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Law Enforcement Technology
October 2008

Armed with scientific credibility, the new D.A.R.E. program makes a comeback

D.A.R.E., originally founded in 1983, quickly established itself as the premier anti-drug program. In 80 percent of U.S. school districts and 43 countries, police officers taught 5th graders on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse. Due to already tight budgets, police department managers began cutting D.A.R.E.

Meanwhile, the national non-profit organization D.A.R.E. America has revised the curriculum several times since its inception, and a $13.7 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 2003 led to a massive transformation. The revised program is currently being taught to all D.A.R.E. officers.

The new D.A.R.E. is designed to "keep students away from high-risk behaviors," Ralph Lochridge, director of communication for D.A.R.E. America explains. "It is focused on life skills and resistance to drug use." The D.A.R.E. America Scientific Advisory Board, Law Enforcement Executive Board and Youth Advisory Board all direct the program in order to see problems from every angle.

In 2007, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) conducted a survey assessing Canada's D.A.R.E. program. The study was designed to address whether the program works, and begged the question: Is D.A.R.E. effective?

The RCMP survey results found the programming and officers exceeded their expectations. In many cases, D.A.R.E. officers have become prominent figures and familiar role models in the community schools.

Officers as teachers

Having a police officer facilitate D.A.R.E. rather than a teacher is intentional. "We think it's important for a variety of reasons," Charlie Parsons, President and CEO of D.A.R.E. America says. "They bring credibility. We have solid peer review research that [indicates] a uniformed officer does better than other deliverers."

"The key element that has changed is officers are coaches instead of lecturers, so students can gather facts and information guided by the officer," Lochridge says. "It's less didactic, more interactive with kids coming up with answers instead of just being told what the answers are," Parsons adds. "This applies to a lot of different life skills."

D.A.R.E. goes beyond drugs

In the new D.A.R.E., students are not only taught how to resist drug use, but how to make good decisions. Along with life skills training, the new program focuses on issues specific to individual communities. All students receive the core curriculum, along with supplemental lessons that deal with things like gangs, internet safety, bullying and meth. "It affords flexibility depending on what the community needs, [and] a toolbox for whatever an officer needs," Parsons explains.

D.A.R.E. officers also forge lasting relationships with families. "It raises awareness, encouraging parents to talk to their kids," Parson says. According to the RCMP survey, D.A.R.E. aims to open the lines of communications not only from the kids to their parents, but from the parents to their kids.

What's new about D.A.R.E?

• New leadership
• Increased research activities to maintain program efficacy
• Science-based curricular components
• Training model and instructional methodology
• Funding opportunities for local D.A.R.E. programs
• Adjusted to the scientifically recognized high-risk group of seventh- and ninth-graders
• Enhanced protective factors, especially bonding to family, school and community
• 10 lessons
• Menu of enhancement lessons
• Lessons are interactive versus lecture
• Focus on applying D.A.R.E. decision-making model to real life situations

Students build skills to:

D Define problems and challenges

A Assess available choices

R Respond by making a choice

E Evaluate their decisions

A brief summary--for the entire article click here

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