NCJ Number
253533
Date Published
September 1995
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This is an overview of the objectives, curriculum, critical program elements, funding, and assessment of the effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (D.A.R.E.).
Abstract
D.A.R.E. is a validated, copyrighted, comprehensive drug and violence prevention education program for children in kindergarten through 12th grade. It is a collaborative effort between school and law enforcement personnel that is nationally coordinated by D.A.R.E. America, with input from state and local agencies and communities. The goal of the curriculum is to equip elementary, middle, and high-school students with the knowledge and skills to resist substance abuse, violence, and gangs. Just over 22,000 community-oriented law enforcement officers from 7,000 communities throughout the nation have taught the core curriculum to just over 25 million elementary school students. The core curriculum is delivered by a D.A.R.E. officer to fifth and sixth-grade students. The core curriculum includes one lesson each week for 17 consecutive weeks. Other features of the program are a kindergarten-fourth-grade visitation by officers teaching the core curriculum, the junior high curriculum, the senior high curriculum, the special education curriculum, the parent component. and the D.A.R.E.+ P.L.U.S. component. Twelve program elements essential for a successful D.A.R.E. program are outlined. The U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) provides funding to the five D.A.R.E. Regional Training Centers. Regarding the program's effectiveness, a 1993 Gallup Poll Survey of just over 2,000 D.A.R.E. graduates indicated that just over 90 percent of the program's graduates reported that it assisted them in avoiding drugs and alcohol. The program was also credited with increasing self-esteem and the ability to respond constructively to peer pressure. States can apply for federal funds for D.A.R.E. implementation through the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Formula Grant Program.