NCJ Number
179535
Journal
Justice Analyst Volume: 13 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 1-10
Date Published
1999
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on the methodology and findings of an evaluation of Pennsylvania's Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program and other drug prevention programs among ninth graders in 14 schools.
Abstract
A self-report survey similar to one used in a comparable Ohio study was administered to approximately 2,500 Pennsylvania ninth-grade students. The schools involved in the survey were drawn from one of two groups: those that offer D.A.R.E. and those that do not. Ninth-grade students were selected for the survey, because drug and alcohol use rates are relatively high in this population. Students were surveyed about their use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs as well as related behaviors. Findings show that students who had participated in D.A.R.E. and/or in other school-based drug prevention programs reported significantly less use of certain substances, less intent to use substances in the future, and less involvement in several risky behaviors associated with drug use than students who had never participated in a prevention program. When D.A.R.E. effects were compared with the effects of three other types of drug prevention programs presented in the schools surveyed, in most cases the outcomes for the other prevention programs were slightly better than for D.A.R.E., a finding that is consistent with much of the prior research in this area. Most of the D.A.R.E. students involved in this study, however, participated in the program prior to the revised D.A.R.E. curriculum, which incorporates more effective teaching methods. 6 figures and 1 table