for

implementing and managing D.A.R.E., assisted by five RTCs

that constitute the D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board.=20

A detailed examination of the roles of national,

regional, and State D.A.R.E. organizations is presented

in Section II, Chapter 3.=20

D.A.R.E. Curricula

The primary purposes of all the D.A.R.E. curricula

for students are to

o teach students to recognize pressures

to use drugs from peers and from the

media,

o teach students the skills to resist

peer inducements to use drugs,

o enhance students' self-esteem,=20

o teach positive alternatives to

substance use, and

o increase students' interpersonal,

communication, and decision-making

skills (BJA, 1991a).

Each of the curricula is periodically updated; an updated

version of the core curriculum is currently being pilot

tested and will be implemented in September 1994. A

brief summary of each of the five D.A.R.E. curricula

follows.

The D.A.R.E. core curriculum, which is taught in

the 5th or 6th grade, comprises

17 hour-long weekly lessons. The D.A.R.E. officers have

sole responsibility for teaching all of the lessons,

although classroom teachers are encouraged to

participate. Officers use a variety of teaching

approaches, including the presentation of facts, group

discussions, role-playing, and workbook exercises. =20

The core curriculum was updated in 1993 and will be

fully implemented in 1994. The updated curriculum

differs from the previous version in a variety of ways.=20

The new curriculum, which has been renamed "D.A.R.E. to

Resist Drugs and Violence,"

o includes specific lessons concerning

tobacco and inhalants,

o emphasizes normative beliefs and

protective factors,

o adds violence prevention/conflict

resolution strategies,

o uses more participatory learning

activities, and

o employs a more collaborative

partnership between the D.A.R.E.

officer and the teacher in the

classroom (Charles Dunn, personal

communication, June 22, 1993).

In both the old and new versions of the core curriculum,

the lessons are cumulative, building upon concepts

introduced in previous lessons. With the exception of

lesson 14 in both versions, the lessons are implemented

in sequence and without variation.

The data collection for the implementation

assessment and the evaluations studied in the outcome

assessment occurred before the introduction of the new

curriculum. We, therefore, believe it is important to

provide information on both versions. Exhibit 2.1

presents a summary of the original version of the core

curriculum upon which the outcome evaluation was based,

and Exhibit 2.2 displays a summary of the updated

curriculum.=20

In elementary schools that receive the D.A.R.E.

core curriculum, officers may also visit students in

kindergarten through 4th grade to teach brief

introductory (15- to 20- minute) lessons. Topics in this

curriculum include personal safety, the consequences of

taking medicine and using drugs, saying "no" when asked

to engage in antisocial activities, and learning about

feelings.

The D.A.R.E. junior high school curriculum was

originally developed to provide or

reinforce information and skills that help students

resist pressure to use drugs. Revisions were made in

1989 to include violence reduction, conflict resolution,

and anger management. The 10 lessons are taught

cooperatively by the officer and the classroom teacher.=20

The lessons and activities (summarized in Exhibit 2.3)

are implemented over a 10-day period as part of a

required course, such as health, science, or social

studies.

The senior high school curriculum also focuses on

drug abuse and its effect on communities and young people

(see Exhibit 2.4 for a summary of the lessons). The

senior high school curriculum was designed to be taught

over an 11-day period during health or another

appropriate class. Responsibility for teaching the

lessons is divided between the officer and the classroom

teacher. Officers and teachers are trained together and

are encouraged to be present during the entire 11-day

period.

Because of the difficulties educators have

continually faced persuading parents to attend school

educational functions, the D.A.R.E. parent curriculum was

designed to be

implemented where parents live and work. This curriculum

consists of four or five 2-hour Exhibit 2.1 D.A.R.E.'s Original Core

Curriculum

Session Topic Descript=

ion

1 First visit/personal safety Introduction

of D.A.R.E.

and law

enforcement

officer;

safety

practices;

discussion of

personal

rights

2 Drug use and misuse Harmful

effects from misuse of drugs

3 Consequences Consequences

of using and

choosing not

to use

alcohol,

marijuana,

and other

drugs

4 Resisting pressures Sources of

pressure;

types of

pressure to

use drugs

5 Resistance techniques Refusal

strategies

for different

types of peer

pressure

6 Building self-esteem Identifying

positive

qualities in

oneself;

giving/

receiving

compliments;

importance of

self-image

7 Assertiveness Personal

rights/respon

sibilities

discussion;

situations

calling for

assertiveness

skills

8 Managing stress without =20

Identification of sources of stress; when stress

drugs can be

helpful or

harmful; ways

to manage

stress; deep

breathing

exercise

9 Media influences Media

influences on

behavior;

advertising

techniques

10 Decisionmaking and risk Risk-taking

behaviors;

reasonable

and

taking harmful

risks;

consequences

of various

choices;

influences on

decisions

11 Drug use alternatives Reasons for

using drugs;

alternative

activities

12 Role modeling Meet older

student

leaders/role

models who do

not use drugs

13 Forming support system Types of

support

groups;

barriers to

friendships;

suggestions

for

overcoming

these

barriers

14 Ways to deal with gang Types of gang

pressure; how gangs differ from

pressures groups;

consequences

of gang

activity

(optional)

15 D.A.R.E. summary D.A.R.E.

review

16 Taking a stand Taking

appropriate

stand when

pressured to

use drugs

17 D.A.R.E. culmination Award

assembly;

recognition

of

participants

Exhibit 2.2 D.A.R.E.'s Updated Core Curriculum

Lesson TopicDescription

1 Introducing D.A.R.E. Acquaints

students with

the D.A.R.E.

officer;

defines roles

and

responsibilit

ies of

students

2 Understanding the effects of Presents

basic facts about mind-altering

mind-altering drugs drugs and

harmful

effects from

misuse

3 Consequences Presents

consequences

of using and

choosing not

to use

alcohol and

other drugs

4 Changing beliefs about drug use Teaches

students to identify sources and

kinds of

pressure;

compares

students'

estimates of

drug use with

estimates

reported in

national

surveys

5 Resistance techniques: Ways to Presents

refusal strategies for different

say "NO" types of peer

pressure

6 Building self-esteem Teaches

students to

recognize

positive

qualities in

themselves

7 Assertiveness: A response style Teaches

students to

respond

assertively

in refusing

offers to use

drugs

8 Managing stress without drugs Identifies

stressors in

students'

lives

9 Reducing violence Identifies

nonviolent

ways to deal

with anger

and

disagreement

10 Media influences on drug use and Teaches

students to recognize media influ-

violence ence in

presentations

about

tobacco,

alcohol,

other drugs,

and violence

11 Making decisions about risky Teaches

students decisionmaking skills

behavior to evaluate

risks in

situations

involving

using drugs

and using

weapons

12 Say "YES" to positive alternatives

Teaches students to identify and participate in

positive alternative activities

13 Positive role modeling Teaches

students to

identify ways

high school

students

avoid drug

use

14 Resisting gang and group violence

Identifies negative consequences of gang and group

violence and ways to avoid becoming involved

(optional)

15 Project D.A.R.E. summary Summarizes

D.A.R.E.;

asks students

questions

about drug

use and

violence

16 Taking a stand Puts

student's

commitment to

be drug-free

and to avoid

violence in

writing=20

17 D.A.R.E. culmination Reinforces

the values

and skills

learned;

recognizes

individual

achievement

of all

participants=20

Exhibit 2.3 D.A.R.E.'s Junior High School Curriculum

Lesson TopicDescription

1 Drug use and abuse Helps

students

understand

how drugs can

change the

way the mind

and body

function

2 Drugs, violence, and the law Informs

students

about laws

and school

behavior

codes

regarding

possession of

substances

and acts of

violence;

helps

students

understand

their role in

following

these

expected

standards of

conduct

3 Consequences Explores how

drug use

affects every

person living

in a

community

4 Assertive resistance Makes

students

aware of

pressures

that

influence

people to use

drugs;

teaches

assertiveness

as a way to

resist these

pressures

5 Forming positive friendships Helps

students

recognize

ways

individuals

can reach out

to form

positive

relation-

ships=20

6 Resolving conflicts without Explores ways

of dealing

with anger

and

violence conflict

without

resorting to

acts of

violence

7 Destructive ecology: Tagging and

Helps students understand how destruc-

trashing tive acts of

vandalism

against

personal or

public

property or

living things

affect

everyone

8 Pressure from gangs and gang Makes

students aware of kinds of pres-

violence sures and

violence they

may encounter

from gangs;

helps them

evaluate the

consequences

of choices

available to

them

9 Project D.A.R.E. review activities

Provides an opportunity for students to review and

strengthen what they learned in D.A.R.E.

10 D.A.R.E. to Be Helps

students act

in their own

best interest

Exhibit 2.4 D.A.R.E.'s Senior High School Curriculum

Day TopicDescription

1 Pretest/Introduction Pretests

students to

measure

knowledge and

understanding

of drug abuse

and its

effects on

communities

2 Reducing the demand for drugs: Officer

taught:

Focuses on

drug abuse

and

A shared responsibility its

correlation

with

increased

risk for

problem

behaviors

that result

in negative

consequences

3 Day 2 follow-up Teacher

taught:

Focuses on

the conse-

quences of

drug use for

individuals,

as well as

the community

4 Communicating choices assertively

Officer taught: Teaches skills to communi-cate

choices assertively in situations involving

substance abuse

5 Drug-related behaviors and the Officer

taught:

Focuses on

the purpose

of

law laws and how

drug-related

behaviors can

affect the

balance

between the

need to

maintain

order and the

right of an

individual

6 Day 5 follow-up Teacher

taught:

Focuses on

blood-alcohol

levels; uses

cooperative

learning

groups and

case studies

to

demonstrate

risks

involved in

drug abuse

7 Drugs, media, and violence Officer

taught:

Focuses on

how drug

abuse and the

media can

increase

violent

behavior

8,9 Managing anger and resolving Officer

taught:

Identifies

positive ways

conflict without drugs of expressing

and managing

anger without

the use of

drugs

10 Day 8, 9 follow-up Teacher

taught:

Focuses on

the use of

"I-message"

statements

11 Evaluation/Posttest Posttest of

students:=20

Evaluation of

the program

by students

Exhibit 2.5 D.A.R.E.'s Parent Curriculum

Lesson TopicDescription

1 Effective communication Helps parents

understand

that self-

esteem,

listening,

and

communication

skills are

critical in

adult-child

communication

2 Risk Factors (two options): Parents

select Section A, B, or both

(2A) Risk factors (yrs 0-8) Addresses the

risk factors

of children

from birth to

age 8;

provides an

awareness of

safety

measures that

can be used

in the home

to reduce

likelihood of

dangerous

exposure to

drugs;

introduces

strategies

parents can

use to reduce

the

likelihood

that young

children will

be at risk of

drug abuse

(2B) Risk factors (early adolescents)

Introduces risk factors of substance use in early

adolescents; introduces parents to basic drug

identification and stages of adolescent chemical

dependency

3 Youth pressure resistance skills Helps parents

in awareness

and under-

standing of

life skills,

particularly

in areas

dealing with

peer pressure

and media

influence;

assists in

strengthening

the family

network

4 Panel discussion Initiates

discussion by

members of

the community

from a

variety of

backgrounds

on the scope

of local

substance

abuse;

provides an

exchange of

ideas on

resources and

referrals

sessions generally held in the evenings (see Exhibit 2.5

for a summary of these lessons). Topics covered in this

curriculum include developing better skills to interact

with children, learning about peer pressures, and

identifying signs and reducing risks of potential

substance abuse.

D.A.R.E. Officers and Training

Law enforcement agencies exercise considerable

discretion in identifying qualified, motivated police

officers to be trained as D.A.R.E. officers. D.A.R.E.

officers must be full-time, uniformed officers with at

least 2 years of experience. When selecting candidate

officers, local police departments are encouraged to

consider the officer's ability to interact with children,

ability to organize, and ability to handle the

unexpected, as well as whether the officer would provide

an exemplary role model and refrain from sexual, racial,

stereotypical, or inappropriate remarks (BJA, 1991b). =20

Selected officers undergo an intensive, 2-week

course of at least 80 hours of training. Officers are

trained not only in the core curriculum, but also in

public speaking, teaching skills, and classroom

management. Their performance is directly critiqued by

assigned mentors, who are experienced and specially

trained D.A.R.E. officers. Outside speakers and

consultants are also used to instruct the officers in

areas requiring special expertise (e.g., a psychologist

may present information on the stages of child

development). The core curriculum training course

includes opportunities to practice lessons both with

peers and in an actual classroom setting. =20

Additional training is provided for officers

teaching the junior and senior high school and parent

curricula. Officers teaching these curricula are

required to be certified as a D.A.R.E. officer and to

have taught the core curriculum at least two semesters.=20

In-service training is provided to review what officers

have previously learned in light of their actual

classroom experiences and to acquaint them with changes

to the curricula. The time that D.A.R.E. officers commit

to the program varies considerably from one law

enforcement jurisdiction to the next. For some officers,

particularly those in large urban departments, teaching

D.A.R.E. is a full-time occupation. In departments that

serve rural communities, D.A.R.E. officers administer the

program on a part-time basis, devoting the remainder of

their time to other law enforcement tasks. =20

Once in the field, D.A.R.E. officer performance is

monitored by mentors who observe classroom presentations

and evaluate performance. Mentors may also use input

from school administrators, classroom teachers, health

education coordinators, and advisory committees to

provide officers with feedback on their presentations. =20

D.A.R.E. in the Context of Other School-Based Drug Use

Prevention Programs

Considering that the D.A.R.E. curricula were based

on several preexisting school-based drug prevention

curricula (primarily Project SMART), it is not surprising

that the curricula closely resemble other programs in

content. Exhibit 2.6 show that D.A.R.E.'s core

curriculum includes lessons that represent all three

curricular strategies discussed earlier.=20

D.A.R.E. differs from most other school-based drug

prevention programs in the structure by which it is

organized and implemented. First, D.A.R.E. is

implemented by law enforcement officers; most other

programs are taught by teachers. Second, D.A.R.E.

officer training lasts 2 weeks and is highly intensive;

most drug prevention program training for teachers is of

a shorter duration. Third, D.A.R.E. officers are

strongly encouraged to deliver their lessons in sequence,

departing only minimally (if at all) from their lesson

plans; teachers are much more free to adapt curricula at

will, emphasizing those areas they believe to be most

salient or useful or integrating the drug prevention

material into their general education curriculum.=20

Fourth, D.A.R.E. officer performance is often carefully

monitored and evaluated; generally, the accountability

mechanisms for teachers' implementation of their

curricula are less structured. Fifth, the mission of

D.A.R.E. officers in the school is exclusively drug

prevention; to most teachers, drug prevention is often

only part of a larger curriculum.

Exhibit 2.6 Curricular Strategies Used in D.A.R.E.'s

Core Curriculum

Curricular Strategies

Session Social

Skills Topic Cognitive=20

Affective Skills

1 Introducing D.A.R.E. X

2 Understanding the effects of mind- X

altering drugs

3 Consequences X

4 Changing beliefs about drug use XX

5 Resistance techniques: Ways to X

say "NO"

6 Building self-esteem X

7 Assertiveness: A response style X

8 Managing stress without taking X

drugs

9 Reducing violence X

10 Media influence on drug use X

and violence

11 Making decisions about risky X

behaviors

12 Saying "YES" to positive X

alternatives

13 Positive role modeling X X

14 Resisting gang and group X

violence

15 Project D.A.R.E. summary XXX

16 Taking a stand X

17 D.A.R.E. culmination X

CHAPTER 3

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL OPERATIONS

In any consideration of the organization of

D.A.R.E. at the national and regional levels, it is

important to remember that D.A.R.E. is very much a grass-

roots program. In essence, it is a product of memoranda

of understanding between community law enforcement and

local public school districts across the Nation. The

primary purposes of the D.A.R.E. hierarchy described in

this chapter are to ensure the integrity of the D.A.R.E.

curriculum and the fidelity with which it is delivered;

to develop and uphold standards for the integrity,

coordination, and quality of D.A.R.E. operations; and to

provide support to D.A.R.E. at the community level.

As we have said, in its degree of organization at

the national and regional levels, D.A.R.E. differs

greatly from other school-based drug use prevention

programs, most of which limit their activities to

delivering packaged curricula to school districts and

offering some level of training to teachers. In

contrast, the D.A.R.E. organization oversees all aspects

of the prevention program, including the consistency with

which it is implemented in the classroom. In this

chapter, we discuss the functions of D.A.R.E. America,

the preeminent D.A.R.E. organization, and its

relationship with the

o D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board;

o State Training Centers, State Charter

Organizations; and State D.A.R.E.

Coordinators;

o Los Angeles United School District

(LAUSD); and

o D.A.R.E. America Scientific Advisory

Board.

We obtained much of the information for this chapter from

an interview conducted in August 1994 with Glenn Levant,

Executive Director of D.A.R.E. America. This information

is supplemented by relevant D.A.R.E. documents. We also

summarize a series of loosely structured interviews

conducted in 1992 with representatives of the D.A.R.E.

America RTC Advisory Board.

D.A.R.E. at the national, regional, State, and

local levels is promoted, monitored, and overseen by

D.A.R.E. America, which is chartered as a nonprofit

organization. As specified in its charter, D.A.R.E.

America has responsibility for a variety of key func-

tions, including

o administering the D.A.R.E. program,

o providing educational materials to

communities implementing D.A.R.E.,

o overseeing D.A.R.E. officer training

and ensuring its consistency,

o improving the curriculum, and

o providing support to D.A.R.E. both

nationally and internationally. =20

In 1988, the BJA awarded four grants to establish

the RTCs that constitute the D.A.R.E. America RTC

Advisory Board, and a fifth RTC was established the

following year. The RTCs are located in Arizona,

California, Illinois, Virginia, and North Carolina, and

the States associated with each are presented in Exhibit

3.1. The responsibilities of the RTCs include making

recommendations to D.A.R.E. America concerning the

accreditation of State-level training centers. In

addition, the RTCs provide oversight to the local

D.A.R.E. programs to ensure that the copyrighted

curriculum is taught as specified. Educational

specialists representing the five RTCs, together with

staff of the LAUSD, are charged with curricular

development, taking advice from the Scientific Advisory

Board and other specialists. In Federal FY 1994, it is

expected that the BJA grant, which in the past has flowed

to the RTCs, will come directly to D.A.R.E. America to

support the RTCs.

D.A.R.E. is also organized at the State level. In

more than one-third of the States, D.A.R.E. America has

helped charter a nonprofit (501C3) organization, over

which D.A.R.E. America has oversight, and which is

designed to support the program in that State. The board

of the chartered organization typically comprises the

State's attorney general, the superintendent of

education, and prominent business and education people.=20

The board of directors may also include a representative

of the State's D.A.R.E. Officers' Association (described

below) as well as, in some States, a D.A.R.E. coordinator

whose prominence and position may vary considerably. It

is expected that in time there will be D.A.R.E. charter

organizations in the remaining States. In those States

that currently lack a charter organization, there is

typically some individual identified as the State

D.A.R.E. coordinator who often is a State employee. This

person's responsibilities include coordinating candidate

selection and scheduling training for D.A.R.E. officers,

obtaining State funds to support D.A.R.E. programs,

providing local technical assistance, and overseeing

policy development and implementation at the State level.=20

D.A.R.E. America meets with these individuals, and with

the State charter organizations, on a quarterly basis.

In addition to D.A.R.E. State charter organizations

at the State level, a total of 42 States currently have

developed State Training Centers (STCs), the purpose of

which is to conduct training for prospective D.A.R.E.

officers. These centers are differentially accredited;

all conduct training for prospective D.A.R.E. officers in

the core curriculum, while only some are accredited to

teach the other curricula or to train D.A.R.E. mentors.=20

The STCs are supported both by the States and by D.A.R.E.

America. The level of activity of these centers varies

considerably given the size of the State and demand for

D.A.R.E. officer training. At present, there are some

20,000 certified D.A.R.E. officers.

D.A.R.E. America also owns and protects the

copyright to the D.A.R.E. name, logo, and associated

slogans. D.A.R.E.'s name is considered a valuable

intellectual property. D.A.R.E. America approves all

materials (e.g., bumper stickers) and celebrities used to

promote the D.A.R.E. program. In addition, the

organization screens sponsors for fund-raising events to

exclude companies manufacturing alcohol or tobacco

products. =20

Together with the LAUSD, D.A.R.E. America owns the

copyright to the core curriculum. The superintendent of

the LAUSD has been represented on the board of D.A.R.E.

America since 1983. Through the RTCs, D.A.R.E. America

monitors the implementation of D.A.R.E. in each community

and may withdraw its permission to use D.A.R.E. if a

local school district has improperly modified the

curriculum. To fulfill its responsibility of improving

the curriculum, D.A.R.E. America established in 1993 a

Scientific Advisory Board, which is chaired by Dr. Herb

Kleber of the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse

(CASA) at Columbia University. Dr. Kleber was formally

the chief official for demand reduction in the Bush

Administration's White House Office of National Drug

Control Policy (ONDCP). The board includes prevention

specialists from across the Nation.

The National D.A.R.E. Officers' Association, which

D.A.R.E. America helped to found in 1987, serves to

improve communications among police officers within

D.A.R.E. The association now has a State D.A.R.E.

Officers' association in each of the 50 States. Each of

the 18 other countries that have adopted the D.A.R.E.

program also has an association of D.A.R.E. officers,

although those association are not formally a part of the

national association. However, all associations, both

domestic and foreign, look to D.A.R.E. America for

guidance in matters of policy.

Finally, D.A.R.E. America provides considerable

support to communities implementing D.A.R.E. in the form

of the educational materials that support the curriculum.=20

In some cases, D.A.R.E. America offers communities direct

financial support as well.

We collected further information by means of

informal interviews and discussions we conducted with the

coordinators and/or educational advisors of each of the

five RTCs in January 1992. The RTC coordinators/advisors

discussed with us a number of their needs and

recommendations for the D.A.R.E. program. Summaries of

their discussions with us are presented below.

An increasing need for in-service training. RTC

coordinators/advisors indicated that a substantial number

of officers have received D.A.R.E. training in the past

decade. However, they stressed that the original

training of many officers may now be several years old.=20

RTC coordinators/advisors indicated that although

mechanisms for providing in-service training do exist,

these mechanisms may not be sufficient. Furthermore,

they suggested that because training of new officers

already stretches available resources, the increasing

need for in-service training for existing D.A.R.E.

officers will strain D.A.R.E.'s budget further.=20

Exhibit 3.1 Jurisdictions of D.A.R.E.'s Regional

Training Centers

Southeast Midwest =20

Southwest

East RTC RTC RTC RTC

West RTC

Connecticut Alabama Arkansas =20

Alaska California*

Delaware Florida Illinois* =20

Arizona* Hawaii

District of Columbia Georgia Indiana =20

Colorado Idaho

Maine Louisiana Iowa =20

Kansas Montana

Maryland Mississippi Kentucky =20

Nebraska Nevada

Massachusetts North Carolina* Michigan New

Mexico North Dakota

New Hampshire South Carolina Minnesota =20

Oklahoma Oregon

New Jersey Tennessee Missouri South

Dakota Washington

New York Ohio Texas =20

Wyoming

Pennsylvania Wisconsin Utah

Rhode Island

Vermont

Virginia*

West Virginia

*Indicates location of Regional Training Center.

The increasing need to train State D.A.R.E.

coordinators. RTC coordinators/

advisors indicated that most States now have State

D.A.R.E. coordinators (see Chapter 4). However, they

reported that many are relatively new in these positions

or have received little formal information about how to

conduct their jobs. They stated that coordinator

training should include the responsibilities and roles of

State D.A.R.E. coordinators, as well as how they can

effectively interact both with their RTC and the schools

in their States. RTC coordinators/advisors reported that

plans are currently under way to establish procedures to

accredit State D.A.R.E. coordinators. =20

The need to improve lines of communication and

clarify lines of authority. RTC coordinators/advisors

indicated that because of the lack of formal training and

the lack of communication among State coordinators, many

State D.A.R.E. coordinators have had to learn their jobs

by trial and error. They stated that although a certain

amount of communication occurs among State D.A.R.E.

coordinators (especially among coordinators in

neighboring States), increasing communication would

greatly enhance efficiency by enabling coordinators to

draw on the experiences of others instead of "reinventing

the wheel."=20

RTC coordinators/advisors also indicated that State

coordinators may need assistance with getting local

programs to recognize developing lines of authority. For

example, they stated that in the past, local programs

worked directly with RTCs; they said that many local

programs will need to be prompted to now work with the

STC instead.

The need for increased D.A.R.E. officer mentoring.=20

At present, RTC coordinators/

advisors reported that there is a well-developed system

for monitoring D.A.R.E. officer performance in the

classroom. They reported that D.A.R.E. mentors

periodically monitor and evaluate officer performance by

observing classes taught by the officer. They also

indicated that teachers are given the opportunity to rate

officer performance. They reported that D.A.R.E.

officers are informed of any problem areas, told how to

correct these problems, and later reevaluated to ensure

that the problem has been corrected. However, to be

truly useful, RTC coordinators reported that these

mentors should have the time and resources necessary to

work closely with D.A.R.E. officers to improve their

performance.

The need for increased collaboration between

education and law enforcement. RTC coordinators/advisors

indicated that because D.A.R.E. was created as a close

partnership between the LAUSD and the Los Angeles Police

Department, the program is dependent on a strong and

continuing relationship between education and law

enforcement at every level.

At the State level, RTC coordinators/advisors see

close collaboration between the department of education

and the organization administering D.A.R.E. (typically

related to law enforcement) as essential. They indicated

that the institutional commitment of State Departments of

Education to D.A.R.E. is essential, in part, to help

resolve any community-level problems. Further, they

indicated that as administrators of DFSCA funds, State

Departments of Education have an increasing role to play

in providing guidance concerning the various components

of a school district's comprehensive K-12 curriculum

(including D.A.R.E.) and how these components should be

integrated to ensure a comprehensive approach. RTC

coordinators indicated that ways in which State

Departments of Education could play a role in assisting

with the evaluation of D.A.R.E. officer performance

should be examined.

At the local level, RTC coordinators indicated that

D.A.R.E. is initiated when a school district invites a

police department to teach the program. They reported

that the police department nominates a candidate for

D.A.R.E. officer training, and the candidate must be

acceptable to the school district administration. In the

classroom, they stated, the role of the teacher is

evolving from an observer and monitor of the officer's

performance to an active partner in D.A.R.E. instruction.=20

The need to maintain limits to the D.A.R.E.

"bureaucracy". RTC coordinators/

advisors stressed that pressures on D.A.R.E. to expand

its operations are considerable. They indicated that as

an institution, D.A.R.E. remains committed to maintaining

high standards at the community level. They reported

that as the role of the State coordinator continues to

become more important in this regard, the need for the

RTCs to provide technical assistance and to monitor State

activities becomes even more crucial. RTC

coordinators/advisors reported that because existing RTC

resources are already strained by current demands,

further growth at the national level seems inevitable.=20

They indicated that even if support for such growth

exists, however, there is concern that a bureaucracy will

develop that may weaken the "grass-roots" nature of the

enterprise. Coordinators/advisors indicated that it will

be a challenge to increase the size and capabilities of

the D.A.R.E. bureaucracy to manage and control this

burgeoning program with the need to keep the bureaucracy

streamlined and responsive to the needs of the

communities that D.A.R.E. serves.

The need to locate permanent funding sources. RTC

coordinators/advisors indicated that D.A.R.E. currently

receives substantial support from DFSCA. However, they

feel that Federal DFSCA funds appear to have reached a

plateau in the past 3 years and are likely to be

subjected to budget cuts in the future. RTC

coordinators/advisors fear that D.A.R.E. could be reduced

or even eliminated as a line item. Regardless, they

reported that Federal funding may have been a mixed

blessing, insofar as Federal support may displace local

efforts to secure the resources necessary to implement

the program.=20

Summary

In this chapter, we focused on the national- and

regional-level operations of D.A.R.E. We conducted

unstructured interviews with the executive director of

D.A.R.E. America and representatives from each of the

RTCs. We also reviewed available documents.

D.A.R.E. is a grass-roots program that operates

through memoranda of understanding between community law

enforcement agencies and local schools. D.A.R.E.

America, a nonprofit organization, coordinates, promotes,

monitors, and assumes ultimate responsibility for the

D.A.R.E. program at all levels. The D.A.R.E. America RTC

Advisory Board, which is composed of staff from the RTCs,

serves in an advisory capacity to D.A.R.E. America. In

addition to making recommendations to D.A.R.E. America,

RTCs are responsible for oversight of the local D.A.R.E.

programs and coordinating and conducting D.A.R.E. officer

training. Organizations and individuals working to

promote and coordinate the D.A.R.E. program at the State

levelinclude State-chartered nonprofit organizations, State

D.A.R.E. officers' associations, and State D.A.R.E.

coordinators. Also at the State level are STCs that

provide training to D.A.R.E. officers.

Curriculum development and changes are the

responsibility of educational specialists from each of

the RTCs, together with staff from the LAUSD. A

Scientific Advisory Board, composed of leading prevention

specialists, assists in these endeavors.

Our interviews with the RTC coordinators indicated

the following key issues: a need for increased in-

service training and mentoring, providing training to

State D.A.R.E. coordinators, improving communication and

collaboration between agencies, maintaining limits on the

D.A.R.E. bureaucracy, and locating permanent funding

sources.

Findings from this chapter and resulting

recommendations are discussed fully in Chapter 8.

CHAPTER 4

STATE-LEVEL OPERATIONS

In this chapter, we present the second component of

the implementation assessment, a survey of those

individuals who generally manage the State-level D.A.R.E.

operations: the State D.A.R.E. coordinators. This

component was conducted to fulfill NIJ's request for

information concerning:

o features common to most D.A.R.E. programs,

o funding arrangements for D.A.R.E.,

o management of D.A.R.E. and supporting

organizations, and

o availability of the D.A.R.E. curricula.

The primary objective of this component was, of course,

to provide information concerning D.A.R.E.'s State-level

operations. As a secondary objective, we collected

preliminary information to facilitate sample selection

for the school district drug prevention coordinators

survey, the results of which we present in Chapter 5.

This chapter covers both the methodology for and

findings from the survey of State D.A.R.E. coordinators.=20

The findings section presents data concerning the

administration, funding, implementation, challenges, and

problems of State-level D.A.R.E. operations.

Methodology

Instrument Design

We based the content of the State D.A.R.E.

coordinators' survey on the research issues raised in

NIJ's solicitation, discussions with NIJ personnel, a

review of the literature on D.A.R.E.'s structure and

operations, and an examination of prior studies of

school-based drug education conducted at RTI.=20

Recognizing that State D.A.R.E. coordinators have

considerable demands on their time, we designed the

instrument to be as brief and straightforward as

possible. To minimize ambiguity and burden, we used

mostly close-ended items. A few open-ended questions

were included to encourage respondents to provide

detailed information. =20

The survey instrument was composed of two parts: a

questionnaire and a list of school districts. The

questionnaire contained items concerning administration,

funding, and implementation of the State D.A.R.E.

program. The list of school districts contained those

districts we selected from that State for the first-phase

sample of the school district drug prevention

coordinators' survey (see Chapter 5). We asked State

coordinators to indicate whether each district on their

list used D.A.R.E., and we then used this information to

draw the second-phase sample for the school district

survey.

We pretested the instrument on three State D.A.R.E.

coordinators in early February 1992. We also shared the

instrument with all five RTC coordinators and requested

their feedback. We incorporated the responses of pretest

participants, as well the comments of the RTC

coordinators, the NIJ program manager, and other alcohol

and drug prevention program experts into the final draft

of the data collection instrument. A copy of the survey

instrument and other data collection materials can be

found in Appendix D.

Data Collection

In January 1992, the RTC coordinators provided us

with lists of names and addresses of State D.A.R.E.

coordinators. Based on this information, we identified

44 States with D.A.R.E. coordinators. We mailed each

coordinator a package containing cover letters from the

D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board and RTI, a

questionnaire, and a list of school districts in the

coordinator's State. The cover letter from the RTC

Advisory Board expressed support for the research effort

and encouraged participation. The cover letter from RTI

explained the study, provided assurances that all

information would be kept strictly confidential, and

requested copies of any pertinent State documents

concerning the organization and/or administration of

D.A.R.E. =20

We mailed the packages to the State D.A.R.E.

coordinators on February 18, 1992. Two weeks after the

initial mailout, we contacted nonresponders by telephone.=20

We made repeated attempts by mail and telephone to secure

the return of completed materials or to collect the

information by phone. The RTCs were again of great

assistance to us in urging coordinators to return

surveys.

Of the 44 respondents identified by the RTC

coordinators, 39 completed the instrument. For purposes

of verification, one question in the survey asked

respondents to confirm that the State had a D.A.R.E.

coordinator. Although four States responded that they

did not have such a position, we determined after some

investigation that they did have a person who performs a

coordinator's role. Respondents from all four of these

States reported that administration of the State D.A.R.E.

program was one of several roles they performed as

supervisors or directors in law enforcement agencies.=20

We, therefore, did not delete these responses from our

analysis. It should be noted, however, that because of

skip patterns in the survey instrument, these four

respondents did not complete survey items specifically

directed to the State D.A.R.E. coordinator. =20

Findings

Administration

To address issues raised in the NIJ solicitation

concerning management of the D.A.R.E. program, we asked a

series of questions about the agencies involved in

D.A.R.E.'s administration at the State level, the

functions of each agency, and the relationships among

them. Findings from these questions are presented below.

Agencies Involved. We first asked respondents to

report the agency with primary responsibility for

managing the State D.A.R.E. program. As shown in Exhibit

4.1, the great majority of States indicated that a law

enforcement or criminal justice agency was entrusted with

this responsibility. =20

Exhibit 4.1 Percentage of State D.A.R.E. Programs

Primarily Managed by Various State and

Local Agencies

Agency (N=3D39) %

State Department of Public Safety 17.8

State Police 15.4

State Investigative Agency 7.7

State Highway Patrol 5.1

Other State Criminal Justice Agency 10.3

Governor's Office 7.7

State Attorney General's Office 10.3

State Department of Education/

Public Instruction 2.6

City/County Law Enforcement Agency 12.8

D.A.R.E. Agency 5.1

Board on Public Safety Training=20

and Standards 2.6

Association of Chiefs of Police 2.6

100.0

States are encouraged to establish statewide boards

that will help ensure that the State D.A.R.E. program

accommodates competing points of view, remains responsive

to the needs of its constituency, and continues as a

permanent component of State prevention activities (BJA,

1988). We asked coordinators if the State had a policy

advisory board (PAB), and 15 States (38%) reported

affirmatively.

To explore PAB membership, we asked the 15

coordinators with PABs to indicate the

agencies/individuals who held memberships on these boards

and to indicate the representative who chaired it.=20

Exhibit 4.2 shows that 65% or more of the States with

PABs listed State and local educational agencies, local

law enforcement agencies, and State D.A.R.E. officer

associations among their members. The leadership role of

the PABs was primarily held by law enforcement

representatives. The board was chaired by State law

enforcement agencies in six States, by local law

enforcement in three States, by local education agencies

in two States, by the State Department of Education in

one State, by another State agency in one State, and by

an Association of Chiefs of Police in one State. =20

Exhibit 4.2 Percentage of States with D.A.R.E. Policy

Advisory Boards Having Representation of

Various Agencies and Individuals on Such

Boards

Agency/Individual (N=3D15) %1

State Law Enforcement Agency 60.0

Local Law Enforcement Agency 80.0

Representatives for Other Criminal Justice 13.3

Agencies

State D.A.R.E. Officers' Association 73.3

Police Associations 20.0

State Department of Education/Public Instruction 86.7

Regional, County, or Local Education 66.7

Associations of Educators 26.7

University Representative 6.7

State Alcohol/Drug Abuse Agency 46.7

Governor's Office 26.7

State Legislature 20.0

State Judiciary 13.3

Other State Agency 33.3

Parents 26.7

Community-Based Organizations 26.7

Citizens-at-Large 13.3

Business Representatives 13.3

1Column percents will total more than 100.0% because

multiple responses could be indicated by

the same respondent.

Yet another agency encouraged to become involved in

D.A.R.E. is the State Department of Education. States

are encouraged to retain an educational consultant to act

as a liaison between the State Department of Education,

local school administrators, and D.A.R.E. instructors

(BJA, 1988). We, therefore, asked if the State had an

educational consultant. Twenty-five (64%) of the 39

respondents reported having an educational advisor, and

two States reported two advisors. Further, we inquired

about the employers of these consultants and found that

educational systems employed 17 of the 27 educational

advisors and law enforcement agencies employed 4 (Exhibit

4.3).

Exhibit 4.3 Percentage of States with D.A.R.E.

Educational Advisors Reporting to the

Employers of These Advisors

Employer (N=3D25) %1

State Department of Education 20.0

Local School Systems 36.0

Boards of Education 12.0

College/University 4.0

State Highway Patrol 8.0

Other Law Enforcement Agencies 8.0

Other State Agencies 12.0

Private Consultants 8.0

1Column percents will total more than 100.0% because

multiple responses could be indicated by

the same respondent.

Functions. Next, we sought to examine the

responsibilities of both the State D.A.R.E. coordinators

and the PABs by asking respondents to indicate the

functions of each agency (Exhibit 4.4). The most fre-

quently mentioned roles of State D.A.R.E. coordinators

were D.A.R.E. advocacy and officer training within the

State. The most frequently mentioned roles of PABs were

formulating State policy, exploring funding sources, and

advocating for D.A.R.E.=20

We also asked respondents to list functions

performed by the State D.A.R.E. coordinators and the PABs

that were not provided as close-ended response options.=20

Additional duties mentioned for State D.A.R.E.

coordinators included=20

o acting as liaison to other D.A.R.E. agencies

(three States),

o distributing D.A.R.E. materials (three

States),

o making and managing grant applications (two

States),

o training D.A.R.E. officers for schools on

military bases (one State),

o recertifying officers (one State),

o selecting officers (one State), and

o serving as a clearinghouse for information

(one State).

Other duties performed by the PABs included long-term

planning (two States) and the selection and supervision

of the State D.A.R.E. coordinator (one State).

Exhibit 4.4 Percentage of State D.A.R.E. Coordinators

and Policy Advisory Boards Performing

Various Functions

State

D.A.R.E. Policy

Advisory

Coordinator=20

Board

Functions (N=3D35)=20

(N=3D15)

Formulating State policy 82.9=20

86.7

Advocating D.A.R.E. 97.1=20

66.7

Exploring funding sources 80.0=20

73.3

Distributing funds 34.3=20

33.3

Training D.A.R.E. officers within the State 91.4=20

26.7

Training D.A.R.E. officers from other States 68.6=20

26.7

Follow-up in-service training 77.1=20

33.3

Direct student instruction 48.6=20

20.0

Implementation/development of local sites 80.0=20

26.7

On-site monitoring of D.A.R.E. officers

activities 71.4=20

33.3

Program evaluation 77.1=20

53.3

Approving school districts' involvement

with D.A.R.E. 45.7=20

60.0

Approving local law enforcements' involvement

with D.A.R.E. 71.4=20

26.7

D.A.R.E. officer certification 82.9=20

60.0

D.A.R.E. officer decertification 68.6=20

53.3

Communication. As mentioned earlier, State

D.A.R.E. programs are strongly encouraged to develop

relationships with State Departments of Education.=20

Having an educational consultant, however, does not

guarantee communication between the agencies. We,

therefore, asked the State coordinators about how well

they communicate with the Department of Education. Most

of the State D.A.R.E. coordinators reported having a

great deal (35%) or some (47%) communication with the

State Department of Education. In six States,

coordinators reported little communication, and only one

reported none. Seven coordinators (20%) reported having

a signed agreement between the State D.A.R.E. coordinator

and the Department of Education. =20

We also asked coordinators about the level of

communication between the PABs and the State Department

of Education. Most of the coordinators reported that

PABs had a great deal of communication with the Depart-

ment of Education. Eight of the 15 States with PABs

reported that their boards had a great deal of

communication, three reported some communication, three

reported little, and one reported none. =20

Only one State reported that both the State

D.A.R.E. coordinator and the PAB had little communication

with the Department of Education.

Funding

The NIJ solicitation also requested information on

funding arrangements for D.A.R.E. To this end, we asked

respondents to report the amount of funding received by

the primary managing agency. Exhibit 4.5 presents

ranges of funding received for D.A.R.E. at the State

level. Four States reported that no funds were received

for State-level D.A.R.E. operations, and two State

coordinators were unable to provide this information. =20

The mean amount of funds received by the primary

managing agency for operating D.A.R.E. at the State level

in the 1991-1992 school year (excluding $0 values) was

$273,657; funding ranged from $25,000 to $2,635,000. The

total amount received by the responding States was

$9,260,700.

Exhibit 4.5 Funding Received in 1991-1992 School Year

for State-Level D.A.R.E. Operations

Funding Range (N=3D39) %

$ 0 10.3

$ 25,000 - 49,000 12.8

$ 50,000 - 99,999 28.2

$100,000 - 299,999 25.6

$300,000 + 17.9

Data Unavailable 5.1

We asked the 33 respondents who reported the amount

of funding for State-level operations to identify the

sources of this funding (Exhibit 4.6). Four of the 33

respondents did not answer this question. We also asked

coordinators to indicate the percentage of funds received

from each source. Fifteen States indicated that all

funds were received from one source (six from the BJA,

four from State governors' grants, two from the State

Department of Education, two from legislative funds, and

one from other sources). Eight States reported that

funding was received from two sources, and eight States

reported receiving funding from three or more sources. =20

Additionally, we asked respondents to report other

sources of funding not mentioned in the close-ended

response options. Responses included State and local

matching funds, special education trust funds, State

penalty assessment funds, funds from the Exhibit 4.6 Number of States

Receiving Funds for State-

Level Operations from Sources in 1991-1992

School Year

Funding Source (N=3D31) %

Bureau of Justice Assistance Grant 58.1

Grant from Governor's Office 29.0

State Department of Education 12.9

Legislative Funds 25.8

Grant from Other State Agency 29.0

Local Funds 9.7

Corporate Donations 9.7

Individual Donations 3.2

Civic or Community Groups 3.2

D.A.R.E. America 3.2*

*As indicated by Question 2 of the State D.A.R.E.

coordinator survey, this information refers to

funding of State-level D.A.R.E. programs only. D.A.R.E.

America has informed us that all

State-level programs receive support from D.A.R.E.

America (Glenn Levant, personal communi-

cation, August 9, 1994).

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

(OJJDP), fund-raisers, and Federal forfeiture funds.

State Training Centers

As mentioned in Chapter 3, one goal of the RTCs has

been to develop STCs in their geographic areas.=20

Increasingly, RTCs have adopted a "train the trainer"

model to prepare STCs in their jurisdiction to conduct

their own D.A.R.E. officer training and certification

procedures. We, therefore, asked coordinators whether

their State had its own STC. About 87% (34 States)

reported affirmatively. One of the five States without a

training center reported that the State was in the

process of establishing a training center.

Implementation

To obtain a general idea of the level of

implementation of each of D.A.R.E.'s curricula, we asked

respondents to indicate each curriculum used in the State

during the 1991-1992 school year. All respondents

reported that the core curriculum and the K-4 visitations

were used in at least one school in the State.=20

Furthermore, 28 States (72%) implemented the junior high

curriculum, 26 States (67%) implemented the senior high

school curriculum, and 9 States (23%) implemented the

parent curriculum in at least one school.

Challenges and Problems

To acquire an understanding of the challenges and

problems facing D.A.R.E. and the State D.A.R.E. coordina-

tor in the coming years, we asked two open-ended

questions about these issues. We categorized the

responses and counted the number of State coordinators

indicating each category. (We advise caution in using

these findings to make recommendations given the small

number of coordinators mentioning each category.) =20

First, we asked respondents to identify the most

significant issues they face in working with the State's

Department of Education. The two most common responses

were improving communication between agencies (mentioned

by eight States) and acquiring a full-time educational

advisor (mentioned by seven States). Most of the other

responses were specific actions that coordinators wanted

the State Department of Education to undertake, such as

o assisting with program evaluation and monitoring

D.A.R.E. officers (six States),

o formally mandating the D.A.R.E. program (three

States),

o understanding the role of law enforcement in

education (three States),

o assisting with funding for D.A.R.E. (three

States),

o providing greater support for the D.A.R.E.

program (two States),

o assisting in training programs (one State), and

o helping resolve problems between officers and

teachers (one State).

We then asked respondents to indicate the most

significant issues facing the State D.A.R.E.

coordinator. It should be noted that most of these

issues could be mentioned by coordinators of other drug

prevention programs, as well as coordinators of D.A.R.E.=20

Most of the responses centered on funding, communication,

evaluation, and training. The responses, by category,

were as follows:=20

Funding

o maintaining or increasing funding (13 States)

o locating funding sources (8 States)

o locating funding specifically for training (6

States)

Communication

o increasing communication between

D.A.R.E. agencies at the local,

regional, and national levels (10

States)

o improving relations with State

Department of Education (4 States)

o coping with the disorganization of the

program (4 States)

o improving public relations (3 States)

o keeping up with constantly shifting

policies of the D.A.R.E. America RTC

Advisory Board (2 States)

Evaluation

o monitoring officers in the classroom (8

States)

o evaluating the program (4 States)

Training

o improving training (3 States)

o handling problem officers (2 States)

o obtaining STC certification (1 State)

Staffing

o increasing staffing (6 States)

o formally establishing a State D.A.R.E.

coordinator position (2 States)

o forming a PAB (2 States)

Expansion

o expanding D.A.R.E. to other grades or

schools (7 States).

Summary

This chapter focused on a survey of the

administrators of the State D.A.R.E. programs. Thirty-

nine of the 44 States with State D.A.R.E. coordinators

responded to the survey. =20

We found that most of the State D.A.R.E. programs

are managed by law enforcement or criminal justice

agencies and that most retain educational consultants.=20

About two-fifths of the States had PABs. Most of the

coordinators reported high levels of communication

between themselves and the State Department of Education.=20

They also reported high levels of communication between

the PABs and the Department of Education. Most States

received at least $50,000 in funding for training and

administrative purposes, and most States had their own

STC.

Findings from this chapter and resulting

recommendations are discussed fully in Chapter 8.

CHAPTER 5

SCHOOL DISTRICT DRUG PREVENTION

COORDINATOR SURVEY

A survey of school district drug prevention

coordinators was the main component of our implementation

assessment. This component of the assessment was

conducted to fulfill NIJ's request for information about

the implementation of D.A.R.E. and other school-based

drug prevention programs at the local level. NIJ

specifically requested information on the following

questions:

o Who usually manages the D.A.R.E.

program at the local level?

o How involved in D.A.R.E. are

classroom teachers, churches, and

community groups?

o How extensively are D.A.R.E. and

other school-based alcohol and

other drug (AOD) prevention

programs implemented nationwide

in terms of geography, target

populations (such as ethnic

groups, economic strata, and

urbanicity), and grade levels?

o How do other AOD programs compare

with D.A.R.E. and D.A.R.E. with

them?

o What are local funding

arrangements for D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs? How do these

resources affect implementation?

A careful reading of these questions reveals that NIJ had

three primary objectives: (a) to secure information

about the administration of D.A.R.E., (b) to develop

estimates of the national prevalence of D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs, and (c) to make comparisons between

D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs on a variety of issues. =20

RTI staff developed and conducted a comprehensive

survey of school district drug prevention coordinators

that addressed each of the above-mentioned objectives and

questions. We selected drug prevention coordinators as

respondents, as opposed to classroom teachers or police

officers, because we believed that drug prevention

coordinators were the school district staff members best

able to provide us with a broad perspective on all drug

prevention activities in the district, including both

D.A.R.E. and other AOD prevention programs.

This chapter presents the methodology and findings

for this survey. We should note that for this chapter

the results we display will be descriptive, as opposed to

explanatory, in nature. That is, our purpose is to

report what the school district drug prevention

coordinators have told us, and not attempt to explain why

they responded as they did. Although efforts to explain

our respondents' answer are feasible, we believe they

would ultimately prove unsatisfactory because our

explanatory variables (e.g., the school districts' racial

balance or percentage of youth in poverty) are very

limited, and any differences we find may be misleading.

The findings section first presents information we

received from districts with D.A.R.E., followed by

estimates of the numbers of districts with D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs, and comparisons of D.A.R.E. with

other AOD programs. At the end of the findings section,

we also provide some general information about drug

policies in all the districts surveyed.

Methodology

Sample Design

The sample design for the school district drug

prevention coordinators' survey was a two-phased

stratified random sample. The two-phases of the sample

design was necessary to meet the multiple goals of this

survey. The goal of the first-phase sample was to

produce estimates by region, district size, socioeconomic

status (SES) categories, ethnicity categories, and

urbanicity. The goal of the second-phase sample was to

enable comparisons between districts with and without

D.A.R.E. A detailed discussion of each phase of the

sample design is discussed below.

Sampling frame. The first step in our sampling

design was to obtain a list of public school districts

nationwide. We obtained such a list from Quality

Educational Data (QED) Inc., of Denver, Colorado. The

QED file, which is updated every summer, lists all public

school districts nationwide and contains a wealth of

useful information for each school district. We used

this file as our sampling frame. Information that we

used from this file included the school district's

o SES (defined as the percentage of

children in the district below

poverty level),

o urbanicity (defined as urban,

suburban, or rural),

o ethnicity (defined as the

percentage of children in the

district who were black or

Hispanic), and

o district size (defined as the

number of students enrolled in

the district). =20

For each of the 14,715 districts on the QED file,

we created five new variables that we later used for

stratification and weighting purposes. First, we created

a region variable that was based on the jurisdictions of

D.A.R.E.'s five RTCs (see Chapter 3, Exhibit 3.1). Next,

to keep the total number of stratum cells within

reasonable bounds, we dichotomized urbanicity, SES,

ethnicity, and district size. We first collapsed the

urban and suburban categories on the QED file into one

category. We computed percentiles for minority status,

SES, and district size within each region-by-urbanicity

group. We then used the median of each variable to

define two categories (low/high) for each of the three

variables. The number and percentage of school districts

in the sampling frame in each of the strata are presented

in Appendix A, Exhibit A.1.

First-Phase Sampling. The goal of the first-phase

of our sampling design was to ensure that we selected a

nationally representative sample of school districts.=20

Additionally, we wanted to ensure that districts in each

region, urbanicity category, SES category, minority

status category, and district size category were

adequately sampled. Therefore, our first-phase sample

was a stratified random sample. =20

The first step in selecting our first-phase sample

was to define each strata. We initially constructed 10

region-by-urbanicity strata by crossing the 5 regional

strata with the 2 urbanicity strata. We then crossed

each of these 10 strata with 2 SES categories (resulting

in 20 strata). We then crossed each of those 20 strata

by minority status (resulting in 40 strata). Finally, we

crossed each of those 40 strata by district size

(resulting in 80 strata). The number of school districts

in the sampling frame in each of the 80 strata is

presented in Appendix A, Exhibit A.2.

The next step in our sampling design was to

determine how districts from each strata would be

selected for inclusion in the first-phase sample. We

assayed two methods of allocating the sample to strata.=20

In the first method, we assigned equal sample sizes

across strata (i.e., we sampled 15 districts from every

stratum regardless of whether the stratum in the sampling

frame contained 15 or 200 districts). This method would

have ensured good precision across strata. In the second

method, we assigned sample sizes proportional to the

frame size within each stratum. For example, if 5% of

the districts in the sampling frame were in a particular

stratum, proportional sampling would have ensured that 5%

of the first-phase sample would be allocated to that same

stratum. Unlike equal allocation, proportional

allocation yields approximately equal sampling weights,

reduces variance, and thus provides better precision for

overall survey estimates. =20

Because of its clear advantages, we chose

proportional sampling. Thus, we randomly selected a

proportional number of school districts within each of

the 80 strata. The first-phase sample consisted of 1,500

school districts. Exhibits displaying the sample

allocation to strata are provided in Appendix A, Exhibits

A.3 and A.4.

Second-Phase Sampling. The goal of the second-

phase of our sampling design was to ensure that the

second-phase sample included both D.A.R.E. and non-

D.A.R.E. school districts. To make this determination,

we asked State D.A.R.E. or DFSCA coordinators to classify

the 1,500 school districts in the first-phase sample as

either D.A.R.E. or non-D.A.R.E. districts (see Chapter

4). Because some State coordinators did not return this

information or only partially completed the information,

we created a third category of school districts with an

unknown D.A.R.E. status. State coordinators reported

that 43% of the sampled districts used D.A.R.E. and 40%

did not; D.A.R.E. status was unknown for 17% of the

districts. Exhibit A.5 in Appendix A displays the

responses of the State coordinators on the D.A.R.E.

status of the first-phase sample by region.

The next step in selecting our second-phase sample

was to determine the number of districts to be selected.=20

Calculations to determine the number of districts needed

in the second-phase sample were based first on the type

of analysis we planned to conduct and second on an

anticipated 80% response rate. Because we calculated

that 400 responding school districts were necessary to

achieve sufficient statistical power and precision, we

selected a second-phase sample of 500 school districts.

Finally, we used the classifications provided by

the State coordinators to select proportional numbers of

school districts with D.A.R.E., without D.A.R.E., and

with unknown D.A.R.E. status across the five regions.=20

Thus, we selected 215 school districts with D.A.R.E., 200

without D.A.R.E., and 85 with unknown D.A.R.E. status.=20

Exhibit A.6 in Appendix A displays the second-phase

sample by region and D.A.R.E. status.

Survey Estimation. All survey estimates were

computed using software developed at RTI specifically for

the analysis of surveys based on complex sample designs.=20

We computed analysis weights that took into account the

two-phase stratified sample design. Weighted data

provides a less biased estimate than unweighted data

because the weighted data more accurately represents the

true population. The weights varied across strata based

on region, ethnic composition, urbanicity, SES, and size

of the school district. Analysis weights were computed

as the product of the first-phase sample weight and the

second-phase sample weight. Sampling weights were also

adjusted for nonresponse. We performed quality checks on

the analysis weights to ensure that the sum of the

analysis weights coincides with the number of districts

in the frame. We also examined the variability of the

analyses weights and their impact on survey variances.

Instrument Design

RTI staff determined the contents of the school

district drug prevention coordinators' survey based on

the research issues raised in NIJ's solicitation,

discussions with NIJ personnel, a review of the

literature, and examination of the studies of drug

education programming previously conducted at RTI. We

used close-ended items whenever possible to minimize

ambiguity and burden. A few open-ended questions were

included to encourage respondents to provide detailed

information. =20

All drug prevention coordinators completed a set of

core items that were designed to provide background

information about the district and about the specific

drug prevention curricula used. Additionally,

coordinators in districts using D.A.R.E., alone or in

combination with other drug prevention curricula,

completed a set of items concerning the D.A.R.E. program

only. Coordinators in districts using other AOD

prevention programs, alone or in combination with

D.A.R.E., completed a set of items concerning other AOD

(i.e., non-D.A.R.E.) programs only. Therefore, school

districts

implementing D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs answered

both sets of items.

After submitting the data collection instrument to

our NIJ program manager for comment and discussion, we

formally pretested all data collection materials and

procedures. Both regional and State DFSCA coordinators

assisted in identifying pretest subjects. Seven school

district drug prevention coordinators (two in New York,

two in South Dakota, one in North Carolina, one in Rhode

Island, and one in South Carolina) completed a pretest

questionnaire in early April 1992.

We used the responses of pretest participants, as

well as the comments of our NIJ program manager and other

AOD prevention program experts, to make final decisions

on the data collection procedures and instruments. A

copy of the survey instrument and other data collection

materials for this component of the study can be found in

Appendix D.

Data Collection

On May 1, 1992, we mailed a cover letter,

questionnaire, and prepaid return envelope to school

district drug prevention coordinators in each of the 500

selected school districts. The cover letter included a

brief statement of study objectives, information on how

the data would be used, and confidentiality assurances.=20

Approximately 2 weeks after the initial mailing, we sent

postcards to coordinators who had not responded. The

postcard asked if the initial packet had been received,

reminded the coordinator of the importance of the study,

and offered the RTI toll-free number in case assistance

was needed. Upon request, we provided duplicate

mailouts.

Four packages were returned as undeliverable. Each

of these was followed up by telephone inquiry to

ascertain the correct address. We obtained correct

addresses for three of the four returned packages and

remailed the material. The remaining school district had

recently merged with another school district. Because

this merged district was already included in the sample,

the duplicate was dropped.

We began making follow-up telephone calls to

nonresponders approximately 2 weeks after the reminder

postcards were mailed. Follow-up phone calls were made

by trained RTI telephone interviewers between June 2 and

July 15, 1992. Interviewers encouraged coordinators to

complete and return their instruments as soon as

possible. Those coordinators who indicated to

interviewers that they would not otherwise complete the

instrument were asked to complete the survey over the

telephone. The survey instrument was exactly the same

for both telephone and mail administration. The final

response rate was 85.6%, which considerably surpassed our

expected response rate of 80%. The final sample

disposition is presented in Exhibit 5.1.

Exhibit 5.1 Final Sample Disposition

N %

Completed by phone 289 57.8

Completed by mail 139 27.8

Refused 8 1.6

No response 63 12.6

Duplicate 1 0.2

As indicated, we completed almost twice as many

interviews by phone as by mail. We attribute this to

several factors. First, phone surveys traditionally have

higher response rates than mail surveys. Second, the

questionnaires were not mailed until late in the school

year; therefore, coordinators may have had end-of-the-

year obligations that limited the amount of time they

could spend on additional duties. Third, the part of the

instrument that asked about each of the packaged drug

prevention curricula was imposing; we believe that having

the interviewers read these questions to the respondents

may have made answering them less burdensome. Because

the information gathered in this survey was not sensitive

in nature, we believe that data obtained via both methods

of administration are comparable.

Returned questionnaires were delivered to a

check-in station where they were logged in, coded,

manually edited, keyed, and key verified. We implemented

machine-editing procedures to verify and correct skip

patterns and logical inconsistencies. We recontacted a

few school district drug prevention coordinators to

resolve problematic responses, such as incomplete or

contradictory information.

Findings

Administration of D.A.R.E.

The first objective of this survey was to obtain

information about the administration of D.A.R.E. at the

local level. This section presents findings concerning

the implementation, administration, participation of

teachers and the community in the D.A.R.E. program,

integration and coordination of D.A.R.E. with other

school-based drug prevention efforts, problems with

D.A.R.E., and future plans for the use of D.A.R.E. Data

from survey items asked only of the districts with

D.A.R.E. are presented in this section. =20

Implementation. In the 1991-1992 school year,

D.A.R.E. was implemented in 51.8%, or 222, of the school

districts surveyed. Some 42% of all school districts

surveyed used the core curriculum, 17% used K-4 lessons,

11% implemented the junior high school curriculum, 3%

used the senior high school curriculum, and 3% used the

parent curriculum. =20

Of the 222 school districts with D.A.R.E., the

great majority (81%) implemented the core curriculum,

around 33% used the K-4 visitations, 22% used the junior

high school curriculum, 6% implemented the senior high

school curriculum, and 5% used the parent curriculum. We

further asked the respondents to indicate every grade in

which the D.A.R.E. curricula were used. Exhibit 5.2

displays the percentage of school districts with D.A.R.E.

implementing the program at each grade. Almost 70% of

the districts with D.A.R.E. implemented the curriculum in

5th-grade classes, and almost 60% used it in 6th-grade

classes. Thus, a substantial number of districts

implemented the core curriculum in both grades, which

probably reflects the different cutoff grades separating

elementary from junior high or middle schools in that

district.

Administration. One objective of NIJ's

solicitation was to ascertain what agencies usually

manage D.A.R.E. and have responsibility for various

aspects of the program at the local level. To address

these issues, we first asked coordinators to report all

agencies managing D.A.R.E. Around 81% of the districts

with D.A.R.E. reported that a single agency administered

the D.A.R.E. program, while 16.3% reported that two

agencies and 2.3% reported that three or more agencies

administered the program (Exhibit 5.3). Almost 34% of

the school districts with D.A.R.E. reported that the

county sheriff's department alone administered the

program, and about 34% reported city/town police

departments administered it.=20

We next asked coordinators to report whether law

enforcement or education was responsible for various

activities. Coordinators with D.A.R.E. most frequently

reported that law enforcement agencies were responsible

for selecting D.A.R.E. officers and determining classroom

activities (Exhibit 5.4). They reported that

responsibility for selecting schools to receive D.A.R.E.,

selecting classrooms to receive D.A.R.E., and assigning

extracurricular D.A.R.E. activities were performed by

education.

Participation of Teachers and Community. NIJ's

solicitation also requested an examination of the extent

of involvement of classroom teachers. About 84% of the

coordinators reported that classroom teachers were

actively involved in the program. We also asked

coordinators about classroom teachers' level of

participation during D.A.R.E. lessons. About 21%

reported a great deal of participation, 46% reported some

participation, 28% reported little participation, and 5%

reported no participation by the classroom teachers. =20

Exhibit 5.2 Use of D.A.R.E., by Grade

Note: Based on responses of coordinators in school

districts with D.A.R.E. (N=3D222).

Exhibit 5.3 Agencies Administering the D.A.R.E.

Program at the Local Level

Agencies (N=3D222) %

Single Agency:

Sheriff Department 33.5

City/Town Police Department 33.5

State Police/Highway Patrol 11.3

County Police Department 1.3

Other 1.8

Combinations of Two Agencies:

Sheriffs Department & City/

Town Police Department 8.6

Other Combinations of Two Agencies 7.7

Combinations of Three or More Agencies 2.3

Total 100.0

Exhibit 5.4 Agencies with Primary Responsibility for

Coordination of D.A.R.E. Activities (%)

=20

Extra-

Officer School Classroom

Classroom curricular

Selection Selection Selection

Activities Activities

Law Enforcement 93.6 28.1 19.6=20

66.8 37.9

Education 6.4 71.9 80.4 =20

33.2 62.1

Total 100.0 100.0 100.0=20

100.0 100.0

To determine the extent to which teachers reinforce

the D.A.R.E. lessons, we asked coordinators about

D.A.R.E.-related activities performed by classroom

teachers. Most of the school district drug prevention

coordinators (89%) reported that teachers remain in the

classroom during D.A.R.E. lessons. About 72% reported

that classroom teachers integrate the D.A.R.E. message

into other activities, 39% said that teachers collect

D.A.R.E. homework, and 15% reported that teachers assign

D.A.R.E. homework.

The NIJ solicitation also requested that we examine

the extent to which members of community groups (e.g.,

church or youth groups) participate in the D.A.R.E.

program. Indeed, recent research suggests that linking

school-based interventions with the larger community

strengthens their effectiveness (Pentz et al., 1989;

Perry & Tobler, 1992). Therefore, we asked the

prevention coordinators to specify members of the

community who were actively involved in D.A.R.E. About

51% of the coordinators said that parents were actively

involved, 22% indicated that civic groups were so

involved, 13% said that youth groups were so involved,

and 5% said that church groups were so involved.

Integration and Coordination. Another objective

of this study was to examine the extent of D.A.R.E.'s

integration and coordination with other school-based drug

prevention efforts. To address this issue, we first

asked coordinators to indicate the level at which

D.A.R.E. was integrated with other AOD programs. About

63% of the prevention coordinators reported D.A.R.E. was

very well integrated, 31% reported it was well

integrated, and 7% reported it was poorly integrated. To

determine whether D.A.R.E. was better integrated in some

types of school districts than in others, we examined the

differences in the percentages of coordinators reporting

that D.A.R.E. was very well integrated by minority

status, SES, urbanicity, and district size. No

statistically significant differences were found.=20

D.A.R.E. was equally well integrated with other AOD

programs across different types of school districts.

One type of mechanism for coordinating the D.A.R.E.

responsibilities of law enforcement with those of

education agencies are written agreements that solidify

commitment, define roles and duties, and establish sound

working relationships. We asked coordinators about the

existence of such agreements and found that approximately

44% of the coordinators reported that their district had

a written agreement. We asked those coordinators with

written agreements about the contents of these

agreements. The following components of the agreements

were mentioned by the accompanying number of

coordinators:

o the responsibilities of all parties (23

coordinators);

o time (21 coordinators);

o funding/fees (20 coordinators);

o scheduling (15 coordinators);

o curricula (10 coordinators);

o schools to be offered in (9 coordinators);

o grades used in (6 coordinators);

o general use of D.A.R.E. (6 coordinators);

o length of program (5 coordinators);

o school policies (4 coordinators);

o sequence of lessons (3 coordinators);

o materials (3 coordinators);=20

o graduation program (3 coordinators); and

o "don't know" (4 coordinators).

Problems. We asked school district drug prevention

coordinators to provide information concerning problems

with implementing and coordinating D.A.R.E., and to

suggest how the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. might be

improved.=20

We asked coordinators to indicate whether there

were any barriers to implementing D.A.R.E. and then to

specify these barriers. Only 26% of the school district

drug prevention coordinators with D.A.R.E. mentioned any

barrier to implementing the program. Some 16% of the

coordinators with D.A.R.E. mentioned inadequate funding

as a barrier to implementation, 13% mentioned too few

officers, and 11% mentioned scheduling difficulties

(Figure 5.5). The two most frequently mentioned barriers

were in areas over which the school system has little

control (funding and number of officers).

Exhibit 5.5 Problem Areas That Are Barriers to

Implementing D.A.R.E. in All Schools

Note: Based on responses of coordinators using D.A.R.E.

(N=3D222).

Next, in an open-ended question, we asked

coordinators to elaborate on any problems with the

coordination of D.A.R.E. The responses of those with

problems were

o lack of time (19 coordinators);

o insufficient funding/staff (12 coordinators);

o scheduling problems (9 coordinators);

o officers not good teachers (5 coordinators);

o difficulties getting program started (4

coordinators);

o inadequate officer/teacher interaction (4

coordinators);

o officer scheduling problems/absences (4

coordinators);

o other officer problems (4 coordinators); and

o lack of coordination between school and

police (3 coordinators).

Finally, we asked coordinators what, if any,

changes they thought would make D.A.R.E. more effective

in their district, and then to elaborate on these

changes. About one-third of the coordinators mentioned

that there was at least one change that they thought

would make D.A.R.E. more effective. The following

responses were the changes they mentioned:

o expand to other grade levels (26

coordinators);

o increase staff/officers (11 coordinators);

o increase parental participation (7

coordinators);

o increase funding (6 coordinators);

o increase community involvement (6

coordinators);

o increase teacher training and involvement (5

coordinators);

o improve quality/dependability officers (4

coordinators);

o increase integration with other curricula (4

coordinators);

o increase time spent on D.A.R.E. (3

coordinators);

o decrease time spent on D.A.R.E. (3

coordinators); =20

o increase publicity (2 coordinators);

o adapt curriculum to grade level (2

coordinators);

o change curricula (2 coordinators);

o teach officers to be teachers (2

coordinators);

o increase refresher training for officers (2

coordinators);

o include D.A.R.E. as part of student

assistance program (1 coordinator);

o increase D.A.R.E.'s availability in

rural/isolated areas (1 coordinator).

Future Use of D.A.R.E. To examine whether the

demand for D.A.R.E. is

going to increase or diminish over the next few years, we

asked coordinators about their future plans for D.A.R.E.=20

Some 43% of the coordinators with D.A.R.E. planned to

expand use of D.A.R.E. in the next 5 years, and 55%

planned to maintain the current level (only 2% planned to

decrease use). Of the 208 school districts without

D.A.R.E., 38% had not considered using D.A.R.E., 21%

planned to implement D.A.R.E. in the future, 20% were

undecided, 15% reported they definitely will not use

D.A.R.E., and 6% had discontinued use of D.A.R.E.

Further, to determine whether any particular type

of school district was more likely to expand use of

D.A.R.E. in the next 5 years, we examined the differences

in the percentages of districts planning to increase

their use of D.A.R.E. by minority status, SES, or

urbanicity. No statistically significant differences

were found. Plans for the expansion of D.A.R.E. were

fairly equal across different types of school districts.=20

National Prevalence Estimates of D.A.R.E. and Other AOD

Programs

The second objective of this survey was to develop

national estimates of the prevalence of D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs. To accomplish this objective, we

asked coordinators to indicate all published drug

prevention curricula used by the school district in the

1991-1992 school year. Based on previous research and

discussions with school-based drug prevention curricula

experts, we provided a list of 13 published curricula

that we thought coordinators would mention most often.=20

In addition, we provided ample space for open-ended

responses concerning other published curricula. We

used this information in combination with the sample

stratification variables to develop estimates by

geographical area, ethnicity, SES, and urbanicity. We

also asked respondents to complete a series of questions

concerning grade levels and substances targeted, as well

as type of teachers for each of these curricula.=20

Based on the number of school districts in our

sample using the three most frequently mentioned

curricula, we estimated the number of school districts

nationwide using these curricula. These prevalence

estimates and other findings concerning the three most

frequently mentioned published drug prevention curricula

used in the 1991-1992 school year are presented below.

Prevalence. According to our estimates, the

published curricula used most often by our respondents in

the 1991-1992 school year were D.A.R.E., Quest, and

Here's Looking at You. Exhibit 5.6 presents the

estimated numbers and percentages of school districts

nationwide using these three curricula overall and by the

districts' region, urbanicity, SES, minority status, and

district size. Urban/suburban school districts were

significantly more likely than rural districts to use

D.A.R.E. (p<.01) and Here's Looking

Exhibit 5.6 Percentage and Estimated Number of School

Districts in the Nation Using Top Three

Packaged Curricula During the 1991-1992

School Year, by Minority Status, SES, and

Urbanicity of the School District

Here's Looking

D.A.R.E. QuestAt You

Characteristic1 % N % N %

N Total2

Total 51.8 7619 26.7 3925 =20

24.5 3603 14719

Minority Status

High 57.7 2384 25.0 1036 =20

19.1 790 4135

Low 49.1 5234 27.3 2889 =20

26.6 2813 10584

SES

High 53.8 5904 28.0 3078 =20

26.7 2930 10973

Low 45.8 1715 22.6 847 =20

18.0 673 3746

Urbanicity

Urban 60.5 3480 23.6 1358 =20

30.1 1730 5754

Rural 46.2 4139 28.6 2567 =20

20.9 1873 8965

District Size

Small 45.7 3648 23.6 1886 =20

22.4 1792 7987

Large 59.0 3971 30.3 2039 =20

26.9 1811 6732

Region

East 55.8 1760 24.2 762 =20

46.4 1462 3150

Southeast 56.8 553 29.1 283 =20

9.8 96 974

Midwest 59.9 2854 35.8 1705 =20

17.4 831 4762

Southwest 37.1 1257 12.4 420 =20

8.6 292 3384

West 48.8 1195 30.8 755 =20

37.7 922 2448

1Multiple curricula could be indicated by the same

respondent.

2The sum of the weights provides an estimate of the total

number of districts in the frame.=20

Similarly, the weight sum within a stratum estimates

the stratum count. Due to sampling

variability, stratum-level estimates will not coincide

exactly with the corresponding stratum

counts in Exhibit A.1 in Appendix A.

at You (HLY) (p<.05). Large school districts were

significantly more likely than small school districts to

use D.A.R.E. (p<.01). =20

Grade Levels Targeted. To determine grade levels

targeted by each of the three most frequently used

curricula, we asked coordinators to indicate which

curricula were used in the school district at each grade

level. Grade levels targeted by coordinators with

D.A.R.E. were presented in Exhibit 5.2. Around 46% of

the school districts with Quest targeted the program to

the elementary school level, 81% to the middle/junior

high school level, and 12% to the senior high school

level. Almost 89% of the school districts with HLY

targeted the program to the elementary school level, 55%

to the middle/junior high school level, and 35% to the

senior high school level. Coordinators reported that all

three curricula were more likely to target elementary or

middle/junior high school levels.

Substances Targeted. To determine whether the

three most frequently mentioned curricula differed in

substances targeted by the program, we asked the school

district drug prevention coordinators to indicate which

substances each of the prevention curricula targeted. We

found no significant differences in substances targeted

among D.A.R.E., Quest, and HLY (Exhibit 5.7). All three

of the packages were comprehensive in targeting all

substances.=20

Exhibit 5.7 Substances Targeted by, and Types of

Instructor of, the Three Most Frequently

Mentioned Alcohol and Drug Prevention

Programs (%)

Here's

Looking at

D.A.R.E. QuestYou

(N=3D222) (N=3D116)

(N=3D103)

Substances Targeted:

Tobacco 92.7 97.1 93.7

Alcohol 99.5 100.0 97.9

Marijuana 95.8 97.1 92.6

Cocaine/crack 92.7 91.3 88.4

Other drugs 92.7 89.4 86.3

Type of Instructor:

Teachers 22.1 92.2 94.6

School counselors 8.3 38.5 34.4

School nurses 3.9 7.8 18.3

Police officer 98.0 4.3 3.2

Mental health agency 1.5 7.8 2.1

Volunteers 3.4 5.2 6.4

Note: Multiple responses are possible, so percentages do

not add to 100%.

Type of Instructor. We also asked coordinators to

indicate who taught each of the prevention curricula. As

expected, almost all school district drug prevention

coordinators reported that police officers were

responsible for teaching the D.A.R.E. curricula.=20

Classroom teachers were primarily responsible for

teaching Quest and HLY (Exhibit 5.7). More than one-

fifth of the coordinators reported that classroom

teachers were also involved in teaching D.A.R.E. =20

Comparison of D.A.R.E. and Other AOD Programs

The final objective of this study was to make

comparisons between D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs on a

variety of issues. Comparison data are presented in this

section. Topics include funding, satisfaction with the

curricula, support for the curricula, and adaptations to

curricula. We asked respondents to report on other AOD

curricula in general because it would have been too

burdensome and time-consuming for them to answer each of

the questions for every curricula in use during the 1991-

1992 school year. =20

We first asked school district drug prevention

coordinators with D.A.R.E. (222 of the 429 respondents)

to answer a set of survey items concerning their D.A.R.E.

programs only. We asked all coordinators using other

(non-D.A.R.E.) AOD programs (406 of the 429 respondents)

to answer an identical set of items concerning their

other AOD curricula only. The respondents using both

D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs answered both sets of

items. Information gathered from these matched sets of

questions allowed a direct comparison of responses about

the D.A.R.E. curricula with responses concerning other

AOD curricula. Only 3% of the districts used only

D.A.R.E.; 46% used only other AOD curricula; and 49% used

both D.A.R.E. and other AOD curricula.

Funding. The first comparisons we examined were

comparisons of funding. We asked respondents to indicate

all sources of funding for the districts' D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs (Exhibit 5.8). The most frequently

mentioned sources of funding for D.A.R.E. were law

enforcement agencies and DFSCA education funds. The most

frequently mentioned sources of funding for other AOD

programs were DFSCA education funds and school district

funds. D.A.R.E. programs were more likely than other AOD

programs to receive funding from city/county funds,

corporate donations, and individual donations.

Satisfaction with Curricula. Next, we compared

satisfaction ratings for each of the curricula. We asked

the school district drug prevention coordinators to rate

five program components as very satisfactory,

satisfactory, unsatisfactory or very unsatisfactory. The

five components were curriculum, teaching, administrative

requirements, student receptivity, and effects on

students. None of the respondents with D.A.R.E. rated

any of the five components as very unsatisfactory.=20

Approximately 1% of the respondents with other AOD

programs rated teaching, administrative requirements, or

effects on students as very unsatisfactory.

D.A.R.E. was much more likely than other AOD

programs to be viewed by the school district drug

prevention coordinators as very satisfactory on each of

the five components (Exhibit 5.9). Well over half of the

coordinators with D.A.R.E. rated each of the components

as very satisfactory. Between 23% and 35% of the

coordinators with other AOD programs rated each of the

components as very satisfactory. Students' receptivity

was the component with the highest percentage of

coordinators rating it as very satisfactory for both

D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs. =20

Exhibit 5.8 Sources of Funding for D.A.R.E. and Other

Alcohol and Drug Prevention Programs in the

1991-1992 School Year (%)

D.A.R.E. Programs Other

AOD Programs

Source of Funding (N=3D222)(N=3D406)

DFSCA Education Funds 47.565.2

DFSCA Governors' Funds 7.913.7

Other Federal Funds 4.810.5

State non-DFSCA Funds 6.413.3

City/County Funds 12.28.8

District Funds 25.153.4

Local Educational Area Funds 3.16.5

Law Enforcement Agencies 51.46.2

Community Agencies 16.619.0

Corporate Donations 15.35.3

Individual Donations 17.27.5

Exhibit 5.9 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as Very

Satisfactory (%)

D.A.R.E. Program =20

Other AOD Programs

Component (N=3D222) (N=3D406)

Curriculum 67.5 34.2

Teaching 69.7 29.8

Administrative Requirements 55.7 23.1

Receptivity of Students 76.5 34.6

Effects on Students 63.2 22.8

To determine whether school districts with

particular characteristics were more likely to rate

program components as very satisfactory than other

districts, we examined ratings of each of the components

by these characteristics. Among coordinators with

D.A.R.E., those in high-percentage minority districts

were significantly more likely than those in low-

percentage minority districts to rate student receptivity

as very satisfactory (p<.05) (Exhibit 5.10). Among

coordinators with other AOD programs, those in urban

districts were significantly more likely (p<.05) than

those in rural districts to rate student receptivity and

effects on students as very satisfactory (Exhibit 5.11).=20

There were no significant differences in components rated

as very satisfactory between D.A.R.E. programs in low and

high SES districts or between other AOD programs in low

and high SES districts. Furthermore, there were no

significant differences in components rated as very

satisfactory between D.A.R.E. programs in small and large

districts or between other AOD programs in small and

large districts.

Support for Curricula. We also asked the school

district drug prevention coordinators to indicate how

supportive they perceived the community, school

personnel, students, parents, law enforcement, and civic

groups to be of D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs.=20

Response options for these questions were very

supportive, somewhat supportive, and not supportive.=20

None of the respondents with D.A.R.E. perceived students

or law enforcement as unsupportive of the program (data

not shown). The percentages of coordinators who

perceived any of the listed individuals or agencies as

unsupportive were very small for both D.A.R.E. and other

AOD programs.=20

Exhibit 5.10 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as Very

Satisfactory, by Minority Status of School

District (%)

D.A.R.E. Program Other AOD

Program

High LowHighLow

Percentage Percentage=20

Percentage Percentage

Minority MinorityMinority =20

Minority

Component (N=3D69) (N=3D154)(N=3D109)=20

(N=3D297)

Curriculum 74.0 64.435.7 33.7

=20

Teaching 70.7 69.227.8 30.6

=20

Administrative =20

Requirements 51.2 57.818.8 24.8

=20

Receptivity of Students 84.7 72.735.6 34.3

=20

Effects on Students 65.3 62.218.5 24.4

Exhibit 5.11 Components of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs Rated as

Very Satisfactory, by Urbanicity of

School District (%)

D.A.R.E. Program Other AOD

Program

Urban RuralUrban=20

Rural

Component (N=3D99) (N=3D123)(N=3D156) =

=20

(N=3D250)

Curriculum 63.9 70.540.2 30.3

Teaching 69.1 70.235.8 25.9

Administrative Requirements 50.1 60.426.7 20.8

Receptivity of Students 78.6 74.742.2 29.7

Effects on Students 59.2 66.528.7 19.0

School district drug prevention coordinators

reported that each type of agency and individual was much

more likely to be very supportive of D.A.R.E. than of

other AOD programs. Coordinators with D.A.R.E. were most

likely to report law enforcement as being very supportive

of the D.A.R.E. program, followed by students and school

personnel (Exhibit 5.12). Coordinators with AOD programs

other than D.A.R.E. were most likely to report law

enforcement and school personnel as being very supportive

of other AOD programs. =20

Exhibit 5.12 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs (%)

D.A.R.E. Program Other AOD

Programs

(N=3D222) (N=3D406)

Community 73.8 46.6

School Personnel 82.8 65.1

Students 89.6 50.7

Parents 78.7 45.8

Law Enforcement 92.2 66.8

Civic Groups 61.7 46.8

To determine whether school districts with

particular characteristics were more likely to be very

supportive of D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs, we

examined support by each of these characteristics. Among

coordinators with D.A.R.E., those in high SES districts

were significantly more likely (p<.05) than those in low

SES districts to perceive the community and parents as

very supportive of D.A.R.E. (Exhibit 5.13). =20

Exhibit 5.13 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs, by SES of

School District (%)=20

D.A.R.E. Program Other AOD

Program

High SES Low SESHigh SES =20

Low SES

(N=3D173) (N=3D49)(N=3D305) =20

(N=3D101)

Community 78.3 58.046.7 46.4

School Personnel 84.9 75.966.1 62.5

Students 91.4 83.651.9 47.1

Parents 83.4 62.946.8 42.7

Law Enforcement 92.8 90.267.3 65.2

Civic Groups 64.6 50.448.1 42.9

Among coordinators with D.A.R.E., those in large

districts were significantly more likely (p<.05) than

those in small districts to perceive civic groups as very

supportive (Exhibit 5.14). Among coordinators with other

AOD programs, those in large districts were significantly

more likely than those in small districts to perceive law

enforcement (p<.01) and civic groups (p<.001) as very

supportive.

Exhibit 5.14 Individuals, Groups, and Agencies Very

Supportive of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Programs, by Size of

School District (%)=20

D.A.R.E. Program Other AOD

Program

Small LargeSmall Large

(N=3D234) (N=3D195)(N=3D216)=20

(N=3D190)

Community 65.7 78.540.7 49.4

School personnel 80.4 85.964.6 65.5

Students 87.9 92.251.2 49.5

Parents 73.9 83.246.1 44.7

Law enforcement 89.7 93.656.9 67.4

Civic groups 43.2 61.838.7 39.2

There were no significant differences in support

between D.A.R.E. programs in low- and high-percentage

minority districts or between other AOD programs in low-

and high-percentage minority districts. Furthermore,

there were no significant differences in support between

D.A.R.E. programs in urban and rural districts or between

other AOD programs in urban and rural districts.

Adaptations of Curricula. Some drug prevention

curricula, such as D.A.R.E., require instructors to

strictly adhere to the curricula and established

procedures. Other curricula allow instructors to adapt

the curricula to meet their particular needs. However,

little is known about how prevention curricula are

actually adapted. We asked the school district drug

prevention coordinators whether D.A.R.E. or other AOD

programs were adapted in any way as a result of gang

activity, drug availability, the racial/ethnic

composition of the district, student or community

poverty, urbanicity, or for some other reason. About 43%

of the coordinators with D.A.R.E. reported adapting

D.A.R.E. for at least one of these reasons, while about

54% of the coordinators with other AOD programs reported

adapting for one of these reasons.

Exhibit 5.15 presents the percentage adapting

D.A.R.E. and other AOD curricula as a result of the

above-mentioned issues. The most frequently mentioned

reasons for adapting both D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs

were drug availability and student/community poverty.

Exhibit 5.15 Adaptations of D.A.R.E. and Other Alcohol

and Drug Prevention Curricula to Meet

Specific Needs of District (%)=20

D.A.R.E. Curricula Other

AOD Curricula

Adaptation for: (N=3D222)(N=3D406)

Gang Activity 10.68.7

Drug Availability 23.433.2

Racial/Ethnic Composition 13.316.1

Student/Community Poverty 16.723.3

Inner-City Schools 1.32.2

Other 9.511.4

Respondents with D.A.R.E. were provided with

additional space to explain ways in which the curricula

were adapted. Adaptations mentioned by the coordinators

included:

o targeting particular drugs

prevalent in the area;

o making adaptations for the

physically and mentally

handicapped;

o adding more information on

violence prevention;

o discussing drug abuse in the home

environment;

o teaching students to be more

tolerant of others;

o discussing local drug arrests;

o involving high school students as

role models;

o communicating with families of

youth to gain familial support

and ensure attendance at

graduation;

o taking field trips; and

o omitting lessons.

General Drug Policies

In this final section of Chapter 5, we present

information from responses to questions that were

designed to examine general drug policies in the school

districts. All coordinators responded to these questions

regardless of whether they used D.A.R.E. or any other

drug prevention curricula. =20

Anti-Drug Policies. We first asked whether the

school district had a written anti-drug policy. We found

that 96% did have such a policy.

Student Assistance Programs. One type of drug

prevention program that many schools have adopted is the

student assistance program (SAP). Modeled after employee

assistance programs (EAPs) in businesses, SAPs conduct

such activities as screening for alcohol and drug

involvement, making referrals, and developing and

coordinating early intervention plans for youth with

problems that could lead to substance abuse. =20

Almost 55% of the school district drug prevention

coordinators reported that their districts had SAPs in

place during the 1991-1992 school year. Of the 237

districts with SAPs, 51% targeted these programs to the

elementary school level, 78% focused on the middle/junior

high school level, and 81% targeted the senior high

school level.

We asked the school district drug prevention

coordinators using SAPs to indicate what types of

individuals were trained to participate in these programs

(Exhibit 5.16). Almost 89% of the coordinators mentioned

that teachers had been trained, and nearly 75% mentioned

that principals and guidance counselors had been trained

to participate in SAPs.

We also asked the coordinators using SAPs to

indicate the types of individuals who actually

implemented the programs and how effective they were

(Exhibit 5.17). Coordinators most frequently mentioned

that teachers, principals, guidance counselors, and

students implemented SAPs. However, they perceived

guidance counselors, D.A.R.E. officers, and

district/school nurses as the most effective at

implementing these programs. Coordinators most

frequently mentioned that community professionals and

community volunteers were not effective.=20

Exhibit 5.16 Individuals Trained to Participate in

Student Assistance Programs

Individual/Agency (N=3D237) %

Teachers 88.6

Principals 74.9

Guidance Counselors 74.7

District/School Nurses 49.7

Community Professionals 42.5

Students 37.3

D.A.R.E. Officers* 36.6

Other School Staff 30.6

Community Volunteers 20.9

*Of the 237 school districts with SAPs, 138 also had

D.A.R.E.

Exhibit 5.17 Effectiveness in Implementing Student

Assistance Programs (%)

VerySomewhat Not

Individual/Agency N Effective

Effective Effective

Teachers 236 39.057.6 3.4

Principals 234 46.249.4 4.4

Guidance Counselors 224 60.433.1 6.5

District/School Nurses 176 51.140.6 8.3

Community Professionals 195 37.745.0 17.3

Students 222 29.461.5 9.1

D.A.R.E. Officers 138 60.232.6 7.2

Other School Staff 183 27.063.5 9.5

Community Volunteers 156 17.653.8 28.6

Summary

This chapter focused on the results of our

nationally representative, random sample of 500 school

districts. A total of 429 school district drug

prevention coordinators responded to the survey. Data

presented in this chapter were weighted to take into

account the complex sample design.

Over half of the school districts in the United

States used D.A.R.E. in the 1991-1992 school year.=20

Additionally, demand for the program is going to increase

over the next few years; two-fifths of those with the

program planned to expand its use and one-fifth of these

without the program plan to begin use. The two other

most frequently used packaged curricula were Quest and

Here's Looking at You, both used by about one-fourth of

the districts.

Only 3% of the districts used only D.A.R.E.; 46%

used only other AOD curricula; and 49% used both D.A.R.E.

and other AOD curricula. Most of the coordinators with

D.A.R.E. reported receiving funding for the program from

law enforcement and/or DFSCA funds. Most of the

coordinators with other AOD programs reported receiving

funding for these programs from DFSCA and/or district

funds. D.A.R.E. was more likely than other AOD programs

to be rated very satisfactory in terms of curriculum,

teaching, administrative requirements, student

receptivity, and effects on students. Furthermore,

coordinators were more likely to indicate that the

community, school personnel, students, parents, law

enforcement, and civic groups were very supportive of

D.A.R.E than of other AOD programs. Around two-fifths of

the coordinators with D.A.R.E. and over one-half the

coordinators with other AOD programs reported adapting

the program to meet their needs. The most common reasons

for adaptation for both D.A.R.E. and other AOD programs

were drug availability and student/community poverty.

Most of the D.A.R.E. programs were administered at

the local level by a single law enforcement agency (i.e.,

sheriff's department or city/town police department). In

most districts, coordinators reported that officer

selection and classroom activities were the

responsibility of the police, while school and classroom

selection were the responsibility of education.

Findings from this chapter and resulting

recommendations are discussed fully in Chapter 8.

CHAPTER 6

SITE VISITS

The final component of the implementation

assessment consisted of site visits to school districts.=20

We designed these visits to obtain a snapshot of the

organization and operations of D.A.R.E. and other school-

based drug prevention programs. The site visits also

gave us an opportunity to speak with the officers,

teachers, and students directly and to see the D.A.R.E.

program in action.=20

For the site visits, we selected four schools in

three school districts. Two of the school districts were

adjacent to one another in a northern inner-city

environment, with a large minority population and a

substantial drug problem. The third school district was

located in a rural area in the South; it also had a

substantial minority population but less of a drug

problem. The school in one urban school district had

D.A.R.E., and the school in the other urban district did

not have D.A.R.E. In the rural district, one school had

D.A.R.E. and one did not.

Because the school districts and schools were

limited in number and purposively, rather than randomly,

selected, the information gathered from these sites is

not representative of schools in general. We present

data gathered from this component of the assessment to

illustrate and complement findings from other components

of the implementation assessment. We recognize the need

to exercise caution in interpreting site visit findings

and encourage readers to use similar discretion.

For the site visit interviews and observations, we

developed site visit protocols that were based on issues

raised in the previous components of the implementation

assessment. The protocols were designed to elicit

general, open-ended, and free-flowing discussions. We

used protocols instead of structured surveys because we

believed the structured format would inhibit the

exploration of schools' individual characteristics.=20

Further, we expected respondents would provide us with a

wealth of information that a structured format might have

prevented. We often departed from the protocols to

follow up any line of inquiry that appeared of potential

interest. As a result, the reports from our sites are in

some ways dissimilar. Copies of the protocols can be

found in Appendix D. =20

Site visits were conducted by two teams. Each team

included at least one senior investigator with

considerable experience in conducting site visits. A

two-person team conducted a 2-day site visit in the urban

schools, and a four-person team conducted a 1-day site

visit in the rural schools. Two or more site visitors

jointly interviewed key individuals, and each interviewer

took notes to reduce the chances of missing key

information. When appropriate, we interviewed up to four

individuals at the same time.

Each team conducted interviews with a variety of

individuals, including

o the coordinator responsible for the

development and implementation of drug

prevention efforts in the school

district;

o individuals teaching drug prevention

curricula to students (including

D.A.R.E. officers at schools with

D.A.R.E.),

o their supervisors (if any), and

o teachers in whose classes D.A.R.E.

officers teach (at D.A.R.E. sites).

When available, we also interviewed others involved in

drug prevention program planning, delivery, or referral

(e.g., representatives of community advisory or drug

action groups). =20

In each of the two D.A.R.E. schools, the site visit

team monitored a D.A.R.E. lesson and the officer's

activities in the school outside the classroom. We also

observed a drug prevention lesson in both of the schools

without D.A.R.E. We note that both of the classroom

observations in the non-D.A.R.E. schools were conducted

in special education classes. The selection of classes

to be monitored was based on what teacher was teaching

drug prevention the day of our site visit and the

discretion of the school district drug prevention

coordinator.

This chapter contains two sections. In the first,

we discuss drug prevention programming in the urban

schools; and in the second, we describe drug prevention

programming in the rural schools. Within each section,

we present information about the D.A.R.E. school,

followed by information about the non-D.A.R.E. school.

Urban Schools

Urban School with D.A.R.E.

The school we selected received D.A.R.E. after

being on a waiting list for approximately 1 year; all

5th-grade classes and one 6th-grade class in the school

received D.A.R.E.

We interviewed three individuals involved in the

D.A.R.E. program:

o the police administrator in

charge of the local D.A.R.E.

program (an officer with many

years of experience who had

administered D.A.R.E. for

5 years);

o a D.A.R.E. officer (involved with

D.A.R.E. for 5 years and

currently teaching 16 classes a

week); =20

o the school district drug

prevention coordinator.=20

The following summarizes our discussions with these

respondents. =20

Administration. According to the police

administrator, the D.A.R.E. program in this city follows

the same procedures employed nationally. He stated that

the local police, State police, and Board of Education

work together to provide the D.A.R.E. program. He

further indicated that this coordination has ensured the

integrity of D.A.R.E.'s implementation, D.A.R.E.'s

consistency with drug education required by the State,

and smooth integration with other drug education

initiatives. =20

Implementation. Initial steps in the

implementation of the D.A.R.E. program, as reported by

the police administrator, are as follows. The local

police department conducts initial screening of candidate

officers for the D.A.R.E. program. Potential D.A.R.E.

officers are interviewed by the local police department,

and then by the State police. Successfully screened

candidates are sent for a 2-week training program offered

by the State police. After completing the training,

officers are assigned to particular schools or sets of

schools by the local police department. The D.A.R.E.

officer who was interviewed indicated that he is assigned

a general target area and allowed to select the schools

in that area in which he wishes to teach. He indicated

that he and other officers are provided with a list of

schools that have requested D.A.R.E. to guide their

selections. He further reported that no more than 20% of

the schools he selects can be private.

According to the police administrator, a limited

attempt is made to match officer and student

characteristics. For example, he stated that in the

Hispanic community, the local police department attempts

to provide D.A.R.E. officers who can speak Spanish.=20

Beyond this, however, he indicated that little matching

occurs. =20

The police administrator said that the D.A.R.E.

program is monitored by both the State and local police

departments. He reported that a staff member from the

State police visits each D.A.R.E. instructor during the

year to observe and assess teaching skills and students'

receptiveness to the program, as well as to solicit

feedback from classroom teachers. The administrator also

stated that he monitors classroom activities as part of

his supervisory responsibilities.

According to the police administrator, school

personnel are very supportive of the D.A.R.E. program, in

part because the program is free to the school. The

schools are, thus, able to use their drug prevention

resources for additional drug prevention purposes.

The police administrator indicated that some

teachers get involved in the D.A.R.E. program because of

personal interest, but that most do not. The D.A.R.E.

officer reported that although State policy requires

teachers to remain in the classroom during the lesson,

they assist him only in disciplinary matters. The drug

prevention coordinator indicated that although teachers

do not participate in teaching the lessons, they have

been very receptive both to the program and the officers.=20

The coordinator noted that teachers cannot be required to

allow D.A.R.E. into their classrooms, and the fact that

no teacher has refused D.A.R.E. indicates the degree of

acceptance that the program enjoys. When asked about

problems between regular teachers and D.A.R.E. officers,

the police administrator reported that although there are

some individuals who do not get along, it is not a

system-wide problem. The D.A.R.E. officer stated that

although principals are supportive of the program, he has

yet to see one in his classes, and that no other school

staff participate in the program.

The police administrator indicated that parental

involvement generally has taken the form of assistance

from the PTA in co-sponsoring D.A.R.E. graduation

ceremonies. However, he stated that the level of

parental involvement varies substantially from one school

to another. The D.A.R.E. officer reported that in his

experience parents generally do not show an active

interest in D.A.R.E.

According to the police administrator, the

investment of the community in the D.A.R.E. program is

limited. He further indicated that D.A.R.E. officers

have little time to seek community involvement: "The

reality is that the D.A.R.E. instructor has a full day

teaching classes; there isn't time to do anything else."=20

The D.A.R.E. officer also reported that community groups

have little participation in the program.

Funding. The police administrator reported that

when the D.A.R.E. program began in this city, much of the

funding came from the Federal Government (i.e., from BJA

through a grant to the State police). He reported that

support received from the State police is currently

limited to training and materials. Salaries of officers

and supervisors are paid by the local police department,

and limited contributions are provided by the community.=20

According to the police administrator, there is real

danger of D.A.R.E. becoming a victim of budget cuts

because of the current budget crisis; he indicated that

implementation has already been severely restricted

because of lack of resources.

Curriculum. We asked the police administrator

whether the D.A.R.E. curriculum was adapted to meet the

special needs of his area. He responded, "We teach

D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E. is D.A.R.E. Once you decide to use a

program that is administered throughout the country, then

you do not tailor it." When asked about addressing the

needs resulting from gang activity, he indicated that

officers incorporate their own street experiences and

information they received from the police academy into

the D.A.R.E. gang lessons. He reported that local gangs

and their behaviors are discussed. =20

The police administrator stated that local D.A.R.E.

advocates believe that classroom activity should be

supported by parental involvement. He, however, did not

express interest in the parent curriculum at this time.=20

The reasons he gave were that the program is still

experimental and has not been evaluated, the supply of

officers is already inadequate to meet the demand, and

the cost of the parent program would dramatically

increase overall costs (i.e., because the parent

curriculum is generally offered in the evening, officers

would be paid time-and-a-half). The police administrator

stated that "If more money was available, this (parent

curriculum) would certainly be an option the local

department would look into."

Problems and Improvements. The police

administrator stated, "One of our major problems is that

we have so few officers and so many schools." He

indicated that the department tries to "keep D.A.R.E.

moving through the schools" and to cover as many students

as possible. The administrator reported that although

this rotation policy maximizes the number of schools

reached within the department's limited resources, it

also creates problems (i.e., just about the time the

school becomes accustomed to D.A.R.E., the program is

discontinued and moved to another school). The

administrator reported that many school officials are

angry about this policy.

The police administrator also indicated the need

for more evaluation. He stated, "Evaluation is the only

way to find out what works and what doesn't. I don't

think we're ever going to find that D.A.R.E. solves the

drug problem in the United States, but that it is a first

step. Evaluation must be written into everything. It

has taken too long for evaluations to come about." He

said that he would at least like to have information on

how effective the program is in suburban, rural, and

inner-city areas. He asked, "If we find the program is

working in a certain area, that's great, but what can we

do in the other areas to enrich the program and diversify

it to meet those needs?" =20

The D.A.R.E. officer mentioned several problems

areas. First, he indicated that although one of his

schools is heavily Hispanic, it does not have D.A.R.E.

books in Spanish. Second, he stated that the program was

designed for the officer to stay in contact with the

school and that in his current situation, he is in and

out of the school with little chance for further contact

with the students. Finally, he reported the need for

greater recognition of graduates of the program.=20

"Something should be done to get the parents and

principals more involved so that students feel they have

really accomplished something that has meaning."

The only problem mentioned by the drug prevention

coordinator was the need for a bilingual officer.

Classroom Observation. We observed a fifth-grade

classroom of 25 students, composed of 6 Hispanics, 4

African Americans, and 15 Caucasians. Two of the

students spoke limited English and needed translations of

the D.A.R.E. lesson.=20

The D.A.R.E. instructor was a white male police

officer in his forties who was dressed in regulation

uniform. The officer presented himself to the class as a

friend. The officer's teaching style was very

straightforward and "streetwise," and he was both gruff

and engaging. He was very knowledgeable about the

material and taught the whole lesson without notes. The

interaction between officer and students was an easy,

bantering one.

The 40-minute lesson that we observed focused on

the media and how advertisement can be used to persuade

consumers and children to purchase and use different

products. The lesson began with a short introductory

lecture on the influences of advertising and the goals of

the media. The officer then asked students questions

about different products to show them how much they have

learned from the media. The officer gave examples of

different types of advertisements (e.g., "personal

testimony," "bandwagon") and also used ads from magazines

to illustrate his point. Most of the class period (30

minutes) was spent in interaction. =20

During the class, the students were rowdy but

attentive. They called out answers to the officer's

questions and felt free to make comments. The students

treated the officer with genuine respect. The interest

and interaction level in this particular lesson was high.=20

The classroom teacher was present during the

lesson, leaving only once to go to the principal's

office. The teacher sat at the back of the room grading

papers; however, he had a D.A.R.E. book and followed the

lesson as it progressed. Most of the teacher's input

occurred in the beginning of the class before the lesson

got started. The only other time the teacher spoke was

to maintain discipline in the classroom, and then he only

reprimanded talkers.

Once the lesson was completed, the officer left

immediately. There was no evidence of any outside

contact with students. =20

Urban School Without D.A.R.E.

We interviewed two individuals at the non-D.A.R.E.

school, the drug prevention coordinator for that school

district and the classroom teacher who taught the drug

prevention lesson that we observed. The following

summarizes the discussions with these individuals.

Administration. The drug prevention coordinator

reported that there is no specific drug prevention

program in place. She indicated that drug prevention

textbooks are used and, at times, individuals from

outside the school make presentations at drug prevention

assemblies. According to the coordinator, a teacher

might incorporate a drug prevention lesson into a reading

class or show a video. She stated, "We put together lots

of little things that add up to something you might call

a program, but we don't have a structured program." =20

Implementation. The coordinator indicated that

each student at the school receives drug education

information at least on a monthly basis. However, she

reported that lower grades receive less and in a more

loosely structured format. The teacher reported that he

makes sure his students receive some drug prevention

education every week. According to the coordinator,

classroom teachers do not have specific times set aside

for drug prevention, but rather fit it in when they can.=20

The seventh and eighth graders do use and follow a drug

prevention textbook and have regular discussions. =20

The coordinator indicated that teachers' support

for the drug prevention program depended on which teacher

you were talking about. She indicated that all teachers

think that drug prevention education is important, but

that some are far more committed than others to

incorporating drug prevention lessons into their

curriculum. The classroom teacher stated that most of

his fellow teachers support the school's drug prevention

efforts, but that some teachers just did not know how to

talk to students about issues like drugs and gangs. He

stated, "Some either don't know what to say or just don't

care enough." =20

The coordinator reported that law enforcement

personnel have been sporadically involved in the school's

drug prevention activities and have attended local school

council meetings and conducted in-service training with

teachers about drug awareness. She noted that 2 years

ago law enforcement officials came into the school to

work with students targeted as high risk. She stated

that "the success of that program depended upon whether

or not the student accepted the officer." =20

When we asked the coordinator about the involvement

of individuals from the community in the school's drug

prevention efforts, she responded that no person from the

community has been involved in implementing the school's

drug prevention program. She indicated that most of the

community has no idea about what the school is doing in

terms of drug prevention education. She stated, "I don't

think the community feels that it is their place to be

involved." =20

Funding. According to the drug prevention

coordinator, there were virtually no drug prevention

activities until the school began receiving money

specifically designated for drug prevention education

(DFSCA) about 3 or 4 years ago. She reported that the

school was currently in its third year of receiving DFSCA

funds and that the amount of funding had steadily

increased over those years. She noted, however, that

this funding cannot be counted on from year to year, and

it is difficult for the school to make long-term plans.=20

According to the coordinator, the lack of resources

prevents consistency in the school's drug prevention

program. =20

Curriculum. The drug prevention coordinator

indicated that although all drugs are covered by their

drug prevention efforts, alcohol is targeted. The

coordinator and the classroom teacher both reported that

alcohol is the most widely abused drug among children and

adults in their community. The teacher indicated that he

spends a great deal of time on this issue and that he

spends more time teaching students about self-esteem and

resisting peer pressure than teaching specifically about

drugs. The classroom teacher stated it is a mistake to

spend too much time educating students about the types of

drugs and their effects unless a strong foundation of

self-esteem has first been created.

When we asked whether the school drug prevention

program had been adapted to meet the needs of ethnic

minorities, the coordinator indicated that stereotypes

about who is on drugs and who is selling drugs are

reflected in the materials she has purchased; that is,

many of the pictures are of minorities. If anything, she

felt that white suburbs would have to work more with

adapting materials to fit their population. The

classroom teacher indicated that he was aware of the

cultural diversity in his school and addressed it on an

individual basis with students and their parents. The

teacher expressed frustration about the difficulty of

teaching drug prevention when many of the students live

in homes where the norm is to "drink heavily and abuse

family members." =20

Problems and Improvements. The drug prevention

coordinator said that in the future she would like to

purchase a packaged curriculum=FEpossibly D.A.R.E. She

indicated that she did not know very much about D.A.R.E.,

but would like information about how to get the program.=20

One negative factor she reported having heard about

D.A.R.E. is that there is a long waiting list for the

program. She stated, "When you first called and asked if

we had D.A.R.E., I got excited and thought that someone

was going to give us D.A.R.E.; I don't really know what

D.A.R.E. is, but I assume that because it is in other

schools, it is good."=20

The drug prevention coordinator also indicated that

she would like to increase the amount and consistency of

delivery of the drug prevention education program, and to

bring greater structure to. The coordinator and the

classroom teacher both reported that they want to have

the drug prevention program administered by one person

who would come in and take responsibility for the

program. =20

Classroom Observation. We observed a special

education class of 22 students. It was a remedial class

comprising 14 Hispanics, 6 African Americans, and 2

Caucasians. There were 12 girls and 10 boys. =20

The teacher was a white man in his forties, dressed

in a suit and tie. He encouraged the students and drew

on their strengths. He often called on students who

would not otherwise volunteer answers and helped them

formulate answers. When an answer was not exactly

correct, he encouraged the student to think further about

the question asked. The teacher carefully and adequately

answered students' questions.

The topic of the observed lesson concerned the

functioning of the lung and heart. This was a lesson

designed to provide students with background information

about the human body, before the impact of drugs on the

body's major organs were discussed. The teacher followed

the textbook closely. Because the students were slow

learners, he altered the lesson slightly by asking the

students to read sections aloud and then immediately

asking questions about the section just covered. Most

students appeared interested in the lesson. They

followed along in the textbook and answered questions

with sincerity. A few students consistently put their

hands up to answer questions, but most were quiet. There

were no discipline problems during the class. After

class, we asked the teacher whether he ever used group

discussions. He reported that this group of students was

too remedial to use a discussion format. =20

Rural Schools

Rural School with D.A.R.E.

The D.A.R.E. program in the rural district employed

four D.A.R.E. officers. We interviewed five individuals,

including:

o the police administrator in charge of the

D.A.R.E. program,

o a D.A.R.E. officer,

o the school district drug prevention

coordinator,

o the school guidance counselor, and

o the teacher in whose class the D.A.R.E.

officer taught.

The following summarizes our discussions with these

respondents.

Administration. The police administrator indicated

that the D.A.R.E. program was administered by the city

police department. He reported that this was the first

semester that D.A.R.E. had been offered in this

particular school. He stated that the agreement between

the school and police department is informal.

Implementation. The police administrator reported

that the initial steps in implementing the D.A.R.E.

program include selection of a D.A.R.E. officer by the

local police department, approval of the officer by the

State police, and training for the officer at a D.A.R.E.

training course.

The officer reported that there are no problems

coordinating D.A.R.E. activities. He stated that there

is "eagerness from all sides to make the program work."=20

According to the officer, some classroom teachers

participate in the lesson, but most do not. He further

indicated that much of the time students are just as

receptive without the teacher present.

The D.A.R.E. officer indicated that parents are

becoming more involved in the program. He stated that

they are very interested and supportive of D.A.R.E., and

that his attendance at nonclassroom school functions,

such as Friday night dances, has greatly improved his

relationships with parents. He reported that he hopes to

receive training on the D.A.R.E. parent curriculum as

soon as possible.

According to the officer and the police

administrator, there was little community involvement.=20

They attributed this to the program being new and hoped

that there would be more community involvement in the

coming semesters. However, the coordinator did report

that D.A.R.E. is well received by the "educated"

community. He indicated that churches in the community

have not been particularly receptive and simply do not

want to get involved. The coordinator and the guidance

counselor saw the lack of involvement by churches as a

loss to the program.

According to the school counselor, students'

attitudes toward police had changed considerably since

the D.A.R.E. lessons began. She stated that "students

now see the officer as a friend instead of someone to

avoid."

Funding. The police administrator reported that

the police department funds the salary of the D.A.R.E.

officer, while the school pays any costs for the

curriculum (i.e., books, materials). The school district

coordinator indicated that the school did not have the

funds to purchase D.A.R.E. T-shirts and related

paraphernalia. He further stated that the district is

seeking a State grant for additional supplies.

Curriculum. The guidance counselor reported that

D.A.R.E. classes are a "wonderful way of teaching

students to say no" and that the self-esteem modules are

particularly valuable and effective. According to the

district coordinator, D.A.R.E. complements all their

other drug prevention programs, but that unfortunately

there was little coordination between different

curricula.=20

The D.A.R.E. officer reported that he does not

target the curriculum to any particular substances and

does not adapt the curriculum to specific ethnic needs.=20

He indicated that he does teach the gang lesson (as do

most D.A.R.E. officers in the State), even though in this

community there is little gang activity.

Problems and Improvements. The guidance counselor

indicated that she would like the school to provide

D.A.R.E. in all classrooms in grades 5 through 7. The

guidance counselor and the classroom teacher indicated

the need for the school to offer D.A.R.E. or some other

drug prevention education at earlier grade levels.=20

According to the counselor, "Trying to teach drug

prevention education in high school is futile."

The classroom teacher indicated that D.A.R.E. and

other programs need to focus more on at-risk children.=20

She indicated that there are some 15- and 16-year-olds

still in the 6th grade. She reported that these students

usually have poor attendance records, are poorly

motivated, and are frequently in trouble. She stated

that current prevention programs, including D.A.R.E., are

not adequately meeting the needs of these students.=20

The district coordinator indicated that one problem

has been the lack of ongoing evaluations of D.A.R.E.

Classroom Observation. We observed a fifth-grade

class of 22 students, 12 boys and 10 girls. Twenty

students were African American, and two students were

Caucasian.

The D.A.R.E. officer was a white man in his

thirties who was dressed in regulation uniform. The

officer presented himself as a "big brother," someone

whom the students could seek out if they needed guidance

or assistance. The officer brought the D.A.R.E. mascot--

the D.A.R.E. bear--with him to class.

The lesson that we observed focused on alternatives

to drug use. The officer discussed how athletics could

be used as an alternative to drug involvement. He used

examples of well-known, drug-free athletes. The officer

encouraged students to ask questions. He also used a

"D.A.R.E. question box." In the previous week, students

had been asked to write questions for the officer and

place them in the box. During the lesson, he drew a

question from the box and answered that question. For

the remainder of the lesson, the officer took the

students outside to play games to illustrate alternatives

to drug use. He also involved the school's gym teacher

in supervising the games.

During the class, students were interested and

inquisitive. They seemed to feel free to ask the officer

questions. There were no disciplinary problems. The

classroom teacher remained present during most of the

lesson, sitting at the back of the room and grading

papers. =20

The officer seemed to spend a great deal of time in

the school. After the lesson was over, he talked to

students in the hallway. Indeed, almost all students

seemed to know him. When an emergency occurred (a

student fell and broke his arm) and the principal was not

present, the staff sought the officer's assistance. This

was not the first such occurrence, and we learned that

the school staff relied frequently upon the D.A.R.E.

officer to act as a sort of assistant principal.=20

Clearly, he was viewed as an integral--and important--

part of the school staff.

Rural School Without D.A.R.E.

We interviewed four individuals at the non-D.A.R.E.

school, including the school district drug prevention

coordinator (who was the same for both rural schools),

the supervisor of health services, and two members of a

local advisory board for substance abuse. The following

summarizes discussions with these individuals.

Administration. Coordination of the drug

prevention efforts in the observed non-D.A.R.E. school

and other such schools in the community rests with the

school district drug prevention coordinator. He

indicated that there are a variety of programs currently

available to schools but that implementation and

coordination are sporadic.

Implementation. According to the coordinator,

parents in this school are becoming more aware of the

drug problem and are beginning to ask what they can do to

get involved. He stated that many parents are realizing

that they cannot "send their kids to school to get

fixed," and so are starting to take responsibility for

their children's problems. He also indicated that school

personnel are becoming more involved.=20

Funding. According to the district coordinator,

the school receives most of its drug prevention funds

from DFSCA. He also indicated funds were provided by the

school board and a local university, as well as the

Indian Education Act. These latter resources, however,

could only be spent on programs delivered to Native

American children.

Curriculum. According to the coordinator, a

variety of curricula are available to teachers at this

school, but not all teachers use the same curriculum, and

some do not provide drug prevention education at all.=20

The coordinator reported that Here's Looking at You 2000

is one package available to teachers in this school.=20

However, he indicated that only about half the teachers

had been trained to teach this program.

The advisory board members informed us of a

community drug abuse treatment program currently in use

in this and other area schools that follows the "12-step"

model. This program offers intervention, education, and

prevention to youth who have been suspended for substance

use, as well as to their families. One board member

stated that suspended youth must attend this program

before returning to school.

The coordinator indicated that the SAP is just now

being implemented in this school.

The health supervisor reported that the school also

sponsors Red Ribbon week, a program sponsored by the

National Federation of Parents that invites youth and

community members to pledge their support for drug-free

lives by displaying red ribbons.

Problems and Improvements. All individuals

interviewed indicated the need for greater coordination

between the different types of drug prevention programs,

as well as assessments of drug prevention efforts. The

coordinator reported that he would like to have someone

responsible for the delivery of drug prevention programs

in the school and someone responsible for evaluation. He

said that "a lot of people are working very hard, but

have little idea of whether or not their efforts are

successful."

The coordinator indicated that time is also a major

problem in the delivery of drug prevention education. He

stated that preparing students for end of the year

testing takes up most of the classroom teachers' time and

allows them little time to teach drug prevention.

Classroom Observation. We observed a 5th grade

class of three girls and seven boys. This was a class

for exceptional children that included students with

emotional and behavioral problems. Five of the students

were Caucasian, three were African-American, and two were

Native American.

The instructor was an African-American woman in her

twenties. She used an approachable and upbeat teaching

style. She was careful to include all of the students in

the lesson.

Because this was a class for exceptional children,

the teacher tailored the drug lesson to the students.=20

The teacher drew her lesson from health textbooks used in

regular classes. The lesson lasted approximately 1 hour.=20

The teacher indicated that the length of the class and

how much time she spends on the drug lesson generally

depends both on her assessment of how much of the lesson

the students are absorbing and their interest level. She

indicated that drug prevention lessons are usually taught

two or three times a week.

The observed lesson was about learning how to make

healthy choices. Topics included why people smoke and

use drugs, how magazine advertisements promote smoking

and drinking, and the differences between drugs that are

helpful and harmful. The teacher covered a wide range of

concepts, including how self-esteem and peer pressure

contribute to drug use, the importance of reading warning

labels on medications, and techniques advertisements use

to glamorize drug use. The class format was primarily

question and answer, and the teacher encouraged each

student to participate. The teacher used a variety of

visual aids, including charts, examples of magazine ads,

and a collection of common medications that can be

inappropriately used.

For the most part, the students were very

attentive. Most were eager to be called on and to

participate in the class. The teacher encouraged

participation by all the students.

Summary

This chapter focused on site visits to four schools

in three school districts. Two of the schools were

located in one rural school district; one of these

schools had D.A.R.E. and one did not. The other two

schools were located in adjacent school districts in an

urban area; again, one school had D.A.R.E. and one did

not.

In both of the schools with D.A.R.E., limited

participation of teachers, parents, and the community

were reported. Both schools also mentioned having

inadequate resources for the program. Neither school

reported adapting the curriculum for any reason. In both

schools, the need for ongoing, long-term evaluations was

stressed.

Neither of the non-D.A.R.E. schools had a specific

drug prevention program. Both reported that

implementation and coordination was sporadic. Both

schools reported wanting one person who would be

responsible for administering the drug prevention program

in the school.

CHAPTER 7

D.A.R.E. OUTCOME ASSESSMENT

Project D.A.R.E. is a drug use prevention program

with curricula targeted at elementary, middle, and senior

high school students. The original core curriculum used

in elementary schools is the subject of this review (a

revised core curriculum will be implemented in September

1994). The junior and senior high school curricula are

not included in the review because they are more recent,

not as prevalent, and generally have not been evaluated.=20

Future evaluation efforts should focus on these

curricula, as well as on the cumulative effects of the

comprehensive program.

The purpose of the current review is to assess the

short-term effectiveness of the original D.A.R.E. core

curriculum by using meta-analytic techniques to

synthesize the evaluation findings of several studies.=20

We searched for all D.A.R.E. evaluations, both published

and unpublished, conducted over the past 10 years (i.e.,

since D.A.R.E. originated) and selected for further

review those studies that met specified methodological

criteria. To establish a comparable measure of

effectiveness across studies, we calculated effect sizes

for each study. In addition, to put D.A.R.E. in the

context of other school-based drug use prevention

programs, we compared the average magnitude of the effect

sizes for D.A.R.E. with those of other programs that

target youth of similar age.

This chapter covers six topics. First, we briefly

summarize the original D.A.R.E. core curriculum. Second,

we provide some general background on meta-analysis and

describe the methodological criteria used to select

evaluations for the review. Third, we identify the eight

studies that met the criteria and provide an overall

description of these studies. Fourth, we examine the

reported immediate effects of D.A.R.E., based on these

studies. Fifth, we compare the D.A.R.E. effect sizes

averaged across studies with the average effect sizes of

other drug use prevention programs. Finally, we discuss

several methodological considerations related to the

evaluations included in our review that are important to

interpretation of the results. Further discussion of the

results is included in Chapter 8 of this report.

The D.A.R.E. Core Curriculum

The D.A.R.E. core curriculum is offered to pupils

in the last year of elementary school, typically fifth or

sixth grade. The 17 lessons in the core curriculum are

usually offered once a week for 45 to 60 minutes. The

lessons focus on teaching pupils the skills they need in

order to recognize and resist social pressures to use

drugs. In addition to information about drugs, lessons

emphasize decisionmaking skills, building self-esteem,

and choosing healthy alternatives to drug use. Officers

use a variety of teaching methods, including lectures,

group discussions, question-and-answer sessions,

audiovisual materials, workbook exercises, and role-

plays.

Several aspects of the D.A.R.E. core curriculum

suggest that it should be successful as a drug use

prevention curriculum. First, the curriculum includes

elements of prevention strategies generally thought to be

effective, such as emphasis on peer resistance and social

competence skills (Botvin, 1990; Hansen, 1992). Interac-

tive programs have shown more promise than those using

more traditional teaching methods (Tobler, 1986, in

press, 1994), and at least some of D.A.R.E.'s teaching

strategies encourage role-playing and interactions among

pupils. Also, the core curriculum is offered to children

at the age when they are believed to be most receptive to

antidrug use messages, which is just before experimenta-

tion with drugs begins (BJA, 1988; Oetting & Bauvais,

1990). In addition, the program targets cigarettes,

alcohol, and marijuana--the "gateway drugs" that children

tend to experiment with first (Ellickson, Hays, & Bell,

1992; Kandel, 1975). Finally, the structured nature of

the curriculum and extensive training of the officers

helps ensure that the program is implemented as designed

(BJA, 1988).

Meta-Analysis Background and Study Selection Criteria

Meta-analysis is a methodology for integrating the

research findings of a body of studies (Bangert-Drowns,

1986; Cook et al., 1993). The purpose of meta-analysis

is to discover whether some pattern of results is

discernible in a set of studies pertaining to the same

research question (Bangert-Drowns, 1986; Glass, McGaw, &

Smith, 1981; Rosenthal, 1991). Meta-analysis differs

from a traditional narrative review of studies by

providing statistical techniques for summarizing the

research findings from the studies. By quantifying

outcomes across studies and making them comparable with

each other, meta-analysis provides an objective rather

than subjective basis for drawing conclusions about

patterns of study results.

Three basic steps are commonly followed in

conducting meta-analyses (Bangert-Drowns, 1986). First,

all relevant studies are collected, and some studies are

selected for inclusion according to a set of a priori

defined methodological criteria. Second, effect sizes

are calculated for each study. Effect sizes represent

the statistical outcomes of each study transformed to a

common metric. This transformation allows comparisons

across different scales of different outcome measures.=20

Third, effect sizes for the set of studies are averaged.=20

In addition, explanations for variability in effect sizes

across studies usually are tested. We followed these

three steps in conducting our assessment of the D.A.R.E.

core curriculum; we did not, however, examine possible

causes of differences in outcomes across the D.A.R.E.

studies (e.g., differences in D.A.R.E. outcomes by the

racial/ethnic composition of the study samples). The

relatively small number of D.A.R.E. studies precluded

this type of analysis.

In selecting studies, our review focused on

student-based, quantitative evaluations of D.A.R.E. that

measured program effects on drug use behavior and/or

other outcomes targeted by the D.A.R.E. core curriculum,

such as attitudes about drug use. Evaluations that

reported only subjective assessments or satisfaction

ratings are outside the scope of this review. We also

did not consider the results of parent, teacher,

administrator, or D.A.R.E. officer surveys, which

sometimes were conducted as part of the total evaluation

effort. (For information about the opinions of school

district drug prevention coordinators concerning

D.A.R.E., see Chapter 5.) It should be noted that there

are many possible D.A.R.E. outcomes of importance other

than the ones we examined in this meta-analysis, such as

improved school and police relations and greater trust in

law enforcement among youth.

We attempted to locate all the quantitative

evaluations of the original D.A.R.E. core curriculum

conducted to date through a survey of D.A.R.E.'s five

RTCs, telephone interviews with individuals known to be

involved with D.A.R.E., and computerized searches of the

published and unpublished literature using several data

bases. The computerized data bases included ERIC,

PsychINFO, and Dissertation Abstracts Online.=20

Through the combined sources, we identified 18

quantitative D.A.R.E. evaluations conducted in 12 States

and one Canadian province. The location and primary

reference for each evaluation are shown in Exhibit 7.1.=20

Several of the evaluations were reported in multiple

reports or papers; we generally used the final, most

complete report or the published paper for our review.

From the 18 studies, we selected studies to include

in our meta-analysis that met the following criteria:=20

(a) use of a control or comparison group; (b) pretest-

posttest design or posttest only with random assignment;

and (c) use of reliably operationalized quantitative

outcome measures. Quasi-experimental studies were

excluded if they did not control for preexisting

differences on measured outcomes with either change

scores or covariance adjusted means (Tobler, in press,

1994). In addition, to ensure the comparability of

results, we used only results based on immediate

posttest. There were an insufficient number of long-term

evaluation studies to adequately assess the longer-term

effects of the core curriculum.

We selected these criteria because they help to

ensure confidence in the study results by removing a

number of alternative explanations, other than true

D.A.R.E. impact, that could account for outcomes

observed. For example, the first criterion, a comparison

group made up of schools and/or subjects that did not

receive the curriculum, makes it possible to determine

whether changes in the D.A.R.E. youth are unique to them

or are shared by other youth. If youth receiving and not

receiving D.A.R.E. change on some outcome of interest,

then the cause is due to some other factor, such as

maturation, rather than to D.A.R.E. Pretest measures

(the second criterion) are neededExhibit 7.1 D.A.R.E. Evaluation Studi=

es

(N=3D18)

Location References

British Columbia* (BC) Walker, 1990

California-A Becker, Agopian, & Yeh, 1992

California-B DeJong, 1987

California-C Evaluation and Training

Institute, 1990

Colorado Dukes & Matthews, 1991

Hawaii* (HI) Manos, Kameoka, & Tanji, 1986

Illinois-A Kethineni, Leamy, & Guyon, 1991

Illinois-B Earle, Garner, & Phillips, 1987

Illinois-C* (IL) Ennett et al., 1994; Ringwalt,

Curtin, & Rosenbaum, 1990; Rosenbaum et

al., 1991, 1992

Indiana Aniskiewicz & Wysong, 1987,=20

1990

Kentucky-A* (KY-A) Clayton et al., 1991a, 1991b

Kentucky-B* (KY-B) Faine & Bohlander, 1988, 1989

Minnesota* (MN) McCormick & McCormick, 1992

North Carolina* (NC) Ringwalt, Ennett, & Holt, 1991

Pennsylvania Anonymous, 1987

South Carolina* (SC) Harmon, 1993

Tennessee Faine & Bohlander, 1989

Virginia McDonald, Towberman, & Hague,

1990, 1991

*Study selected for further review (with State

abbreviation).

for testing the assumption that the D.A.R.E. and

comparison groups are equivalent at the outset. In the

absence of random assignment, this assumption must be

tested. In addition, pretest measures provide a

benchmark for evaluating changes in outcome measures

after program implementation. Reliably operationalized

measures of the outcomes of interest (the third

criterion) are important for ensuring that the constructs

intended to be measured are the ones actually measured.=20

For example, for assessing outcomes related to knowledge,

attitudes, and skills, we considered multiple item scales

to be more reliable than single-item measures.

We also examined a number of other methodological

features, such as the correspondence between the unit of

assignment and unit of analysis, whether a panel design

was used, whether schools in the intervention and

comparison conditions were matched, and whether attrition

rates were reported and examined. Although these factors

were considered in assessing the overall methodological

rigor of the studies, no evaluations were eliminated on

the basis of these criteria.

Studies Selected

Eight of the original 18 evaluation studies met the

criteria for inclusion in the review. One additional

study met the methodological criteria but did not

administer the first posttest until 1 year after D.A.R.E.

implementation and so could not be included in the

analysis of immediate effects (Nyre & Rose, 1987; Nyre,

Rose, & Bolus, 1987). The eight evaluations are

indicated by an asterisk (*) in Exhibit 7.1.=20

Characteristics of the studies are summarized in Exhibit

7.2. A more complete description of each study is

provided in Appendix B.

Each of the evaluations represented a State or

local (e.g., city, school district) effort using either

the entire population of schools in a locale or a

convenience sample. The number of student subjects in

all studies was large; each study included at least 10

schools and approximately 500 to 2000 students in the

combined D.A.R.E. and control groups. Demographic

information about each sample, including gender,

race/ethnicity, SES, and metropolitan status, was not

consistently given across studies. Based on the

information available, the samples were about equally

divided between girls and boys; included white,

black/African American, Hispanic, and Asian-American

youth, with whites usually in the majority; and

represented urban, suburban, and rural areas.=20

Information was generally not given on the SES of the

sample.

Assignment of D.A.R.E. to intervention and control

groups was by school for all eight studies. In one

study, D.A.R.E. was also assigned by classroom in certain

schools (Manos et al., 1986). Because the control group

classrooms in that study were potentially contaminated by

their close proximity to D.A.R.E. classrooms, these

control classrooms were eliminated; only control schools

with no D.A.R.E. classes were included. Two of the

studies used a true experimental design in which schools

were randomly assigned to D.A.R.E. or control conditions;

a third study used random assignment for two-thirds of

the schools. The remaining five evaluations used a

nonequivalent control group quasi-experimental design.=20

For these, assignment was based on some other criterion;

if the criterion was stated, usually it was the

administrative convenience of either the school district

or law enforcement agency.=20

A fundamental consideration in reviewing the

studies was the equivalence of the D.A.R.E. and control

groups before the intervention. Because there were

relatively few sampling units across studies (ranging

from 11 to 63 schools, with under 40 schools in all

except one study), it is unlikely that equivalence

between groups was obtained without prior matching or

blocking of schools, even with randomization. Only half

the studies matched comparison schools on selected

demographic characteristics. The majority of studies

(75%), however, assessed the equivalency of the

comparison groups at pretest and made adjustments for

pretest differences on demographic characteristics. All

studies adjusted for pretest differences on outcome

measures.

Exhibit 7.2 Sample and Methodological Characteristics of the D.A.R.E.

Evaluations (N =3D 8)

School Subject Research =

Unit

of PretestScale

Study N N Design Matching =20

Analysis Equivalency1=20

Reliabilities Attrition

British Columbia 11 D=3D287 Quasi, Yes =

=20

Individual Yes Non.a.

C=3D176 x-sectional

Hawaii 26 D=3D1574 Quasi, No =

=20

Individual NoNo No

C=3D435 panel

Illinois-C 36 D=3D715 Exp./quasi, Yes =

School-=20

Yes YesYes2

C=3D608 panel =

based

Kentucky-A 31 D=3D1438 Exp., No =

=20

Individual Yes YesYes2

C=3D487 panel

Kentucky-B 16 D=3D451 Quasi, Yes =

=20

Individual Yes YesNo

C=3D332 panel

Minnesota 63 D=3D453 Quasi, No =

=20

Individual Yes YesYes3

C=3D490 panel

North Carolina 20 D=3D685 Exp., No =

School-=20

Yes YesYes2

C=3D585 panel =

based

South Carolina 11 D=3D295 Quasi, Yes =

=20

Individual Yes YesYes3

C=3D307, panel

1Pretest equivalency on demographic variables assessed and controlled if

necessary.

2Attrition rates reported and differential attrition across experimental

conditions

analyzed.

3Attrition rates reported only. All but one of the studies used a pan=

el

design that

matched subjects from pretest to posttest using a unique

identification code.

Outcome measures used in the studies were based on

responses to self-administered questionnaires. Seven of

the eight studies used measures that were standardized

scales or derived from existing measures; six studies

reported scale reliabilities (usually Cronbach's alpha)

that were generally high. Validity information, however,

was rarely reported, and none of the studies used either

a biochemical indicator or "bogus pipeline" technique to

validate self-reports of drug use. Informing youth that

their self-reports of drug use will be verified by a

biological specimen (e.g., saliva) or a purported lie

detector (i.e., bogus pipeline) is believed to enhance

the validity of their responses (Bauman & Dent, 1982).

As is unfortunately typical of school-based

evaluation studies, most (75%) of the D.A.R.E.

evaluations did not use a data analysis strategy

appropriate to the unit of assignment. Because schools,

not students, were assigned to D.A.R.E. and control

conditions, it would have been appropriate to analyze the

data by schools with subjects' data aggregated within

each school or to use an analysis strategy that accounts

for clustered data (Moskowitz, 1993; Murray & Hannan,

1990). Six of the studies ignored schools altogether and

analyzed individual subjects' data, thereby violating the

statistical assumption of independence of observations.=20

The result of ignoring schools as the unit of analysis is

a positive bias toward finding statistically significant

program effects (Murray & Hannan, 1990).

Five of the studies reported attrition rates, which

generally were small. None of the three studies that

analyzed attrition rates found that attrition differed

significantly across experimental and control conditions.=20

In addition, subjects absent from the posttest were not

more likely to be drug users or at risk for drug use.=20

Although attrition usually is greater among drug users

(Biglan & Ary, 1985), given the young age of the sample,

when dropping out of school is unlikely and drug use

prevalence is low, these results are not surprising.

D.A.R.E. Effect Sizes

To assess the impact of the original D.A.R.E. core

curriculum on youth drug use, as well as on other

outcomes targeted by the curriculum, we calculated effect

sizes. An effect size (ES) is defined as the difference

between the mean for the intervention group (MeanI) and

the mean for the control group (MeanC), standardized by

dividing by the pooled standard deviation (SD): [ES =3D

(MeanI - MeanC)/ SD] (Hedges & Olkin, 1985; Perry &

Tobler, 1992; Rosenthal, 1991). If means and standard

deviations are not available, effect sizes can be

calculated using formulae developed to convert other test

statistics (such as, t or F), as well as percentages, to

effect sizes (Perry & Tobler, 1992).

Effect sizes are expressed as standard deviation

units and may be positive or negative. A positive effect

size indicates an effect in the desired direction as a

result of the intervention. An effect size of 1, for

example, indicates that the intervention group performed

one standard deviation unit better than the control group

on some outcome of interest. Although there are no clear

conventions for defining "small," "medium," and "large"

effect sizes in the context of drug use prevention

programs, review of several meta-analyses of adolescent

drug use prevention programs (Bangert-Drowns, 1988;

Bruvold, 1993; Bruvold & Rundall, 1988; Tobler, 1986, in

press, 1992 ) suggests that effect sizes below .15

reflect a small effect; effect sizes between .15 and .30

indicate a modest effect; and effect sizes above .30

reflect stronger program effects.

For each of the eight D.A.R.E. studies, we

calculated effect sizes to quantify the magnitude of

D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness with respect to six outcomes

that reflect the aims of the D.A.R.E. curriculum. The

six outcomes were knowledge about drugs, attitudes about

drug use, social skills, self-esteem, attitude toward

police, and self-reported drug use. We calculated effect

sizes using the procedure appropriate for the summary

statistics reported. In all cases, we used statistics

reflecting covariance-adjusted means, with pretest values

as covariates, rather than unadjusted means so that any

differences between the comparison groups prior to the

intervention would not be reflected in the effect sizes

(Tobler, in press, 1994). Where possible, we used

statistics that also were adjusted for sample demographic

characteristics (six of eight studies).

Some studies did not include all six outcomes of

interest, and some outcomes were measured by more than

one indicator. When multiple indicators were used, such

as two measures of social skills, we calculated separate

effect sizes and then averaged them. This procedure

yielded one effect size per study for each type of

measured outcome. In the one study that reported only

that a measured outcome was not statistically significant

and did not provide any further statistics, we assigned a

value of zero to that effect size. To calculate effect

sizes for reported drug use, we considered only alcohol,

tobacco, and marijuana use; we averaged effect sizes

across these substances. In a supplementary analysis, we

also considered use of these substances separately. Use

of other drugs, such as cocaine, was measured by some

studies, but the prevalence of use was too small to

produce meaningful effects.

The unweighted effect sizes at immediate posttest

for each outcome for each study are shown in Exhibit 7.3.=20

Several of the effect sizes are .30 or higher, although

most are less than .20. The largest effect sizes are for

knowledge (that was only measured by three of the eight

studies) and social skills. The effect sizes for self-

esteem, attitudes about drug use, and attitude toward

police tend to be smaller. The smallest effect sizes are

for drug use, with none being greater than .11. The

higher effect sizes for knowledge compared with drug use

is consistent with other studies and supports the

conclusion that knowledge is easier to change than

behavior (Bangert-Drowns, 1988; Bruvold & Rundall, 1988;

Tobler, 1986).

Exhibit 7.3 Unweighted Effect Sizes at Immediate

Posttest Associated with Eight Evaluations

of D.A.R.E.

Attitudes =20

Attitude About Social Self-

Toward Drug Study Knowledge Drugs Skills =20

Esteem Police Use1

BC 0.68 0.00 -- -- --

0.02 -- 0.07 0.34 -- --

-- -- 0.03 0.15 0.15=20

0.12 0.0A -- 0.11 0.10 0.07 --

0.0B 0.58 0.19 0.30 0.14=20

0.27 -- 0.19 0.06 0.08 -0.03=20

0.05 -- -- 0.19 0.17 0.00 --

0.11 -- 0.23 0.19 0.06=20

0.08 0.10

1Limited to alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.

In addition to calculating one effect size for each

outcome for each study, we calculated the weighted mean

effect size and 95% confidence interval for each type of

outcome across the eight studies. The weighted mean

provides a summary measure across the eight studies that

is useful for indicating D.A.R.E.'s general effectiveness

with respect to each outcome. The weighted mean provides

a less biased estimate than the simple unweighted mean

because estimates from larger samples are given more

weight. It is computed by weighting each effect size by

the inverse of its variance, which is a reflection of the

sample size (Hedges & Olkin, 1985). The effect size

estimates from larger studies are generally more precise

than those from smaller studies (Hedges & Olkin, 1985).

The 95% confidence interval provides an upper and

lower bound for the estimate; in 95% of samples drawn,

the estimate would fall within these bounds. To

calculate the 95% confidence interval, 1.96 multiplied by

the square root of one divided by the sum of the study

weights is added to or subtracted from the mean (Hedges &

Olkin, 1985).

The weighted mean effect size at immediate posttest

and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each outcome are

depicted in Exhibit 7.4. The largest weighted mean

effect size is for knowledge about drugs (0.42), followed

by social skills (0.19), attitude toward police (0.13),

attitudes about drug use (0.11), self-esteem (0.06), and

drug use (0.06). The weighted mean effect sizes for

knowledge, social skills, attitude toward police,

attitudes about drug use, and self-esteem are

statistically significant. The statistical significance

of these D.A.R.E. effect sizes, however, should be

interpreted cautiously because the significance may be

positively influenced by the failure of most studies to

account for data Exhibit 7.4 Magnitude of D.A.R.E.'s Weighted Mean

Effect Size (and 95% Confidence

Interval), by Outcome Measures at Imme-

diate Posttest

clustered by school. The confidence interval for the

weighted mean effect size for drug use overlaps with

zero, meaning than it is not significantly different from

zero.

Because averaging alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana

use for the drug use effect size could obscure

substantial differences among substances, we calculated

D.A.R.E.'s weighted mean effect sizes separately for

alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. None of the

individual effect sizes for any of the three substances

from any study is larger than 0.15. The mean immediate

effect size for alcohol use is 0.06 (95% CI: .00, .12);

for tobacco use, 0.08 (95% CI: .02, .14); and for

marijuana use, =FE0.01 (95% CI: =FE.09, .07). Only the mean

for tobacco use is statistically significant. =20

The range of effect sizes, both individually by

study and averaged across studies, suggests that D.A.R.E.

has been more effective at immediate posttest in

influencing some outcomes than others. The core

curriculum has been most effective in increasing

knowledge about drug use and in enhancing social skills.=20

Although some studies reported fairly large effect sizes

for attitudes about drugs and attitude toward police,

overall the studies show less D.A.R.E. success in

influencing these factors and self-esteem. Based on

these eight studies, the core curriculum has been least

effective at immediate posttest at influencing drug use

outcomes: alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use. The

small effect sizes for drug use and attitudes about drugs

and police reflect, at least in part, the low levels of

drug use by this age group and their already negative

attitudes about drugs and positive attitude toward

police.

Comparison of D.A.R.E.'s Effectiveness to Other

Drug Use Prevention Programs for Youth

To see how D.A.R.E. compares with other school-

based drug use prevention programs, we compared the

weighted mean D.A.R.E. effect sizes with weighted mean

effect sizes computed for similar programs. For

comparison, we used the effect sizes reported in Tobler's

recent meta-analysis of school-based drug use prevention

programs (Tobler, in press, 1994). To allow the most

appropriate comparisons with D.A.R.E. effect sizes, we

obtained Tobler's results for only those programs,

excluding D.A.R.E., aimed at fifth and sixth graders.=20

Although pupils in the comparison programs were in the

fifth and sixth grade, some sixth graders were in middle

school, whereas all D.A.R.E. sixth graders were in

elementary school. Like the D.A.R.E. studies, the

interventions analyzed by Tobler were implemented in

geographically diverse areas. Also similar to the

D.A.R.E. studies, demographic information was not

reported across all studies. The available data suggest

that the studies in Tobler's review represented both

white and minority populations and included urban,

suburban, and rural areas with urban areas predominating.=20

These programs are a subset of 25 from the 114 programs

included in Tobler's meta-analysis. The studies from

Tobler's meta-analysis are referenced in Exhibit 7.5 and

listed in Appendix C.

We selected Tobler's meta-analysis for comparison

because it is more similar to our review than other meta-

analyses of drug use prevention programs (Bangert-Drowns,

1988; Bruvold, 1993; Bruvold & Rundall, 1988; Tobler,

1986). Tobler's meta-analysis and ours used similar

processes and criteria to identify and select program

evaluations for examination and included both published

and unpublished studies. Like the D.A.R.E. criteria,

Tobler selected student-based quantitative evaluations

that included a control or comparison group and used a

pretest-posttest sign or posttest only with random

assignment. In addition, Tobler reported separate

weighted mean effect sizes for four categories of outcome

measures that are comparable to four of our outcome

measurements: knowledge, attitudes toward drugs, social

skills, and drug use. The meta-analyses differed,

however, in that Tobler excluded studies that did not

measure drug use and that included results from later

posttests. In addition, some of Tobler's programs

focused on a single drug rather than on multiple drugs as

in D.A.R.E. The collective impact of these Exhibit 7.5 Comparison Dru=

g Use

Prevention Programs

(N=3D25)

Noninteractive Programs

Study Location References

1, 2 Ontario Allison, Silver, & Dignam,

in press

3 Pennsylvania Dubois et al., 1989

4 Pacific Northwest Gilchrist et al., 1987

5 California Johnson et al., 1987

6 California Moskowitz et al., 1984;

Schaeffer et al., 1981

7 Michigan; Sarvela, 1984; Sarvela &

McClendon, 1987

Wisconsin

8 California Schaps et al., 1984

9 Not stated Schinke, Gilchrist, &

Snow, 1985

Interactive Programs

Study Location References

10, 11 Michigan Dielman et al., 1986;

Dielman et al., 1987;

Dielman=20

et al., 1989; Shope,

Dielman, & Leech, 1988

12 Ontario Flay et al., 1989; Flay et

al., 1983; Flay et al.,

1985

13 New England Gersick, Grady, & Snow,

1988

14-16 California Johnson et al., 1987

17 Massachusetts McAlister, 1983

18, 19 Washington Schinke et al., 1988

20 Not stated Schinke & Blythe, 1981

21 Washington Schinke & Gilchrist, 1983

22 Not stated Schinke et al., 1986

23 Not stated Schinke, Gilchrist, &

Snow, 1985

24, 25 Not stated Schinke et al., 1985

Note: Some programs were published in multiple publica-

tions. Some publications reported on more than

one type of program. See Appendix C for a listing

of these references.

differences should be minimal, however. Overall, the

D.A.R.E. and Tobler studies are highly comparable in

terms of program focus, study methodology, and target

audience. In assessing the magnitude of the effect sizes

reported for the Tobler studies, it should be noted that

the studies typically did not correct for the correlation

among students in the same school. As explained for the

D.A.R.E. studies, this may produce inflated effect sizes.=20

Because neither the D.A.R.E. nor Tobler studies generally

made adjustments for this interdependence of

observations, the net effect on the comparison of effect

sizes should be minimal.

The evaluation studies included in Tobler's meta-

analysis are classified into two broad categories based

on typical combinations of program content and program

process (process describes the teaching approach, or how

the content is delivered): noninteractive (N=3D9) and

interactive programs (N=3D16). =20

Noninteractive programs emphasize intrapersonal

factors and use more traditional teaching approaches.=20

Activities typically are designed to increase knowledge

about drugs, boost self-esteem, promote self-awareness,

increase problem-solving skills, and promote values

clarifications. These activities, in turn, are expected

to encourage youth to make a personal decision to abstain

from using drugs. Program content is usually introduced

by the teacher in a didactic manner, and participatory

activities often involve teacher-led discussions.

Interactive programs emphasize interpersonal

factors and use a participatory teaching approach.=20

Activities are designed to counter peer pressure to use

drugs through developing drug refusal skills, promoting

general social competencies, and correcting beliefs about

the prevalence of drug use among peers. Program process

emphasizes the interaction and exchange of ideas among

peers, and it encourages active participation of all

students in the classroom, particularly in small groups.

Consistent with other meta-analyses showing that

programs emphasizing social skills tend to be the most

effective at achieving their outcomes (Bangert-Drowns,

1988; Bruvold, 1993; Bruvold & Rundall, 1988; Tobler,

1986), Tobler's interactive programs produced larger

effect sizes in all four outcome measures than

noninteractive programs. Because D.A.R.E. has features

of both noninteractive and interactive programs, we

compared D.A.R.E. with both categories of programs.=20

The weighted mean effect sizes and 95% confidence

intervals by outcome for the D.A.R.E. studies and the two

types of comparison programs are shown in Exhibit 7.6.=20

To test whether the mean effect sizes differed

significantly between D.A.R.E. and the noninteractive

programs and between D.A.R.E. and the interactive

programs, we also calculated the 95% confidence interval

around the difference between the means. If the

confidence interval spans zero, this indicates that the

difference between the two effect size means is not

statistically significant. Conversely, if the confidence

interval does not include zero, then the means are

determined to be significantly different; that is, the

D.A.R.E. mean is significantly greater or less than the

mean for the comparison programs. The difference between

the weighted mean effect sizes for D.A.R.E. and both

noninteractive and interactive programs and 95%

confidence intervals are shown in Exhibit 7.7. In

addition, Exhibit 7.7 indicates whether the difference

favors D.A.R.E. or the comparison programs.

Exhibit 7.6 Weighted Mean Effect Size (and 95%

Confidence Interval), by Outcome for

D.A.R.E. and Other Drug Use Prevention

Programs

Exhibit 7.7 Difference Between Mean Effect Sizes (and

95% Confidence Interval), by Outcome, for

D.A.R.E. and Other Drug Use Prevention

Programs

__ __ =20

Favors __ __ Favors

Outcome |ESD-ESNI| 95% C.I. D.A.R.E. =20

|ESD-ESI| 95% C.I. D.A.R.E.

Knowledge 0.26 .10-.42* Yes =20

0.11 .00-.22 No

Attitudes 0.05 -.04-.14 Yes 0.22

.10-.34* No

Social

Skills 0.11 -.09-.31 Yes 0.57

.46-.68* No

Drug use1 0.02 -.11-.07 No 0.12

.05-.19* No

__ __

Note: ESD =3D weighted mean effect size for D.A.R.E.;

ESNI =3D weighted mean effect size for

__

noninteractive programs; ESI =3D weighted mean effect

size for interactive programs; || indicates

absolute value. Confidence intervals that include

zero are not statistically significant; * =3D

statistically significant.

1Includes alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.

For knowledge about drugs, the mean immediate

effect size achieved by D.A.R.E. (0.42) is substantially

and statistically significantly higher than the mean

effect size for noninteractive programs (0.16). The

D.A.R.E. effect size is lower than that of interactive

programs (0.53), but the difference is not significant.

For attitudes about drugs, the mean immediate

effect size achieved by D.A.R.E. (0.11) is larger than

the mean achieved by noninteractive programs (0.06); the

difference is not statistically significant. The

D.A.R.E. effect size is significantly less than the mean

for interactive programs (0.33).

The same pattern is observed for skills. The mean

D.A.R.E. immediate effect size (0.19) is larger than for

noninteractive programs (0.08) but smaller than for

interactive programs (0.76). The difference in means

between D.A.R.E. and the noninteractive programs is not

statistically significant, whereas the D.A.R.E. mean is

significantly less than for interactive programs.

For drug use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana

averaged together), the mean immediate effect sizes

achieved by D.A.R.E. (0.06) and noninteractive programs

(0.08) are not significantly different. The D.A.R.E.

mean is significantly smaller than the mean for

interactive programs (0.18). Exhibit 7.8 shows a

comparison of effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals

separately for alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use.=20

Confidence intervals around the difference between the

mean effect sizes are shown in Exhibit 7.9. The D.A.R.E.

mean effect sizes for alcohol and marijuana are

significantly smaller than the effect sizes for

noninteractive programs, while the mean effect size for

tobacco isExhibit 7.8 Weighted Mean Effect Size, by Drug, for

D.A.R.E. and Other Drug Use Prevention

Programs

Exhibit 7.9 Difference Between Mean Effect Sizes (and

95% Confidence Interval), by Drug, for

D.A.R.E. and Other Drug Use=20

Prevention Programs

__ __ Favors =20

__ __ Favors

Drug |ESD-ESNI| 95% C.I. D.A.R.E. =20

|ESD-ESI| 95% C.I. D.A.R.E.

Alcohol 0.14 .05-.24* No 0.13

.05-.21* No

Tobacco 0.11 .02-.20* Yes 0.10

.03-.18* No

Marijuana 0.16 .04-.29* No 0.12

.01-.23* No

__ __

Note: ESD =3D weighted mean effect size for D.A.R.E.;

ESNI =3D weighted mean effect size for

__

noninteractive programs; ESI =3D weighted mean effect

size for interactive programs; || indicates

absolute value. Confidence intervals that include

zero are not statistically significant; * =3D

statistically significant.

significantly larger. The D.A.R.E. effect sizes for all

three substances are significantly smaller than the

comparable effect sizes for interactive programs.

A comparison of D.A.R.E. effect sizes with effect

sizes of noninteractive and interactive drug use

prevention programs for fifth and sixth graders reviewed

by Tobler suggests that D.A.R.E. has been more effective

in influencing knowledge, attitudes, and skills outcomes

than noninteractive programs, although only the knowledge

difference is statistically significant. D.A.R.E. has

been less effective, however, than interactive programs

across all outcome measures, most prominently for social

skills and drug use. The only difference in effect size

means between D.A.R.E. and interactive programs that was

not statistically significant was for knowledge. For

drug use, the average effect size for interactive

programs was three times greater than the average

D.A.R.E. effect size; for social skills, four times

greater than D.A.R.E.; and for attitudes, three times

greater. These findings suggest that greater

effectiveness is possible with school-based drug use

prevention programs for fifth- and sixth-grade pupils

than is achieved by the original D.A.R.E. core

curriculum.

Methodological Considerations

Several methodological considerations relating to

the evaluations included in our review and to the

approach we used in conducting our review bear on the

interpretation of the results.

Fundamental considerations are whether the D.A.R.E.

evaluations selected for review are methodologically

strong and are sufficient in number. As is appropriate

for meta-analysis, we used stated and objective criteria

to select D.A.R.E. evaluations for review. Because the

evaluations we selected had a comparison group,

administered both pretests and posttests, used

quantifiable outcome measures, and made statistical

adjustments for pretest differences on outcome measures,

we can be reasonably confident in their findings.

Eight evaluations were included in the review; this

is not a large number compared with the vast number of

sites where D.A.R.E. has been implemented. It far

exceeds, however, the number of evaluations of any other

widely available drug use prevention program. Most

prevention programs developed and evaluated by

researchers have been much less widely implemented, and

have received less scrutiny, than D.A.R.E. More

important, however, when considering the adequacy of the

number of studies, are the uniformity of D.A.R.E.'s

curriculum content and method of delivery across

implementation sites, and the consistent results found

across geographically heterogeneous studies. This

uniformity and consistency suggest that a sufficient

number of evaluations were identified for assessment of

the original core curriculum's immediate effects. Even

so, we would have preferred a full set of eight effect

sizes for each outcome.

The immediate effect sizes for the D.A.R.E. studies

may have been attenuated compared with the comparison

drug use prevention programs because the control groups

were not pure "no treatment" groups. As documented by

Tobler (1986, in press, 1994), effect sizes are lower

when the control group receives some sort of drug

education. Information generally was lacking from the

D.A.R.E. evaluations on alternative interventions

received by the control groups, but it is likely that

most control groups received some drug education because

the studies occurred after the passage of the 1986 DFSCA.=20

However, approximately half (54%) of the comparison

programs used for Tobler's study also were conducted

between 1986 and 1990, suggesting that they also may

suffer from the same effect. Nevertheless, the lower

effect sizes of the D.A.R.E. programs compared with the

interactive programs in Tobler's study could be due in

part to the likelihood that the control groups for the

D.A.R.E. studies received a stronger intervention than

did the control groups in the studies reviewed by Tobler.

Most of the drug use prevention programs evaluated

by Tobler are smaller-scale university research-based

evaluation studies, while D.A.R.E. is a widely available

curriculum. In both cases, however, the interventions

were implemented by service providers and the evaluations

were conducted by researchers. Even so, the intensity of

efforts devoted to interventions conducted for evaluation

research may be greater, the implementation conditions

more optimal, and the possibility for scrutiny and

control greater than would be the case for a program that

is widely disseminated. Some diminished effectiveness

may be inevitable once programs are implemented under

real-world conditions. This could be an important factor

in explaining some of the differences in effect sizes

between D.A.R.E. and the comparison programs.

Differences in the studies selected for our

D.A.R.E. review and selected by Tobler could also

contribute to the relative differences in effect sizes

between these programs. The differences include the

exclusion of studies by Tobler that did not evaluate drug

use behavior and the inclusion of outcomes from later

posttests. In addition, some sixth graders in the

programs reviewed by Tobler were in middle rather than

elementary school, and some programs focused on a single

drug, such as tobacco, rather than multiple drugs as is

the case with D.A.R.E. It is possible that these

differences could decrease, increase, or not change the

relative differences in effect sizes. For example,

differences might have been less if programs focused on a

single substance were not included in Tobler's meta-

analysis. It is possible that single substance programs

have greater impact on use of that substance than generic

drug education programs, although study of this

possibility is limited and findings are mixed (Tobler,

1994). On the other hand, differences might have been

greater had Tobler excluded results from posttests beyond

immediate follow-up because curriculum effects tend to

decay rather than increase with time (Ellickson, Bell, &

McGuigan, 1993; Murray, Pirie, Luepker, & Pallonen,

1989). The limited number of programs precluded

assessment of these possibilities, as well as whether

program effects differ, and in what direction, for sixth

graders in elementary versus middle school.

Finally, it is possible that our results might have

differed if there had been sufficient numbers of D.A.R.E.

evaluations and studies in Tobler's analysis to analyze

effect sizes while controlling the effects of other

factors. In addition to the differences between the

D.A.R.E. and Tobler studies described above, it is

possible that other factors may have varied across the

intervention programs and associated evaluation studies

that contributed to the observed differences in effect

sizes. For example, substantial variation in

characteristics of the students (e.g., in

race/ethnicity), features of the interventions (e.g.,

variations in program intensity), and features of the

research design (e.g., experimental versus quasi-

experimental design) could have contributed to the

differences in program effects. In other words, some of

the differences in effect sizes observed between the

D.A.R.E. studies and Tobler's studies could have been due

to other factors than the type of program.=20

Unfortunately, these possibilities could not be tested

because of the small number of studies. Further testing

is warranted when larger samples of D.A.R.E. and

comparison studies are available.

Summary

From a pool of 18 quantitative D.A.R.E. evaluation

studies identified by this review, eight met specified

methodological criteria and were selected for further

review. Each of these eight evaluations had a control

group, administered both pretests and posttests, used

quantifiable outcome measures, and made statistical

adjustments for pretest differences on outcome measures.=20

Effect sizes for these studies at immediate posttest,

both individually by study and averaged across studies,

showed that the original D.A.R.E. core curriculum had

strong and statistically significant effects on knowledge

about drugs. The curriculum also had a positive and

significant impact on social skills. The core curriculum

had smaller, although statistically significant, effects

on attitudes about drug use, attitude toward the police,

and self-esteem. The curriculum had limited immediate

effects on use of alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana.=20

Although the effect on tobacco use was small, it was

statistically significant.

Weighted mean effect sizes were used to compare

D.A.R.E. with other school-based drug use prevention

programs targeted at same-age youth. The original

D.A.R.E. core curriculum compared favorably with

noninteractive drug use prevention programs, which

emphasize intrapersonal factors and use more traditional

teaching methods. The original core curriculum compared

less favorably, however, with interactive drug use

prevention programs. Interactive drug use prevention

programs, which emphasize interpersonal skills and an

interactive teaching style, have been shown to be the

most successful drug use prevention programs (Tobler, in

press, 1994).

Several methodological considerations should be

noted in interpreting the results of this review. These

include the number of methodologically rigorous D.A.R.E.

studies in our review; the purity of the control groups

in the D.A.R.E. evaluations compared with those in the

comparison programs; and the relative impacts of

commercial programs such as D.A.R.E. and smaller scale

research-based interventions; and the small number of

D.A.R.E. and comparison studies available for assessing

other potential explanations for differences in program

effectiveness.

The findings of the D.A.R.E. outcome assessment are

discussed fully in Chapter 8.

CHAPTER 8

DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

In preceding chapters, we presented data acquired

from our implementation and outcome assessments of

D.A.R.E. Information about D.A.R.E.'s operations,

prevalence, and effectiveness was collected from a

variety of sources. Given the complex nature of the

D.A.R.E. organization, it is not surprising that the

findings are voluminous. Nor is it surprising that

although some findings attest to the strengths and

robustness of D.A.R.E., others indicate limitations.=20

This final chapter presents a discussion of these

findings. In the course of this discussion, we highlight

the key findings and, where appropriate, make

recommendations for programmatic changes and additional

research. =20

This chapter is organized into three sections.=20

Highlights from the implementation assessment are

presented in the first section, followed by key findings

from the outcome assessment. To facilitate a review of

the study's many and sometimes disparate findings, our

discussion is organized by some of the questions that

guided these study components. In the final section, we

attempt to synthesize the most important findings and

present overall conclusions derived from the study.

Implementation Assessment

As discussed in Chapter 1, we conducted an

implementation assessment of D.A.R.E. that had two

primary objectives. These were, first, to conduct an

assessment of the organizational structure and operation

of representative D.A.R.E. programs nationwide to learn

what factors contribute to the effective implementation

of D.A.R.E. programs nationwide and, second, to determine

how D.A.R.E. is tailored to meet the needs of specific

populations.

To address these issues, we collected data from

sources at all levels of the multi-layered D.A.R.E.

institution. We presented information concerning

operations at the national and regional level of D.A.R.E.

in Chapter 3, State-level operations in Chapter 4, and

local-level operations in Chapters 5 and 6. We obtained

information from interviews with Glenn Levant of D.A.R.E.

America and with coordinators and/or educational advisors

from each of the five Regional Training Centers (RTCs), a

review of available BJA documents, a survey of the State

D.A.R.E. coordinators, a survey of a nationally

representative sample of school district drug prevention

coordinators, and site visits to four purposively

selected schools (two with D.A.R.E. and two without).

How extensively is D.A.R.E. implemented nationwide, and

how does D.A.R.E.'s

prevalence compare with that of other curricula?

One of the most important findings of this study

was the extraordinary prevalence of D.A.R.E. In the

1991-1992 school year, 44 of the 50 States had State

coordinators fortheir D.A.R.E. programs. Based on our sample of school

districts, we estimate that over half the districts in

the country implemented at least one of the D.A.R.E.

curricula in one or more of their schools. In

comparison, the two other most prevalent prevention

programs, Quest and Here's Looking at You (HLY), were

used in at least one school in about 27% and 24% of the

districts, respectively.

Another important finding is that the demand for

D.A.R.E. over the next 5 years is going to increase

substantially. Over 40% of the districts with D.A.R.E.

planned to expand its use. Of those districts without

D.A.R.E., 21% expressed the intention to institute it,

and 20% reported that they were as yet undecided about

using D.A.R.E.

Slightly over half of all school districts

implemented D.A.R.E.'s core curriculum, which is targeted

at 5th- and 6th-grade pupils; around 17% implemented the

K-4 curriculum, 11% the junior high school curriculum,

and 3% the senior high curriculum. Around 12% of the

school districts used Quest at the elementary level, 22%

at the middle/junior high school level, and 3% at the

senior high school level. Around 22% of the school

districts used HLY at the elementary level, 14% at the

middle/junior high school level, and 9% at the senior

high level. =20

Does the extent of D.A.R.E. implementation vary by

demographic

characteristics of school districts, such as geographic

region, urbanicity, SES,

and minority status? How does D.A.R.E. compare with

other curricula in this

regard?

The Midwest region had the highest percentage of

districts using D.A.R.E. (59.9%) , followed by the

Southeast (56.8%), East (55.8%), West (48.8%), and

Southwest (37.1%). Use of Quest was highest in the

Midwest region (35.8%) and use of HLY was highest in the

East (46.4%). Use of all three prevention programs was

lowest in the Southwest region. The lower rates of

program use in the Southwest can probably be largely

attributed to its rural nature, and thus the greater

difficulties in fielding D.A.R.E. officers to

geographically dispersed schools.

There were no statistically significant differences

in the use of D.A.R.E., Quest, or HLY by either the

minority status or SES of the school districts.=20

Urban/suburban school districts were, however,

significantly more likely to use D.A.R.E. and HLY than

rural districts. Further, large districts were

significantly more likely than small districts to use

D.A.R.E. We suspect that these findings may be

attributed to the relatively greater resources available

to urban and large law enforcement agencies. In the case

of D.A.R.E., these agencies may be at greater liberty to

free up their officers' time to teach D.A.R.E.

It is difficult to determine what adjustments might

make D.A.R.E. more accessible to rural and small school

districts. We believe that ways of improving access to

D.A.R.E. in rural and small districts should be examined.=20

For example, methods for distributing DFSCA funds to

favor rural and small school districts instead of

distribution solely on a per capita basis could be

explored. =20

How well integrated is D.A.R.E. with other drug use

prevention programs

offered in schools?

Neither D.A.R.E. nor any other drug prevention

program can or should stand alone in a school district;

instead, such programs should be integrated into a

comprehensive curriculum that is developmentally

appropriate and implemented at every grade level.=20

Indeed, all school districts receiving DFSCA funds must

implement a comprehensive K-12 drug prevention program.=20

Even were a school district to implement all four of

D.A.R.E.'s student curricula, additional drug prevention

programming would still be required in the grades to

which D.A.R.E. was not directed. Our survey showed that

only 2% of the school districts used only D.A.R.E. and no

other drug prevention program. Almost two-thirds of the

school district coordinators with D.A.R.E. reported that

the program was "very well" integrated with other

prevention programs.

How does D.A.R.E. compare with other alcohol and other

drug (AOD) programs

in terms of support and satisfaction for the programs?

The school district drug prevention coordinators

indicated that support for D.A.R.E. is very strong not

only among students and school staff=FEwhose support the

coordinators rated as very high=FEbut also among parents

and the community. These ratings were also markedly

higher than those for other AOD programs.=20

The responses of the coordinators also indicated

the high regard in which the D.A.R.E. curricula are held.=20

Two-thirds of the school district coordinators with

D.A.R.E. rated the curricula, as well as how it is

taught, as "very satisfactory"; over three-quarters gave

the same rating to how students receive it. This

endorsement is all the more vivid when contrasted with

coordinators' ratings of other AOD prevention programs;

only one-third of coordinators with other AOD programs

rated these programs as highly. =20

A close examination of these findings reveals that

coordinators in districts with a high percentage of

minority students were more likely to rate students'

receptivity to D.A.R.E. as very high than those in

districts serving predominantly white students. This

finding is not confounded by the district's urbanicity or

SES because comparisons between coordinators from these

pairs of districts (i.e., by high and low SES and by

rural and urban/surburban) were not statistically

significant. =20

Of even greater importance are the satisfaction

ratings that the prevention coordinators gave to

D.A.R.E.'s effects on students. Almost two-thirds of the

coordinators with D.A.R.E. indicated that they were very

satisfied with D.A.R.E.'s effects; less than one-quarter

of those with other AOD programs reported that they were

very satisfied with the effects of these AOD programs.=20

Are D.A.R.E. and other drug prevention programs adapted

to a community's

particular needs?

D.A.R.E. is distinguished by the integrity and

consistency with which its curricula are administered.=20

During their training, D.A.R.E. officers are instructed

not to deviate in any substantive fashion from the

curriculum. The D.A.R.E. core curriculum allows only one

modification--a gang activity lesson that can be added in

schools where gangs are perceived to be a problem.

Over two-fifths of the coordinators with D.A.R.E.

and over half of the coordinators with other AOD programs

reported that the curriculum had been adapted at least to

some degree, however modest. The most frequently

mentioned reason for adaptation of both D.A.R.E. and

other AOD programs was drug availability at their

schools. Coordinators with D.A.R.E. provided some hints

as to the types of topics introduced, which included

discussing specific locally prevalent drugs, drug abuse

at home, and local drug arrests. During the site visit

to the urban school district, we learned that some police

officers incorporate their own street experiences into

their lessons. The second and third most frequently

mentioned reasons for adaptation for D.A.R.E. and other

AOD programs were student/community poverty and

racial/ethnic composition.

Although we recognize that some tailoring of

D.A.R.E. to the needs of a particular audience may be

appropriate, we encourage fidelity to the curricula and

careful monitoring of officer presentation. We strongly

suggest that current procedures of notifying the D.A.R.E.

America RTC Advisory Board curriculum committee of

limitations in the curricula and of substantive

modifications of the curricula originating from that

agency be continued. Allowing officers to modify the

program at will would quickly result in disintegration of

the curriculum and the program.

To what extent are classroom teachers and other community

members or

agencies involved in D.A.R.E.?

The original core curriculum, which was in use when

the survey was conducted, encouraged classroom teachers

to remain in the classroom and to communicate D.A.R.E.'s

objectives to students. However, teachers played little

active part in the actual instruction. Teachers and

D.A.R.E. officers together teach the junior and senior

high curricula; at the senior high level, they are even

trained together. According to the drug prevention

coordinators, teachers in almost 90% of the districts

remained in the classroom during D.A.R.E. lessons, and in

84% teachers were reported as "actively involved" in

D.A.R.E. The revised core curriculum encourages

classroom teachers to take a more active role.

D.A.R.E. officers already are expected to meet for

an hour or so with the classroom teachers in a brief,

structured orientation and discussion. To the extent

that time and resources permit, we encourage the

co-training of teachers and officers at every curricular

level because we believe that such training would enhance

effective communication and coordination between the two.=20

=20

One of D.A.R.E.'s strengths is the active

involvement of individuals in D.A.R.E., both within and

outside of the school. Half of the prevention

coordinators reported that school staff, other than

classroom teachers, were actively involved in D.A.R.E.,

and almost one-quarter reported that civic groups were

actively involved. This level of involvement surely

makes a major contribution to the high level of

enthusiasm that D.A.R.E. generates. We note that only a

relatively few coordinators reported that "youth groups"

were involved in D.A.R.E. We recommend increasing the

involvement of both youth and church groups as a way to

reinforce D.A.R.E.'s message and to help establish

anti-drug use norms throughout the school and community.=20

About half of the coordinators reported that

parents were actively involved in D.A.R.E. Our site

visits, however, suggested that parents tend to be rather

detached. D.A.R.E.'s efforts to reach out to parents

through the parent curriculum are commendable and, we

hope, will prove successful. Many such efforts in the

past have proved futile because the parents who are most

in need of educational intervention are also the most

difficult to reach and most resistant to attending

meetings. One additional method to involve parents more

directly in D.A.R.E. is to assign specific parent-child

homework exercises that, at the very least, will open

vital lines of communication between parent and child

concerning drug use. A second method that could

supplement the D.A.R.E. parent curriculum would be to

develop a freestanding, 1-hour video. This video could

be used to provide an introduction to D.A.R.E. and a

synopsis of the D.A.R.E. curriculum, as to well as

provide information about how to effectively reinforce

D.A.R.E.'s message. It might, for instance, include

advice about how to talk to youth about drugs and stress

the importance of serving as a model for a drug-free

life. We, thus, recommend that D.A.R.E. consider and

weigh the relative merits of a variety of strategies

designed to reach parents who may not respond to the

D.A.R.E. parent curriculum.

What role, if any, do D.A.R.E. officers have in treatment

referral for students

who already have substance abuse problems?

An additional role that D.A.R.E. officers can

undertake is to serve as members of student assistance

program (SAP) teams. Of the school districts that had

both SAPs and D.A.R.E., 37% had D.A.R.E. officers who had

been trained to participate in the district's SAP. Most

of the coordinators rated D.A.R.E. officers as highly as

they did guidance counselors (and much higher than

teachers) in effectiveness in implementing SAPs. We

recommend that D.A.R.E. officers become familiar with

SAPs in their schools and, when feasible, become involved

in these programs. We also recommend that the D.A.R.E.

America RTC Advisory Board establish procedures for

officers to follow when their work with SAPs comes in

conflict with their duties as a police officer, so that

the confidentiality of youth and their parents who have

drug problems may be maintained.

How is D.A.R.E. managed at the national, regional, and

State level, and what

are the major responsibilities of the governing bodies?

At the national level, all D.A.R.E. operations are

overseen by D.A.R.E. America, a nonprofit organization

that bears ultimate responsibility for promoting,

monitoring, and overseeing the program. In this

capacity, D.A.R.E. America is assisted by a number of

regional and State organizations. These include five

RTCs that constitute the D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory

Board and make recommendations to D.A.R.E. America

concerning the accreditation of State-level training

centers and monitor the fidelity with which the D.A.R.E.

curriculum is taught at the local level. Educational

specialists representing the RTCs, together with staff

from the Los Angeles United School District (LAUSD) and

assisted by a Scientific Advisory Committee, also make

recommendations to D.A.R.E. America concerning

modifications to the various D.A.R.E. curricula.

State-level D.A.R.E. entities include chartered

nonprofit D.A.R.E. organizations designed to support the

program in that State; such organizations currently exist

in over one-third of the States, and it is expected that

they will be chartered in all 50. In those States that

currently lack such an organization, there is typically a

State employee designated as a D.A.R.E. coordinator. In

addition, 42 States currently have developed State

Training Centers (STCs), the purpose of which is to

conduct training for prospective D.A.R.E. officers.

Updating and improving curricular materials and

teaching strategies is a difficult task. We commend

D.A.R.E. America for convening a Scientific Advisory

Committee, and for choosing Dr. Kleber as committee

chair. It is our understanding that the committee's

charge is an expansive one and includes reviewing current

and ongoing D.A.R.E. evaluations, and integrating

relevant findings from other evaluations of school-based

drug prevention programs. We recognize the constraints

that D.A.R.E. faces in updating the curricula, given the

considerable costs required to retrain D.A.R.E. officers

appropriately. Hence, it is probably not feasible to

make substantive changes to the curricula more frequently

than once every 5 years, at a minimum.

Another source of expertise that should be tapped

as input for curricular changes is the U.S. Department of

Education. Various D.A.R.E. materials encourage the

establishment of strong ties between D.A.R.E. and

education at both the State and local levels. At the

national level, an educational consultant from each of

the five RTCs make suggestions concerning the curricula.=20

However, it is our understanding that this group lacks

representation from a national-level education agency.=20

We thus recommend thatthe D.A.R.E. America request an appropriate member of=

the

U.S. Department of Education to serve as an ex officio

member, who should represent the department's extensive

drug prevention program. Such an individual would be

able to provide D.A.R.E. America with guidance as to how

effectively to integrate D.A.R.E. into the Department of

Education's comprehensive, K-12 drug prevention strategy.=20

Furthermore, the inclusion of a U.S. Department of

Education staff member seems particularly appropriate as

long as D.A.R.E. continues to be mentioned as a specific

line item on the DFSCA budget. =20

State coordinators informed us that over one-third

of the States had policy advisory boards (PABs), a

proportion that may have increased in the 2 years since

our survey. Because PABs can be instrumental in

developing and maintaining communications and positive

relationships among the various agencies involved in

D.A.R.E., we recommend that all States establish such

boards.

The great majority of the PABs comprise

representatives of both State and local law enforcement

and education. Other key individuals from the community

who have a stake in the success of D.A.R.E. or who could

provide different and valuable perspectives on D.A.R.E.

were less well represented. These include parents,

members of community-based organizations, citizens-at-

large, members of associations of educators, and business

representatives. The latter could be particularly

helpful in securing resources for D.A.R.E. We thus

recommend that State-level PABs systematically examine

their representation and seek ways to reach out to new

and potentially useful constituencies by expanding their

membership.

Because of the unique partnership between D.A.R.E.

and education, it is critical that State-level D.A.R.E.

operations have strong ties to education at the State

level. Around one-third of the State D.A.R.E.

coordinators reported a great deal of communication with

the State Department of Education, and another 50%

reported having at least some communication. We also

note that one State D.A.R.E. coordinator was affiliated

with a State Department of Education, and that three PABs

were chaired by staff members from State or local

education departments. The need to improve communication

with their State's education departments was mentioned by

several State D.A.R.E. coordinators.

One way to improve communication between D.A.R.E.

and education is for State D.A.R.E. programs to retain

educational consultants to act as liaisons. Two-thirds

of the State coordinators reported employing such a

consultant, and almost all of the States without

educational consultants considered acquiring a full-time

educational consultant to be priority. We recommend that

all State D.A.R.E. programs secure educational

consultants.

In a few States, the State D.A.R.E. programs

employed their own educational consultants. In most

States, however, educational consultants were employed by

education departments. We believe the liaison between

law enforcement and education will be most effective if

the consultants are based in the State Departments of

Education. Ideally, to ensure a maximum level of

coordination both with the State Departments of Education

as a whole and with their drug-free schools program in

particular, these consultants should be members of the

departments' alcohol and drug prevention offices.=20

Certainly, regardless of whether the education

consultants are employed by education or directly by the

State D.A.R.E. program, they should seek all appropriate

means to establish meaningful affiliations with State-

level educational agencies. By the same token, education

agencies should be apprised of=FEand take seriously=FEtheir

responsibility to include D.A.R.E. representatives in

planning statewide drug prevention activities. To be

truly effective, education and law enforcement need to

work together in a partnership at the national and State

levels as well as at the local level.

Educational consultants' roles may vary, but

besides providing a "bridge" between the two

organizations, the consultants should help ensure that

D.A.R.E.'s multiple curricula fit into a comprehensive,

developmentally appropriate drug prevention program.=20

Several coordinators mentioned that consultants could

assist with program evaluation and with monitoring

officer performance in the classroom. It may be

appropriate to consider expanding the roles of

educational consultants further, perhaps to provide

assistance in these areas. =20

How is D.A.R.E. managed at the local level?

At the local level, the majority of the D.A.R.E.

programs were managed by a single law enforcement agency,

primarily the sheriff's or city/town police department.=20

Officer selection and classroom activities was most

frequently mentioned as the responsibility of the police

department, selection of D.A.R.E. classrooms was the

responsibility of the school administration and staff,

and responsibility for selection of D.A.R.E. schools was

shared by the police department, school administration

and staff, and the school superintendent.=20

In a number of places throughout this report, we

have mentioned that D.A.R.E. is a collaborative venture

between a local school district and a law enforcement

agency, and we have emphasized the importance of

developing a positive relationship between the two from

the outset. One way to foster this relationship at the

local level is with written agreements that clearly state

the roles and responsibilities of each. Less than half

of the drug prevention coordinators mentioned that their

districts had such an agreement. We recognize that some

of the coordinators responding to our survey may simply

not have known that a written agreement existed,

particularly if they were new in their position and the

agreement had been written before they were employed. We

recommend that the law enforcement agencies without such

agreements secure them. Furthermore, we recommend that

the agreements be reviewed with school administration/

staff at least every other year. This biennial review

would ensure that all parties are aware of their

responsibilities and could also serve as forums to

discuss issues relating to D.A.R.E.'s implementation and

to develop additional ways in which the D.A.R.E. officer

can serve the schools. They could also provide

opportunities for the school district to recognize the

officer's contribution.

Another way to engender a positive collaboration

between law enforcement and education is by developing

close liaisons between the D.A.R.E. officer and classroom

teacher. Such liaisons have obvious benefits, including

providing a role model for new officers, sharing the

burden of difficult classes or difficult students, and

increasing the likelihood that the teacher will reinforce

the D.A.R.E. message in other areas of instruction. We

learned from the drug prevention coordinators' survey

that classroom teachers in almost three-quarters of the

school districts with D.A.R.E. now integrate the D.A.R.E.

message into their other activities in the classroom, so

that the program has a strong foundation in this area on

which to build. We thus recommend that D.A.R.E. officers

spend more time consulting with classroom teachers, both

formally at the beginning of the semester and informally

as the semester progresses. Topics for conversation

should include both the content of the D.A.R.E.

curriculum and how teachers can effectively articulate an

anti-drug message.

What funding mechanisms are at the national/regional,

State, and local levels?

At the national/regional level, funding is received

primarily from BJA. The RTC coordinators mentioned the

need to find permanent funding sources that will

supplement Federal support and make D.A.R.E. less

vulnerable to the vicissitudes of such funding. One

solution to this issue is to establish or strengthen

reliance on State or local support, particularly the

latter. =20

The majority of State D.A.R.E. programs receive

funding from BJA grants; around one-fourth of the States

received funding from governors' grants, grants from

other State agencies, and legislative funds. Four States

reported that they received no funding for their State-

level operations, and around one-third mentioned that

maintaining and increasing their funding or locating new

funding sources were among the most significant issues

facing them. If they are to discharge multiple

responsibilities for developing and managing their

D.A.R.E. programs successfully, the States must have

sufficient support. We recommend that the D.A.R.E.

America RTC Advisory Board explore further the various

sources of support used by the State programs, and how

these have been obtained, and then provide technical

assistance to those States that currently operate with

either no funding or whose funding is precariously low.=20

D.A.R.E. America could perhaps play a role in assisting

the development and maintenance of the STCs by providing

modest grant programs to assist States. =20

At the local level, the cost of assigning a police

officer to deliver D.A.R.E. is assumed by the local city

or county law enforcement agency, and thus, ultimately,

by the community. Only a small minority of prevention

coordinators (one in six) indicated that program costs

were a barrier to implementation. D.A.R.E. America

assumes the costs of program curriculum materials. The

coordinators also informed us that primary support for

D.A.R.E. came from law enforcement, but that DFSCA funds

also played a major role in supporting D.A.R.E., as did

(to a lesser extent) school district funds. We note that

non-D.A.R.E. drug prevention programs appear much more

dependent on DFSCA funds than does D.A.R.E. Given

projected cuts in the DFSCA budget, which we understand

may amount to as much as 25% in the near future,

D.A.R.E.'s relative lack of reliance on DFSCA funds will

prove beneficial. We also note that D.A.R.E. is

relatively less dependent on local funds than are non-

D.A.R.E. programs, which also decreases D.A.R.E.'s

vulnerability to cuts as competing demands increase ever

tighter budgets.

How adequately does D.A.R.E. training meet the needs of

an expanding and changing program?

As noted earlier, the core curriculum has recently

been revised, and the new version is currently being

implemented. Because of D.A.R.E.'s magnitude, curricular

changes are far-reaching and, thus, expensive and time-

consuming to implement. Therefore, modifications to any

of the D.A.R.E. curricula must necessarily be weighed

against the substantial costs associated with updating

and distributing material, as well as retraining D.A.R.E.

officers. Nevertheless, modifications to the curricula

will need to be made periodically if D.A.R.E. is to

remain on the "cutting edge" of drug prevention

programming.=20

To reduce the burden on D.A.R.E. of keeping

officers up-to-date with modifications to the curriculum,

the RTCs should explore novel means to provide officers

with curriculum and teaching updates and to provide

formal in-service training on a periodic basis. One in-

service training method that should be considered is the

use of the Law Enforcement Television Network (LETN).=20

Because a substantial and growing number of police and

sheriffs' departments are linked to this network, it

could be an effective and cost-efficient means of

providing high-quality in-service programming to D.A.R.E.

officers around the country. Ideally, such a system

should be interactive to allow for discussions between

officers and trainers. Another less costly and more

accessible method that could be explored is the use of

videotaped programs to explain and demonstrate changes to

curricula and teaching methods. Still another

alternative is to use an on-line computer billboard to

distribute the latest D.A.R.E. information. This method

could be made available at very low cost to all police

departments with computers and modems. We learned from

the January 1992 D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board

minutes that such a system was being developed by

D.A.R.E. America and indeed may now be in place.

In-service training should clearly not be

restricted to teaching D.A.R.E. officers how to implement

modifications to existing curricula. Such training could

also serve to increase the competence of newly minted

officers over their first semester. Regardless of how

powerful and effective the initial 80-hour introduction

to D.A.R.E. is, D.A.R.E. officers are bound to forget

some of what they have been taught when, 3 months later,

they are teaching one of the final D.A.R.E. lessons for

the first time. One potentially useful device would be

to develop and distribute taped versions of an expert

D.A.R.E. officer delivering the curriculum to real

classrooms, which new officers could be encouraged to

review immediately prior to the first time they teach the

lesson. Such tapes could serve several purposes: to

reinforce the content of what should be taught, to model

how the lesson should be taught, and to teach classroom

management techniques. Each videotape might highlight

dealing with a special problem (e.g., how to generate a

discussion when students tend to be silent; how to draw

out a shy or largely silent child; and how to respond

when a child discloses drug use by a peer, friend, or

family member). Each of these tapes should be relatively

short (or they will not be viewed) but could be followed

by a summary of the key points the officer should keep in

mind in teaching the next lesson. The tapes would also

help ensure that a primary goal of D.A.R.E. be reached--

that lessons be taught uniformly.

Another training issue confronting the RTCs is the

development and maintenance of STCs. As D.A.R.E.

continues to grow=FEand our study has demonstrated that

demand for D.A.R.E. shows no signs of abatement=FEthe RTCs

will become increasingly challenged to meet the training

and monitoring needs of their constituent States. The

development and maintenance of STCs is critical because

the RTCs cannot assume the multiple burdens of training,

mentoring, and monitoring D.A.R.E. officers, as well as

assisting local law enforcement in developing and

maintaining effective ties with school districts. RTC

coordinators indicated that training and monitoring

officers already strain the capacities of the RTCs. We

recommend that sufficient funding be appropriated to

establish and/or maintain an STC in every State. =20

D.A.R.E. officers are not the only D.A.R.E. staff

in need of ongoing training and technical assistance;

several RTC coordinators indicated that many of the State

D.A.R.E. coordinators have a similar need. RTC

coordinators also indicated that State coordinators need

support in developing lines of communication and

authority with local-level law enforcement agencies and

school districts, many of which have been operating with

a fair degree of autonomy or have been used to dealing

directly with the RTCs. It might be helpful if the RTCs

brought together their constituent State coordinators at

least yearly to discover and discuss common needs and

concerns and provide technical assistance to the

coordinators as a group as appropriate. However, the

need will still exist for resources to support individual

consultation between the RTCs and their respective State

coordinators.

As we mentioned earlier, the demand for D.A.R.E. in

school districts that currently lack the program is

likely to be exacerbated by the lack of available

D.A.R.E. officers. Fully 60% of the school districts

indicated that they want either to begin or increase

their use of D.A.R.E. Some of the RTC staff indicated

training may not be able to keep up with the demand for

D.A.R.E. Almost 15% of the drug prevention coordinators

identified lack of sufficient officers as a barrier to

implementing D.A.R.E. This problem was illustrated in

the urban D.A.R.E. school district we visited, where lack

of available officers led to dissatisfaction on the part

of school officials as officers were moved from one

school to another to accommodate demand. Clearly, those

communities in which D.A.R.E. is a high priority but

which lack sufficient D.A.R.E. instructors should provide

greater support to their law enforcement agencies to

recruit and train additional officers. Further, the

surprisingly high prevalence of the relatively new junior

and high school D.A.R.E. curricula suggests that each

community should examine the extent of the perceived need

for each D.A.R.E. curriculum and develop a long-range

plan to identify and fund additional officers as

necessary.

Any substantive curricular changes affecting what,

and especially how, D.A.R.E. officers teach, should be

accompanied by a determined effort to ensure that these

changes are fully reflected in officer behavior in the

classroom. The RTC coordinators clearly stressed the

need for increasing officer monitoring in the field as

well. Monitoring officers, however, is only part of the

task. Adequate resources should also be made available

to allow mentors to work closely with officers whose

performance needs improvement.

Outcome Assessment

The D.A.R.E. outcome assessment, described in

Chapter 7, had four primary objectives. These were

(a) to identify prior studies of D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness

as a drug use prevention program, (b) to assess the

quality and adequacy of the methodologies of these

studies, (c) to summarize D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness based

on this research, and (d) to compare D.A.R.E.'s

effectiveness with that of other school-based drug use

prevention programs.

We focused our assessment on the original D.A.R.E.

core curriculum, which is the heart of the D.A.R.E.

program. We did not include the junior high school,

senior high school, and other D.A.R.E. curricula in the

outcome assessment because they are more recent, not as

prevalent, and generally have yet to be evaluated.=20

Future evaluation efforts should focus on these

curricula, as well as on the revised core curriculum

implemented in September 1994.

Questions that guided the outcome assessment are

discussed in this section.

What were the scope, reliability, and technical quality

of the D.A.R.E.

assessments?

A number of States and smaller localities have been

actively involved in assessing the D.A.R.E. core

curriculum since 1983, when the program was initiated in

Los Angeles. By using multiple sources to identify

studies, we obtained reports of 18 outcome studies in

twelve States and one Canadian province. These studies

collected data from students concerning D.A.R.E.'s

effectiveness in influencing outcomes the curriculum

seeks to change.

We defined a set of methodological criteria to use

in assessing the quality and adequacy of the study

methodologies. The criteria, based on review of the

evaluation methodology literature, were (a) that the

study compared students who received D.A.R.E. to students

in a control or comparison group who did not receive

D.A.R.E.; (b) that outcomes of interest, such as drug

use, were measured both before D.A.R.E. was implemented

and after the program ended; (c) that measures of the

outcomes were constructed so as to ensure reasonable

certainty that they were measured accurately; and

(d) that in the absence of random assignment, the

analysis strategy adjusted for any initial differences on

outcome variables between D.A.R.E. and comparison

students.

Half of the 18 studies met these methodological

criteria; however, one study was not considered further

because the children were tested 1 year later rather than

immediately after the program. That 50% of the studies

were of this technical quality suggests that a high level

of effort has been invested in carefully evaluating

D.A.R.E. Because these studies avoid many of the

problems that commonly undermine evaluation studies,

reasonable confidence can be placed in their findings.=20

Some of the studies exceeded our criteria, for example,

by randomly assigning D.A.R.E. to schools, by analyzing

attrition effects, by statistically adjusting differences

in students' background characteristics, or by using an

analysis strategy appropriate to the research design. We

recommend that these features be incorporated into future

studies.

In assessing the findings of the eight

methodologically rigorous D.A.R.E. studies, it should be

noted that the studies are not a national sample of

representatively selected sites. It is reassuring,

however, that the findings tended to be consistent across

studies, indicating that the conclusions they suggest

about the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. core curriculum

are reliable.

What gaps in the D.A.R.E. assessments merit attention?

Our review of studies suggested several

methodological issues that should be addressed directly

and critically by future studies. These include the

complete and careful reporting of the research design and

results, contamination of the comparison group, the

appropriateness of the analysis strategy, and the control

and analysis of attrition.

Although most of the studies we reviewed documented

the research procedures and methods, some did not provide

sufficient detail. Thorough documentation is needed for

assessing and interpreting the results; information was

most often lacking in the description of the study

sample. In addition to the exact sample sizes of the

D.A.R.E. and comparison groups, sociodemographic

information such as whether recipients live in urban,

suburban, or rural areas, their racial/ethnic

composition, and their SES, should all be reported. This

information is needed for assessing the degree to which

study results may be generalized. It also can be used to

test whether D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness varies by

characteristics of the sample. For example, is D.A.R.E.

equally effective among inner-city, suburban, and rural

students and among white, African American, and Hispanic

students? Almost none of the studies we reviewed made

these sorts of assessments. Sociodemographic information

also is relevant when making comparisons between studies

(as we did between D.A.R.E. and other school-based drug

use prevention programs) in order to assess the

similarity of the recipients of programs being compared.

An issue related to the completeness of reporting

is the need for reports of research to be accessible to

all those interested in D.A.R.E., including sponsors,

educators, parents, police officers, other researchers,

and concerned citizens. Most of the studies we

identified were not reported in the published literature,

and therefore are not easily accessible. It is vitally

important that reports be made quickly and widely

available. As we have suggested earlier, we recommend

that a library of D.A.R.E. evaluation reports and

associated summaries of key findings be maintained by the

D.A.R.E. America RTC Advisory Board. The extensive

communication channels between local, state, and national

D.A.R.E. entities should facilitate the prompt

identification and dissemination of evaluation studies.

One of the most important methodological issues

raised by our review is the potential contamination of

the control group by exposure to D.A.R.E. or to other

drug use prevention programs. Although none of the

comparison groups in the methodologically rigorous

D.A.R.E. studies was exposed to D.A.R.E. between pretest

and immediate posttest, contamination was an issue for

some studies conducting longer-term evaluations. This

contributed to our inability to evaluate D.A.R.E.'s

effectiveness beyond immediate posttest. Ironically,

contamination is particularly problematic for D.A.R.E.

evaluations because of the rapid dissemination of the

program and because of the various curricula now

prevalent for students at different grade levels. It is

increasingly possible, for example, for a control group

not receiving the D.A.R.E. core curriculum to receive the

junior high school curriculum, effectively reducing its

utility as a control group.

A larger, but more subtle comparison group problem

is that the prevalence of school-based drug use

prevention programs in general makes it virtually

impossible to find a true "no treatment" control group.=20

Hence, when comparing D.A.R.E. to another drug education

program, effectiveness is determined on a comparative

rather than an absolute basis. For example, a finding of

little difference in effectiveness may indicate that both

programs are effective rather than that D.A.R.E. is of

limited effectiveness or both programs are ineffective.=20

None of the studies we reviewed indicated whether the

control group received any drug use prevention

programming, much less provided information about it.=20

Future studies should describe any prevention

interventions being delivered to the comparison group and

discuss the implications for the results.

An increasingly recognized methodological concern

in the evaluation of school-based interventions is the

importance of following an analysis strategy that is

appropriate to the study design (Moskowitz, 1993; Murray

& Hannan, 1990). Only two of the methodologically

rigorous studies addressed this issue in the statistical

analyses. When D.A.R.E. is assigned by schools, which is

usually the case, or by classrooms rather than by

individuals, the analysis strategy must take into account

the correlations among students in the same school or

classroom. This requires performing analyses at the

aggregate level (e.g., through comparison of school or

classroom means) or by statistically correcting for

within-school or within-classroom correlations. Analyses

that do not account for the correlations among subjects

tend to underestimate the variability in outcomes across

schools and therefore overstate the statistical

significance of treatment effects (i.e., the difference

between the D.A.R.E. and control schools). Because

statistical significance is often used as an indicator of

effectiveness, this can artificially inflate the effects

and thus unfairly bias interpretation of the results.

Related to this issue is the need for sufficiently

large samples to provide adequate statistical power for

detecting significant differences between D.A.R.E. and

comparison groups. Most of the D.A.R.E. studies reviewed

had large numbers of students. However, because the

sample of interest, as described above, usually revolves

around schools as opposed to students, it is important

that sample size determinations in future studies be

based on analysis of the number of schools needed in

treatment and control conditions.

The final methodological issue raised by our review

of studies concerns the careful control and analysis of

study attrition. Attrition can affect both the external

and internal validity of the study. Attrition rates were

usually reported in the D.A.R.E. studies selected for

review. However, data on demographic and pretest

differences in drug use and other predictor measures

between those who remained in and those who dropped out

of the study were less frequently reported. Attrition

analyses can reveal whether subjects who were lost to

follow-up disproportionately represent drug users or

those at risk of drug use. When this is the case, it

compromises the external validity of the study by

limiting the population to which the study results may be

generalized. When differential attrition occurs by

experimental condition, for example, such that a larger

proportion of drug users is lost from the intervention

than the control group, the internal validity of the

study is undermined. That is, the extent to which either

positive or negative outcomes can be attributed to the

intervention is limited.

We recommend that all future D.A.R.E. evaluations

not only meet, but also exceed each of the methodological

criteria used for our review by addressing these

methodological issues. Specifically, in addition to

meeting the criteria used for this review, we recommend

that studies report sample demographics, draw a sample

with sufficient statistical power to detect differences

in outcomes, use an analysis strategy appropriate to the

way D.A.R.E. is assigned, minimize attrition, and analyze

differential attrition across treatment groups. In

addition, we strongly recommend the use of an

experimental research design, in which schools are

randomly assigned to either D.A.R.E. or control

conditions. It is probably insufficient to assign

classrooms at random within schools, because the

activities of D.A.R.E. officers outside the classroom may

affect (or "contaminate") other classes. Although there

frequently are difficulties inherent in using an

experimental design, results from experimental studies

always will be subject to fewer questions about validity

than those of quasi-experimental studies. A small set of

the D.A.R.E. evaluations studies we reviewed used an

experimental study design and incorporated other

methodological features into the design. This level of

rigor is needed if future D.A.R.E. evaluation research is

to contribute further to knowledge about D.A.R.E.'s

effectiveness.

What overall assessment of D.A.R.E. do the study findings

suggest?

As described in Chapter 7, we used meta-analytic

techniques to synthesize and assess the findings of eight

methodologically rigorous studies of the original

D.A.R.E. core curriculum. Our approach required

calculating individual study effect sizes for drug use

and other outcomes targeted by the core curriculum and

then averaging effect sizes across studies. Effect sizes

facilitate comparing and summarizing results across

studies because they transform the results of the

studies, which may have been derived from a wide variety

of statistical tests, to a common metric. Hence, in

terms of statistical output, the results of one study are

comparable with those of another study. Furthermore,

effect sizes are a more useful indicator of effectiveness

than comparing whether results are statistically

significant from one study to another. This is because

statistical significance can be influenced by such

factors as sample size and analysis strategy, making

comparisons problematic.

The magnitude of the effect sizes, when considered

both within each study and averaged across studies,

indicated that D.A.R.E. was most effective at immediate

posttest in increasing knowledge about drug use and in

enhancing social skills. The average effect sizes

reported for these outcomes were statistically

significant and larger than for other outcomes. It is

consistent with other meta-analyses for the largest

effect sizes to be associated with knowledge change,

supporting the general observation that knowledge is more

amenable to change than attitudes or behavior. Averaged

across studies, D.A.R.E. also had statistically

significant effects on attitudes about drugs, attitude

toward the police, and self-esteem. The effect sizes

were smaller, however, than for knowledge and social

skills, indicating fewer meaningful changes in these

areas.

The smallest immediate effect sizes were for drug

use (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana separately and

averaged together), and except for tobacco use, none was

statistically significant. In interpreting the small

magnitude of D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness with respect to

drug use behavior, it is important to note that the

immediate effect sizes may reflect, at least in part, the

relatively low frequency of drug use by the elementary

school pupils targeted by the original core curriculum.=20

The effect sizes probably also reflect the short time

interval from pretest to immediate posttest for behavior

change to occur. D.A.R.E. was more effective at

influencing factors believed to mediate drug use. It is

most noteworthy that D.A.R.E. had positive effects on

social skills because it is widely believed that children

with greater social competencies are more able to resist

social pressures to use drugs. Long-term impact of

D.A.R.E., therefore, may result from D.A.R.E.'s immediate

impact on social skills. As described earlier, few

longer-term longitudinal studies have been conducted, and

some have been compromised by contamination of the

control group. However, based on two experimental

studies for which reliable information 1 and 2 years

after implementation is available, there is no evidence

that D.A.R.E.'s effects are activated when subjects are

older (Clayton et al., 1991b; Ennett et al., 1994). Most

long-term evaluations of drug use prevention programs

have shown that curriculum effects decay rather than

appear or increase with time (Ellickson et al., 1993;

Murray et al., 1989).

Future D.A.R.E. evaluation studies should continue

to assess drug use, attitudes about drug use, social

skills, and attitude toward police. Drug use indicators

should include tobacco (cigarettes and smokeless

tobacco), alcohol (particularly beer, wine, and wine

coolers), and marijuana. In addition, use of inhalants

and any other drugs that are locally prevalent should be

monitored. It is also important to continue to measure

outcomes targeted by the D.A.R.E. curriculum, such as

social skills, that are believed to indirectly influence

drug use. This requires linking outcome measures to

specific objectives addressed by the various lessons of

the curriculum. These data are needed for measuring a

variety of potentially important program effects other

than drug use behavior, and for testing assumptions about

the means by which the D.A.R.E. curriculum influences

drug use.=20

For maximal usefulness, we further recommend that

effect sizes be routinely reported with the study results

to facilitate comparison both to the results of this

meta-analysis and those of future studies. As

demonstrated by this meta-analysis, effect sizes can be

readily calculated from a variety of statistical tests,

so this should not place an undue burden on researchers.

When the results of future D.A.R.E. evaluation

studies become available, they should be carefully

studied and compared with the results of the studies

reviewed here. As we recommended earlier, the D.A.R.E.

America RTC Advisory Board could coordinate periodic

reviews of the evaluations. It is likely that ongoing

review of evaluation results will suggest areas where the

curriculum might need modification.

How well does D.A.R.E. address drug involvement by youth

in general?

The effect sizes discussed above indicate the

extent to which the original D.A.R.E. core curriculum

influenced drug use by youth and other outcomes at

immediate posttest. To put the D.A.R.E. results in

context, we compared D.A.R.E.'s effectiveness with that

of other school-based drug use prevention programs to

determine whether D.A.R.E. had greater, smaller, or

similar effects. Hence, we compared the average D.A.R.E.

effect sizes for drug use, knowledge, attitudes, and

skills to average effect sizes calculated for other

methodologically strong school-based drug use prevention

programs. We restricted the comparison programs to those

for upper elementary school pupils to make the

comparisons most meaningful.

We compared D.A.R.E. to two broad categories of

prevention programs, namely "interactive" and

"noninteractive" programs (Tobler, in press, 1994).=20

These two program categories cover most types of current

school-based prevention efforts described in Chapter 2.=20

Interactive programs generally are the same as the social

competence programs described in that chapter. These

programs represent the most recent advances in drug use

prevention strategies, and emphasize social competencies

and interactive teaching methods. Noninteractive

programs generally include knowledge and affective

programs, also described in Chapter 2. These programs

represent earlier approaches to drug education that

emphasize changing knowledge and attitudes about drug use

through more traditional learning styles. Interestingly,

D.A.R.E. shares similarities with both noninteractive and

interactive programs. The original core curriculum was

developed when prevention efforts were in transition

between noninteractive programs (knowledge and affective

education programs) and the emergence of interactive

programs (these emphasizing social influence).

Average D.A.R.E. immediate effect sizes were

greater, except for drug use, than the comparable average

effect sizes for noninteractive programs. The D.A.R.E.

effect sizes were smaller, however, than the effect sizes

for interactive programs. For drug use, the average

effect size for interactive programs was three times

greater than the average D.A.R.E. effect size; for social

skills, four times greater than for D.A.R.E.; and for

attitudes, three times greater.

Interactive programs have been shown to be the most

promising drug use prevention programs; noninteractive

programs generally have been shown to be less effective

(Botvin, 1990; Bruvold, 1993; Bruvold & Rundall, 1988;

Tobler, 1986, in press, 1994). Because D.A.R.E. shares

features of both interactive and noninteractive programs,

it is perhaps not surprising that the effect sizes we

reported should fall somewhere between.

In Chapter 7, we described several methodological

reasons that could help account for the differences in

effect sizes between the D.A.R.E. studies and the

interactive comparison programs. These included the

possibility that the control groups in the D.A.R.E.

studies were exposed to some sort of alternative drug

education programs, whereas the control groups for the

various interactive studies were not. Another possibil-

ity is that because the interactive programs were

primarily university research-based evaluation studies,

the evaluations--and programs themselves--may have been

more stringently implemented and more closely monitored.=20

Under these conditions, greater effectiveness might be

expected than in real-world conditions, such as those

surrounding D.A.R.E. Other possibilities include factors

that may have varied across the intervention programs and

associated evaluation studies that contributed to the

observed differences in effect sizes. For example,

substantial variation in characteristics of the studients

(e.g., in race/ethnicity), features of the interventions

(e.g., variations in program intensity), and features of

the research design (e.g., experimental versus quasi-

experimental design) could have contributed to

differences in program effects. Such possibilities could

not be tested because of the small number of studies.=20

Further testing is warranted when larger samples of

D.A.R.E. and comparison studies are available.

It is also important to consider substantive

reasons that could account for the differences. Possible

explanations include the content of the original core

curriculum, the use of law enforcement officers as

instructors, and the more didactic approach of the

instruction. Consideration of each of these explanations

suggests areas for future research and possibly for

programmatic change.

As we have indicated, D.A.R.E.'s curriculum content

has similarities with both noninteractive and interactive

programs, although it has more of an intrapersonal focus

than most interactive programs and, conversely, more of a

skills focus than most noninteractive programs. Perhaps

greater emphasis in the D.A.R.E. core curriculum on

social influences, and less emphasis on affective

factors, might result in effect sizes nearer to those

reported from interactive programs. However, it is

difficult to speculate on the effect of altering the

D.A.R.E. curriculum by adding or subtracting particular

lessons. Most evaluations of school-based prevention

programs have assessed the effectiveness of overall

programs rather than of the various program components or

combinations of components. Future research in this area

might suggest particular curriculum changes.

D.A.R.E. instruction offers another possible area

of explanation for D.A.R.E.'s relatively poorer

performance compared with interactive programs. Although

instruction by police officers is the sine qua non of the

D.A.R.E. curriculum, their effectiveness may be less than

other possible program providers. For example, despite

the extensive D.A.R.E. training received by law

enforcement officers, they may not be as well equipped to

lead the curriculum as classroom teachers are. No

studies have been reported in which the D.A.R.E.

curriculum was offered by anyone other than a police

officer; examination of the results from such a study

might suggest whether police officers are as effective as

other possible instructors.

Regardless of the leader, however, the generally

more traditional teaching style used by D.A.R.E. has not

been shown to be as effective as an interactive teaching

mode (Tobler, 1986, in press, 1994). Traditional

didactic approaches that involve teachers delivering

information, with little response from students, are

increasingly recognized as undesirable. More effective

are strategies that engage students in a dialogue with

the teacher; more effective still are cooperative or

participatory learning approaches in which the teacher

serves as a facilitator or catalyst to generate

discussions and other interactions among students.=20

Although some D.A.R.E. activities encourage pupil

interaction, the original core curriculum relies heavily

on the officer as expert and makes frequent use of

lectures and question-answer sessions between the officer

and pupils. In fact, it is in teaching style, not

curriculum content, that D.A.R.E. differs most from the

interactive programs examined by Tobler. In the revised

D.A.R.E. core curriculum, there is greater emphasis on

such cooperative learning experiences. We recommend that

the D.A.R.E. training programs urge officers to employ

more interactive methods and provide specific guidance on

how they can do so.

What are the intended and unintended consequences of

D.A.R.E.'s approach to

drug abuse prevention?

None of the studies we reviewed examined

consequences of the D.A.R.E. program, either intended or

unintended, other than those related directly to the

curriculum. However, a number of consequences can be

envisioned. These include effects related to other

behaviors than drug use (e.g., effects on violent and

delinquent behavior). More likely, perhaps, may be

consequences related to the relationship that develops

between the D.A.R.E. officers and students, which may in

turn have positive consequences for police and community

relations in general. Research indicates that the

effects on police officers through their exposure to

students and the problems they face may also be

substantial and beneficial (D.A.R.E. Southeast Regional

Training Center, 1992). It is possible, in fact, that

some of D.A.R.E.'s most important effects are related to

the relations between students and police officers. The

studies we reviewed provided little insight into these

areas. This suggests the importance of research to

explore other consequences related to D.A.R.E.'s approach

to drug use prevention.

Conclusion

As might be expected of an institution as large as

D.A.R.E., our implementation and outcome assessments

present an array of findings and raise a number of issues

deserving of consideration by the D.A.R.E. organization

and all those concerned with this program. Perhaps most

prominently, the findings show a program that has been

extremely successful at placing drug education in our

Nation's schools. Indeed, D.A.R.E. is now implemented in

the majority of school districts in the country and is

expected to grow substantially in coming years. At the

same time, however, as our findings confirm D.A.R.E.'s

prevalence and popularity, they also suggest that the

original D.A.R.E. core curriculum has not been as

successful in accomplishing its mission to prevent drug

use among fifth and sixth graders as have interactive

programs. Review of the rigorous evaluations of the

original core curriculum, the heart of D.A.R.E., showed

that D.A.R.E. had only limited immediate effects on

students' drug use. Although the curriculum was more

successful in influencing other outcomes, such as social

skills, more work is needed to make D.A.R.E. more

effective as a drug use prevention program.

Given D.A.R.E.'s strengths, the task of increasing

the effectiveness of the core curriculum is feasible.=20

D.A.R.E. has achieved its accomplishments to date through

building a complex and solid organizational structure

that reaches from local to national levels, by forging

close partnerships between education and law enforcement,

and by winning substantial community support for the

program. In no other program of this magnitude have

school districts welcomed into the classroom outsiders

who lack traditional educational credentials to replace

teachers as instructors of a major curriculum. These

resources, as well as the dedication of the D.A.R.E.

officers in the classroom, should enable D.A.R.E. to move

forward more effectively to meet the challenges of drug

use prevention. In this final section of our assessment,

we briefly recapitulate our major findings and

recommendations.

=20

D.A.R.E. 's prevalence. D.A.R.E. is now

implemented in over half the school districts in the

country and is expected to grow substantially in the

coming years. Because it is least prevalent in small and

rural school districts, we believe that ways for these

school districts to increase access to D.A.R.E. should be

examined.

=20

D.A.R.E. 's organization. D.A.R.E. is at once

both hierarchical and community-based. Although it is

carefully controlled, monitored, and overseen at the

national, regional, and State levels, it is also very

much a grass-roots movement, dependent on local

initiatives to form partnerships and secure support. At

the State level and above, we suggest that sufficient

resources be made available to support this burgeoning

organization to ensure adequate authority, communication,

technical assistance, and oversight. At the local level,

we believe that alternative sources of support should be

explored so that D.A.R.E. can be freed as much as

possible from dependence on public funds. =20

=20

D.A.R.E. 's partnership with education. Law

enforcement's relationship with education is the

cornerstone of D.A.R.E. We believe that at all levels a

variety of mechanisms could be instituted to strengthen

this critical partnership. This includes improving

methods for co-teaching D.A.R.E. at the local level, as

well as increasing where possible the already

multifaceted involvement of D.A.R.E. officers in school

life. We also suggest ensuring adequate representation

on advisory boards by staff of departments of education

at the State and national levels.

=20

Popular support for D.A.R.E. Anecdotal evidence

of grass-roots support for D.A.R.E. is abundant and is

fully confirmed in our study. School-based drug

prevention coordinators tended to rate school staff's

attitudes toward D.A.R.E. as well as those of students,

the parents, and the community as very supportive. The

D.A.R.E. curriculum and students' receptivity to the

program, and perhaps most important, D.A.R.E.'s effects

on students were rated as very satisfactory. This

persuasive evidence suggests that whatever modifications

and enhancements may be made to the D.A.R.E. curriculum

and how the program is taught, D.A.R.E.'s organization

and structure at the local level is sound and should be

preserved.

=20

The original D.A.R.E. core curricula. Drug

prevention coordinators' endorsements of D.A.R.E.'s

positive effects on students are generally not supported

by the results of the methodologically sound short-term

evaluations of the original D.A.R.E. core curriculum we

summarized. As indicated earlier, D.A.R.E. demonstrated

somewhat greater effects than those of didactic

school-based drug prevention methods that are based on

affective approaches, but considerably fewer effects than

those of interactive methods that use social influence

approaches.

Because D.A.R.E. already incorporates many

interactive features, we believe that appropriate

modifications can be made both to the core curriculum and

to the way D.A.R.E. is taught that are well within the

context of the institution as a whole. These

modifications should be made periodically (perhaps every

2 years), as refinements are suggested by evaluations of

drug prevention programs in general, and of D.A.R.E. inparticular. We comm=

end

D.A.R.E. for convening a

Scientific Advisory Committee that comprises drug

prevention specialists who will review relevant drug

prevention research findings and make recommendations

concerning improvements to the curricula.=20

In conclusion, D.A.R.E. represents an institution

that is unique in the area of drug use prevention: a

partnership between law enforcement and education that

has the substantial support of children, parents, and the

community at large. Not unexpectedly, along with this

highly visible profile come high expectations. Our

report demonstrates D.A.R.E.'s success in meeting many of

these expectations, as well as challenges that lie ahead.=20

Key to the continued growth of D.A.R.E. will be careful

monitoring of the effectiveness of the various curricula,

coupled with the willingness to make and assess

modifications that could enhance effectiveness. D.A.R.E.

has already demonstrated its responsiveness to change by

the introduction of new curricula, revisions to the core

curriculum, and expanded roles for D.A.R.E. officers.=20

Equally important to D.A.R.E.'s viability will be its

continued coordination of the roles and responsibilities

of the many D.A.R.E. players. In both of these efforts,

we recommend that D.A.R.E. seek to strengthen its

partnerships with individuals and institutions outside

its bounds. The advice, support, and perspectives of

those who are not part of the D.A.R.E. structure but who

are equally committed to drug use prevention will enhance

the vitality and integrity of the program. We believe

these efforts will result in a program that maintains its

unique identity and place in drug education, while

meeting more effectively the challenge of reducing drug

use among youth.

APPENDIX A

SAMPLING FOR SCHOOL DISTRICT DRUG

PREVENTION COORDINATORS SURVEY

Exhibit A.1 Number of School Districts in Sampling Frame,

by Region, Urbanicity, SES, Minority Status,

and District Size

Stratification Variables N%

Minority Status

High 4,02327.3

Low 10,692 72.7

14,715100.0

SES

High 10,79473.4

Low 3,921 26.6

14,715100.0

Urbanicity

Urban/suburban 5,22635.5

Rural 9,489 64.5

14,715100.0

District size

Small 7,34749.9

Large 7,368 50.1

14,715100.0

Region

East 3,15221.4

Southeast 9636.5

Midwest 4,75932.4

Southwest 3,41923.2

West 2,422 16.5

14,715100.0

Exhibit A.2 Number of School Districts in Each Stratum for the Samplin=

g

Frame

=

=20

Region

East Southeast =

=20

MidwestSouthwest West

Minor-

ity District Urban/ Urban/ =

=20

Urban/ Urban/=20

Urban/

SES Status Size Suburban Rural Suburban Rural =

=20

Suburban Rural Suburban

Rural Suburban Rural

High High Small 90 95 6 20 =

117=20

154 14

105 27 80

Large 119 248 10 33 =

172=20

422 50

279 56 246

Low Small 509 438 63 229 =

479=20

858 276

817 281 419

Large 473 333 73 277 =

464=20

781 240

742 292 407

Low High Small 75 22 21 92 =

63=20

94 4298=20

60 39

Large 157 90 21 45 =

160=20

169 92

191 77 72

Low Small 152 194 15 35 =

191=20

422 56

298 70 231

Large 78 79 2 21 =

55=20

158 11

108 17 48

Exhibit A.3 First-Phase Sample Allocation by Region,

Urbanicity, SES, Minority Status, and

District Size

Stratification Variables N%

Minority Status

High 41027.3

Low 1,090 72.7

1,500100.0

SES

High 1,10173.4

Low 399 26.6

1,500100.0

Urbanicity

Urban/suburban 53435.6

Rural 966 64.4

1,500100.0

District Size

Small 75050.0

Large 750 50.0

1,500100.0

Region

East 32121.4

Southeast 1006.7

Midwest 48532.3

Southwest 34623.1

West 248 16.5

1,500100.0

Exhibit A.4 First-Phase Sample Allocation, by Each Stratum

=

=20

Region

East Southeast =

=20

MidwestSouthwest West

Minor-

ity District Urban/ Urban/ =

=20

Urban/ Urban/=20

Urban/

SES Status Size Suburban Rural Suburban Rural =

=20

Suburban Rural Suburban

Rural Suburban Rural

High High Small 9 10 2 2 =

12=20

16 211=20

3 8

Large 12 25 2 3 =

18=20

43 528=20

6 25

Low Small 52 45 6 23 =

49=20

87 2783=20

29 43

Large 48 34 7 28 =

47=20

80 2476=20

30 41

Low High Small 8 2 2 9 =

=20

6 10 410=20

6 4

Large 16 9 2 5 =

16=20

17 819=20

8 7

Low Small 15 20 2 4 =

19=20

43 630=20

7 24

Large 8 8 1 2 =

=20

6 16 211=20

2 5

Exhibit A.5 First-Phase Sample, by Region and D.A.R.E.

Status1

East Southeast Midwest Southwest=20

West Total

N % N % N % N %N%

N %

D.A.R.E. 180 56.0 46 51.7 182 37.5 124 35.3=20

114 44.9646 43.0

No 138 43.0 43 48.3 174 35.9 144 41.0=20

95 37.4594 40.0

D.A.R.E.

Unknown 3 1.0 0 0.0 129 26.6 83 23.7=20

45 17.7260 17.0

D.A.R.E.

Status

Total 321 100.0 89 100.0 485 100.0 351 100.0=20

254 100.01500 100.0

1Based on data provided by State D.A.R.E. coordinators.

Exhibit A.6 Second-Phase Sample Allocation, by Region

and D.A.R.E. Status1

East Southeast Midwest Southwest=20

West Total

N % N % N % N %N%

N %

D.A.R.E. 60 56.0 15 50.0 61 37.7 41 35.3=20

38 44.7215 43.0

No D.A.R.E. 46 43.0 15 50.0 59 36.4 48 41.4=20

32 37.6200 40.0

Unknow 1 1.0 0 0.0 42 25.9 27 23.8=20

15 17.7 85 17.0

D.A.R.E.

Status

Total 107 100.0 30 100.0 162 100.0 116 100.0=20

85 100.0500 100.0

1Based on data provided by State D.A.R.E. coordinators.

Appendix B

Individual Study Descriptions

Brief descriptions of the eight methodologically rigorous studies

selected for the meta-analysis are given below in

alphabetical order by the location of the study. The

research design, sample size and characteristics, and

results for drug use knowledge, attitudes about drug use,

social skills, self-esteem, attitude toward police, and

drug use behavior are reported. Additional information

and greater detail about the study methodologies and

results are available in the reports or papers issued by

each study.

1.British Columbia

The British Columbia evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Walker, 1990) used a

quasi-experimental design in which seven schools were

assigned to receive D.A.R.E. and four schools with

similar demographic characteristics were selected for the

comparison condition. The study administered an

anonymous pretest and immediate posttest; assessed

pretest equivalence on some demographic variables and all

outcome variables; and controlled for pretest values on

outcome variables by analyzing change scores at the

aggregate level. The sample included 463 fifth-, sixth-,

and seventh-grade pupils. No information was given on

the ethnic composition of the sample.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had a statistically significant

effect on subjects' knowledge about drugs. D.A.R.E. did

not have a statistically significant effect on attitudes

about drug use or on drug use behavior (use of tobacco,

beer, pop, marijuana, acid, valium, wine, aspirin,

uppers, downers, heroin, crack, liquor, candy, glue, and

PCP).

2. Hawaii

The Hawaii evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Manos, Kameoka, & Tanji, 1986)

used a quasi-experimental research design in which 23

schools were assigned to either D.A.R.E. or comparison

conditions. In three other schools, some classrooms were

assigned to D.A.R.E. and other classrooms to the

comparison condition; data from these comparison

classrooms were not included in our analysis. The study

administered a pretest and immediate posttest; matched

subjects from pretest to posttest; used some measures

that were standardized scales or derived from existing

measures; and controlled for pretest values on outcome

variables. The sample included 2,009 fifth-grade pupils

(not including the pupils in comparison classrooms in the

D.A.R.E. schools). No information was given on the

ethnic composition of the sample. Attrition was not

analyzed but was approximately 6%.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had a statistically significant

effect in the desired direction on one social skills

indicator (choices in a risk situation). D.A.R.E. did

not have statistically significant effects on another

social skills indicator (assertiveness) or on subjects'

attitudes about drug use.

3. Illinois-C

The Illinois-C evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Ennett, Rosenbaum,

Flewelling, Bieler, Ringwalt, & Bailey, 1994) used both

an experimental and quasi-experimental design: 12 pairs

of schools serving urban and suburban areas were randomly

assigned to D.A.R.E. and control conditions, while 6

pairs serving rural areas were assigned using a nonrandom

procedure. The study matched schools on metropolitan

status, ethnic composition, number of students with

English proficiency, and percentage of pupils from low-

income families; administered a pretest and three

posttests (immediately, 1 year, and 2 years after

implementation); matched subjects from pretest to

posttest; used measures that were standardized scales or

derived from existing measures; controlled for pretest

values on outcome variables and initial nonequivalence

between the comparison groups; adjusted for school

effects with a nested cohort strategy; and assessed

attrition. The sample included 1,323 subjects who were

fifth and sixth graders at pretest; 54% were white, 22%

were African American, 9% Hispanic, and 15% were American

Indian, Asian American, or "other." The attrition rate

over the three posttests was 26% and did not differ

across experimental conditions.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had statistically significant

effects in the desired direction on subjects' self-

esteem, attitude toward police, and increased use of

cigarettes at immediate posttest. D.A.R.E. did not have

statistically significant effects on subjects' attitudes

about drugs (general attitude toward drugs, attitude

toward use of specific drugs, perceived benefits of

cigarette use and alcohol use; perceived costs of

cigarette use and alcohol use; perceived media influence

on smoking and beer drinking); social skills

(assertiveness and peer refusal skills); or on other drug

use behavior (initiation of alcohol, cigarettes, or heavy

drinking; increased use of alcohol or heavy drinking; or

quitting alcohol).

4. Kentucky-A

The Kentucky-A evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Clayton, Cattarello, Day,

& Walden, 1991a; Clayton, Cattarello, & Walden, 1991b)

used an experimental design employing random assignment

of 31 schools to either D.A.R.E. or control conditions.=20

The study administered a pretest and three posttests

(immediately, 1 year, and 2 years after implementation);

matched subjects from pretest to posttest; used measures

that were standardized scales or derived from existing

measures; controlled for pretest values on outcome

variables and initial nonequivalence between the

comparison groups; and assessed attrition. The sample

included 1,925 subjects who were sixth graders at

pretest; 76% were white and 21% were African American.=20

The attrition rate over the three posttests was

approximately 21% and did not differ across experimental

conditions.

The results showed that, at immediate posttest, D.A.R.E. had

statistically significant effects in the desired

direction on some indicators of subjects' attitudes about

drugs (general attitudes about drugs and negative

attitudes about alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana).=20

D.A.R.E. did not have statistically significant effects

at immediate posttest on other indicators of subjects'

attitudes about drug use (positive attitudes about

alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana), social skills, self-

esteem, or drug use behavior (use of alcohol, cigarettes,

and marijuana).

5. Kentucky-B

The Kentucky-B evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Faine & Bohlander 1988,

1989) used a quasi-experimental research design in which

16 schools, stratified by school type (rural, inner-city,

suburban, and parochial), were randomly selected among

schools assigned to receive D.A.R.E. immediately or at a

later semester (a delayed intervention comparison group).=20

The study administered a pretest and two posttests

(immediately and one year after implementation); matched

subjects from pretest to posttest; used measures that

were standardized scales or derived from existing

measures; and controlled for pretest values on outcome

variables and type of school. The sample in the first

year included 783 fifth-grade pupils; sample demographic

characteristics were not given. Attrition information

was not given. By year 2, all the comparison groups had

received the D.A.R.E. program.

The immediate posttest results showed that D.A.R.E. had

statistically significant effects in the desired

direction on subjects' knowledge about drugs, attitudes

about drug use, social skills, self-esteem, and attitude

toward police.

6. Minnesota

The Minnesota evaluation of D.A.R.E. (McCormick & McCormick,

1992) used a quasi-experimental research design in which

D.A.R.E. was implemented by semester in 63 schools;

random samples of D.A.R.E. participants and pupils who

would receive D.A.R.E. in the next semester (a delayed

intervention comparison group) were drawn. The study

administered a pretest and immediate posttest; matched

subjects from pretest to posttest; used measures that

were standardized scales or derived from existing

measures; assessed pretest equivalence on selected

demographic variables; and controlled for pretest values

on outcome variables. The sample included 943 fifth

graders; 62% of the D.A.R.E. group participants were

white; 18% Asian Americans, 12% African American, and 7%

Native American or Hispanic (demographic information on

the comparison group was not given). The attrition rate

was 9%.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had a statistically significant

effect in the desired direction on subjects' knowledge

about drugs. D.A.R.E. did not have statistically

significant effects on subjects' attitudes about drug

use, social skills, self-esteem, or attitude toward

police.

7. North Carolina

The North Carolina evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Ringwalt, Ennett, &

Holt, 1991) used an experimental research design

employing random assignment of 20 schools to either

D.A.R.E. or control conditions. The study administered a

pretest and immediate posttest; matched subjects from

pretest to posttest; used measures that were standardized

scales or derived from existing measures; controlled for

pretest values on outcome variables and initial

nonequivalence between the comparison groups; adjusted

for school effects; and assessed attrition. The sample

included 1,270 fifth- and sixth-grade students; 50% were

African American, 40% were white, and 10% were American

Indian, Asian American, or Hispanic. The attrition rate

was 9% and did not differ across experimental conditions.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had statistically significant

effects in the desired direction on subjects' attitudes

about drugs (general attitude toward drugs, attitude

toward use of specific drugs, perceived peer attitude

toward drug use, perceived costs of using alcohol and

cigarettes, and perceptions of the media portrayal of

beer drinking and cigarette smoking) and social skills

(assertiveness). D.A.R.E. did not have statistically

significant effects on subjects' drug use behavior

(alcohol, cigarettes, or inhalant use).

8. South Carolina

The South Carolina evaluation of D.A.R.E. (Harmon, 1993) used a

quasi-experimental research design in which five schools

were assigned to receive D.A.R.E. and six schools matched

on demographic characteristics were selected for the

comparison condition. The study administered a pretest

and immediate posttest; matched subjects from pretest to

posttest; used measures that were standardized scales or

derived from existing measures; controlled for pretest

values on outcome variables and initial nonequivalence

between the comparison groups; and assessed attrition.=20

The sample included 602 fifth-grade pupils. The

attrition rate was 13.5% in the D.A.R.E. group and 16.3%

in the comparison groups.

The results showed that D.A.R.E. had statistically significant

effects in the desired direction on subjects' attitudes

about drugs, social skills (assertiveness), and

initiation of alcohol use in the past year. D.A.R.E. did

not have statistically significant effects on subjects'

self-esteem, attitude toward police, or other drug use

behavior indicators (previous year tobacco and marijuana

use, and previous month cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana

use).

Appendix C

Bibliography of Comparison Program Evaluations

Allison, K., Silver, G., & Dignam, C. (in press).=20

Effects on students of teacher training in use of a

drug education curriculum. Journal of Drug

Education.

Dielman, T., Shope, J., Butchart, A., & Campanelli, P.=20

(1986). Prevention of adolescent alcohol misuse:=20

An elementary school program. Journal of Pediatric

Psychology, 11, 259-281.

Dielman, T., Shope, J., Campanelli, P., & Butchart, A.=20

(1987). Elementary school-based prevention of

adolescent alcohol misuse. Pediatrician:=20

International Journal of Child and Adolescent

Health, 14, 70-76.

Dielman, T., Shope, J., Leech, S., & Butchart, A.=20

(1989). Differential effectiveness of an

elementary school-based alcohol misuse prevention

program. Journal of School Health, 59, 255-262.

Dubois, R., Hostelter, M., Tosti-Vasey, J., & Swisher. J.=20

(1989). Program report and evaluation: 1988-1989

school year. Unpublished report. Philadelphia,

PA: Corporate Alliance for Drug Education. =20

Flay, B., Koepke, D., Thomson, S., Santi, S., Best, J., &

Brown, S. (1989). Six-year follow-up of the first

Waterloo school smoking prevention trial. American

Journal of Public Health, 79, 1371-1376.

Flay, B., Ryan, K., Best, J., Brown, K., Kersell, M.,

d'Avernas, J., & Zanna, M. (1983). Cigarette

smoking: Why young people do it and ways of

preventing it. In P. McGrath & P. Firestone

(Eds.), Pediatric and adolescent behavioral

medicine (pp. 132-183). New York: Springer-

Verlag.

Flay, B., Ryan, K., Best, J., Brown, K., Kersell, M.,

d'Avernas, J., & Zanna, M. (1985). Are social

psychological smoking prevention programs

effective? The Waterloo study. Journal of

Behavioral Medicine, 8, 37-59.

Gersick, K., Grady, K., & Snow, D. (1988). Social-

cognitive development with sixth graders and its

initial impact on substance use. Journal of Drug

Education, 18, 55-70.

Gilchrist, L., Schinke, S., Trimble, J., & Cvetkovich, G.=20

(1987). Skills enhancement to prevent substance

abuse among American Indian adolescents.=20

International Journal of the Addictions, 22, 869-

879.

Johnson, C., Graham, J., Hansen, W., Flay, B., McGuigan,

K., & Gee, M. (1987). Project Smart after three

years: An assessment of sixth-grade and multiple-

grade implementations. Unpublished report.=20

Pasadena, CA: University of Southern California-

Institute for Prevention Research.

McAlister, A. (1983, May). Approaches to primary

prevention. Presented at the National Academy of

Science/National Research Council Conference on

Alcohol and Public Policy, Washington DC. =20

Moskowitz, J., Malvin, J., Schaeffer, G., & Schaps, E.=20

(1984). Evaluation of an affective development

teacher training program. Journal of Primary

Prevention, 4, 150-162.

Sarvela, P. (1984). Early adolescent substance use in

rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin.=20

Dissertation Abstracts International, 46(01),

2000A. (University Microfilms No. 8422327).

Sarvela, P., & McClendon, E. (1987). An impact

evaluation of a rural youth drug education program.=20

Journal of Drug Education, 17, 213-231.

Schaeffer, G., Moskowitz, J., Malvin, J., & Schaps, E.=20

(1981). The effects of a classroom management

teacher training program on first-grade students:=20

One year follow-up. Unpublished report. Napa, CA:=20

The Napa Project Pacific Institute for Research.=20

Schaps, E., Moskowitz, J., Condon, J., & Malvin, J.=20

(1984). A process and outcome evaluation of an

affective teacher training primary prevention

program. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education,

29, 35-64.

Schinke, S., Bebel, M., Orlandi, M., & Botvin, G.=20

(1988). Prevention strategies for vulnerable

pupils: School social work practices to prevent

substance abuse. Urban Education, 22, 510-519.

Schinke, S.P., & Blythe, B.J. (1981). Cognitive-

behavioral prevention of children's smoking. Child

Behavior Therapy, 3, 25-42.

Schinke, S., & Gilchrist, L. (1983). Primary prevention

of tobacco smoking. Journal of School Health, 53,

416-419.

Schinke, S., Gilchrist, L., Schilling, R., Snow, W., &

Bobo, J. (1986). Skills methods to prevent

smoking. Health Education Quarterly, 13, 23-27.

Schinke, S., Gilchrist, L., & Snow, W. (1985). Skills

interventions to prevent cigarette smoking among

adolescents. American Journal of Public Health,

75, 665-667.

Schinke, S., Gilchrist, L., Snow, W., & Schilling, R.=20

(1985). Skills-building methods to prevent smoking

by adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health Care,

6, 439-444.

Shope, J., Dielman, T., & Leech, S. (1988, November).=20

An elementary school-based alcohol misuse preven-

tion program: Two year follow-up evaluation.=20

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************************************************************

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National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)

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(301) 251-5507

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