NCJ Number
156685
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1995) Pages: 47-51
Date Published
1995
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes a unique model for providing teacher training in alcohol and drug-use prevention that has potential for replication at a national level.
Abstract
The Center for Alcohol and Drug Studies of the College of Health at the University of North Florida has been conducting a teacher training program for the past 4 years. Teachers are offered a free, three-semester-hour graduate course that has been approved by the State Department of Education for extending their teaching certificates. The curriculum consists of nine modules that address topics such as the disease concept of addiction, communication skills and their relationship to prevention, developmental stages and their relationship to potential for drug use, and coping with stress. After having completed the course, teachers have basic alcohol and drug prevention information and have practiced using this information to develop prevention strategies for use in their schools. Further, they are able to recognize high-risk youth and early experimenters and to know how to refer these students for assistance. Course content is periodically updated to address emerging prevention issues, such as AIDS education, gang membership, and violence prevention. Evaluation research shows that the training has increased teachers' confidence in recognizing and intervening with student alcohol and drug problems. 8 references