NCJ Number
114801
Date Published
1988
Length
138 pages
Annotation
Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a substance use prevention program designed to equip elementary school children to resist peer pressure to experiment with drugs and alcohol.
Abstract
The program uses well-trained, uniformed police officers to teach a formal curriculum to students in the classroom on a regular basis. DARE lessons focus on building students' self-esteem and understanding of the consequences of substance use and identifying alternative means for coping with stress and peer pressure. This manual provides guidelines for implementing each of the 10 elements of the DARE program at the community level. These include joint planning to ensure a working partnership between schools and police; team building, including needs assessment, staffing, funding and budgeting, and written agreements; and officer qualifications, responsibilities, selection, and training. Key features of the core curriculum for DARE are delineated, and additional prevention activities are described. Also considered are principal, teacher, and parent orientation to the program; organization of school activities; program assessment; and community involvement through brochures, the media, and other promotional strategies. Guidelines also cover program evaluation through school performance data and student self-report. Finally, program refinement and expansion after the first year are discussed. Each chapter also includes performance standards to determine if necessary steps in implementation have been completed. Appendixes include supplemental program information. 41 figures.