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Drug Abuse Resistance Education, better known as '''DARE''' or '''D.A.R.E.''', is an international education program which seeks to discourage interest in Illegal Drugs , Gangs , and Violence . DARE, which has expanded globally since its founding in 1983 , is the major Demand-side drug control strategy of the U.S. War On Drugs . Student s who enter the latest of over a dozen versions of the program sign a pledge to never use drugs or join gangs and are taught by local Law Enforcement about the dangers of Drug Use in a high-tech, interactive, ten week in-school curriculum. According to the D.A.R.E. website, 36 million children around the world — 26 million in the U.S. — are part of the program. The program is implemented in 80% of the nation's School District s, and 54 countries around the world. DARE.com , the official website of the D.A.R.E. program. OVERVIEW D.A.R.E. America, a national non-profit organization, is the main resource center that provides officer training, supports the development and evaluation of the D.A.R.E. Curriculum , provides student educational materials, monitors instruction standards and program results, and creates national awareness for both community and national chapters of the program. The D.A.R.E. program has since been used throughout the U.S. and in many other countries. It has received numerous accolades and awards for delivering the message to keep "kids off drugs." Several spin-off or inspired programs, have also been introduced for use in Elementary School (and, to a lesser extent, Junior High School ) classrooms. As one of the first national programs promoting Zero Tolerance , D.A.R.E. has had the most scrutiny of any anti-drug and anti-violence program. Some competing programs advocate some tolorance of drugs. SAFETY FIRST - A REALITY BASED APPROACH to TEENS and DRUGS Dr. Marsha Rosenbaum D.A.R.E. CURRICULUM The instructors of the D.A.R.E. curriculum are local police officers who must undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as Child Development , Classroom Management , Teaching techniques, and Communication skills. For High School instructors, 40 hours of additional training are prescribed. Police officers are invited by the local school districts to speak and work with students. There are programs for different age levels. Working with the classroom teachers, students work over a number of sessions on workbooks and interactive discussions. The course is complemented by a variety of activities aimed at children, such as D.A.R.E. Song s which the students sing together, role-playing, as well as picture storybooks. Older children are presented with examples of the grimmer aspects of drug abuse, such as health and crime problems. HISTORY D.A.R.E. America, a national Non-profit organization, was founded in 1983 by Los Angeles Police chief Daryl Gates . Los Angeles Police Department - History of the LAPD - Chief Gates Narcotics-related crimes were the main problems that the LAPD faced. D.A.R.E. was based on his contention that the present generation had already surrendered to drug dependency and that the country’s future lies with the readiness of our children to resist involvement. Gates believed that uniformed police officers were the best equipped to deliver the message that drugs are bad. The Safe and drug-free schools act ( Improving America's Schools Act Of 1994 ) provided funding for use in D.A.R.E. programs in the United States. In the 1996 State Of The Union Address , President Bill Clinton even singled out D.A.R.E. for praise: "People like these D.A.R.E. officers are making a real impression on grade-school children that will give them strength to say no when the time comes." President William Jefferson Clinton, 1996 State of the Union Address, January 23, 1996 Since its inception, some school districts and states have implemented other similar programs as part of general health education. The D.A.R.E. program has become one political battleground of the government drug policy. FUNDING One political issue with D.A.R.E. in the United States is the funding. D.A.R.E. draws its funding as a crime prevention initiative that serves the educational community. School districts do not have to pay to have D.A.R.E officers participate in programs. They are funded through the D.A.R.E. America organization and local law enforcement agencies, and other sources. This makes it popular at a local level for teachers and parent groups. Replacement programs required district funding and substitute teachers. Cities that have cut D.A.R.E. programs have been able to re-allocate funding and officers for other purposes. State and Federal politics makes a high-visibility program like D.A.R.E. a target for criticism, primarily as its viability as an educational tool. CRITICISMS D.A.R.E. has fallen under heavy criticism from various sources for many reasons. As part of the Sunday, August 19, 2007 D.A.R.E. is ineffective and/or has the opposite effect of promoting drug use The most common criticism of the D.A.R.E program is that it is ineffective, and that there is no proof that students who go through the D.A.R.E. program are any less likely to use drugs. Drug Abuse Resistance Education: the Effectiveness of DARE by , January 15, 2003. Letter to Senator Richard Durbin "six evaluations we reviewed were based on three separate studies in three states—Colorado, Kentucky, and Illinois. ... Each of the six evaluations, conducted at intervals ranging from 2 to 10 years after the fifth or sixth grade students were initially surveyed, suggested that D.A.R.E. had no statistically significant long-term effect on preventing illicit drug use." pdf format Research by Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum,Rosenbaum, D. P., and Gordon S. Hanson. Assessing the effects of school-based drug education: A six-year multilevel analysis of project D.A.R.E. ''Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency'', 1998, ''35(4)'', 381-412. abstract , Full text at Schaffer Library of Drug Policy found that D.A.R.E. graduates were more likely than others to drink Alcohol , Smoke Tobacco and use Illegal Drug s. The U.S. General Accountability Office has also concluded that the program is sometimes counterproductive in some populations, with those who graduate from D.A.R.E. later having higher rates of drug use. Psychologist Dr. William Colson has pointed out that D.A.R.E. increases drug awareness so that "as they get a little older, they become very curious about these drugs they've learned about from police officers.” Laugesen, W. The dire consequences of DARE. ''Boulder Weekly'', December 4, 1998 The scientific research evidence to date indicates that the officers are unsuccessful in preventing the increased awareness and curiosity from being translated into illegal use. That fact may explain why some research has found the D.A.R.E. program to be asociated with increased use of drugs. The evidence suggests that, by exposing young impressionable children to drugs, the program is in fact encouraging and nurturing drug use. Assessing the effects of School-based Drug Education: A Six-year Multi-Level Analysis of Project D.A.R.E. by Dennis P. Rosenbaum, Ph.D. Professor and Head and Gordon S. Hanson, Ph.D. Research Associate Department of Criminal Justice and Center for Research in Law and Justice University of Illinois at Chicago. April 6, 1998. Media Awareness Project (MAP) Inc. d/b/a DrugSense D.A.R.E. is ineffective in reducing violence In 2001, the , M.D., Ph.D., ) 2001., chapter five, Prevention and Intervention, box 5-2 D.A.R.E. has suppressed unfavorable research Administrators of the D.A.R.E. program tried in 1994 to suppress unfavorable research by the U.S. '' reported that it became the victim of Harassment and Intimidation , including a lawsuit, as a result. Judge intends to dismiss libel suit filed by DARE. Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2000 A Federal judge ruled that D.A.R.E. had sought to "suppress scientific research" critical of its program and had "attempted to silence researchers at the Research Triangle Institute." Judge intends to dismiss libel suit filed by DARE. ''Los Angeles Times'', April 18, 2000, p. 4 D.A.R.E. teaches misleading information Ph.D. D.A.R.E. wastes both time and money and should be replaced by effective programs Another criticism is that D.A.R.E. is not only a very expensive program but that it "consumes approximately seventeen hours of academic time that would otherwise be available for science, math, reading or some other academic subject. In the absence of any proof that D.A.R.E. works, this is a substantial sacrifice of valuable school time." A DIFFERENT LOOK AT D.A.R.E. Stop the Drug War (DRCNet - The Drug Reform Coordination Network). No Date. section six: ''What's Wrong with DARE?'' "Every dollar spent on D.A.R.E. is a dollar not available for a useful, educationally sound drug education program in schools.” It is also argued that D.A.R.E. should be replaced by programs of proven effectivenessEnnett, S.T., Tobler, N.S., Ringwalt, C.L., & Flewelling, R.L. How effective is Drug Abuse Resistance Education? A meta-analysis of project D.A.R.E. outcome evaluations. ''American Journal of Public Health'', 1994, ''84(9)'', 1394-1401.. D.A.R.E. is not redistributing profits from merchandise sales The sheriff of Lake County, Florida, explains that "all workbooks, materials and the very popular T-shirts must be purchased by the Sheriff's Office from D.A.R.E. America Inc. Often, the material and T-shirts could be purchased locally at less expense." He was surprised and disappointed to learn that the not-for-profit D.A.R.E. corporation now also promotes the sale of its merchandise by for-profit businesses. These private companies can make 80% profit. Of the 20% returned to D.A.R.E. America, Inc., by the companies, none is returned to the local areas from which the profits are derived to support the program. Daniels, C. Sheriff upset by DARE’s profit system. Orlando Sentinel, May 7, 2006. The Sheriff is urging people not to purchase DARE materials from anyone other than a law enforcement officer. He reports that otherwise, “buyers will only be lining the pockets of someone out to make a profit, and what little bit of money is passed along to DARE America Inc. will not make it back to our classrooms.” Police officers do not belong in the classrom Criticism is also leveled at the program bringing police officers into the classroom because they are "seen as agents of systematic repression and oppression, not enforcers of the law under which all citizens are equal." Drug Abuse Prevention Project Curriculum Workgroup Goals and Recommendations by Michael Roona, ReconsiDer Training for D.A.R.E. officers in elementary schools is 80 clock hours of instruction; for those in high school it is 120 hours. http://www.dare.com/home/about_dare.asp About D.A.R.E. This does not qualify officers as certified teachers in any state in the U.S. http://www.uky.edu/Education/TEP/usacert.html 50 State’s Certification Requirements POSITIVE EFFECTS OF D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E. promotes interaction with police officers The D.A.R.E. program enables students to interact with police officers in a controlled, safe, classroom environment. This helps students and officers meet and understand each other in a friendly manner, instead of having to meet when a student commits a crime, or when officers must intervene in domestic disputes and severe family problems. D.A.R.E is more than an anti-drug program dare.com. Ralph Lochridge. August 4, 2004. (Microsoft Word document) The Surgeon General reports that positive effects have been demonstrated regarding attitudes towards the police. D.A.R.E is more than an anti-drug program It is also a crime and violence prevention education program. The D.A.R.E. program cites cases where assertiveness and self-defense education helped prevent students from being harmed. D.A.R.E. officers also help schools when children are threatened, and their presence helps alleviate concerns about situations like school shootings and other threats of violence to children while at school. D.A.R.E. promotes drug awareness Although one of the criticisms of the program is that it makes students aware of drugs they might not otherwise know, and reportedly intrigues them, it also makes students aware of the prevalence so that they are not caught off guard when they are made available to them. The D.A.R.E. officers bluntly address the students about the ramifications of illegal drug use and the forms that it can take. The officers also address the level of crime, drug dealing and drug use at school and the community. The officers also educate students to see through the techniques drug dealers use to increase their customer base by Peer Pressure and Drug Addiction . Supporters of D.A.R.E. believe educating students that alcoholic beverages and cigarettes are illegal substances is appropriate. They contend that Underage Drinking In The United States and cigarette purchasing are illegal for those of Primary Education and Secondary Education school age. Supporters of D.A.R.E. want students to be educated that recreational drug use also is illegal. D.A.R.E. PROMOTIONAL ITEMS To help market the program, the organization produces and distributes a significant number of promotional items. They are available through the D.A.R.E. web store. As part of the program, municipalities and schools may budget for some of the items to be given to students as part of the program. Playing off the Acronym , many of these collectibles bear the sentence "D.A.R.E. to keep kids off drugs" and "D.A.R.E. to SAY NO". The D.A.R.E. T-Shirt See Also: D.A.R.E. T-shirt The D.A.R.E T-shirt is a T-shirt awarded to students in the U.S. who complete the D.A.R.E program and pledge to stay drug-free. The D.A.R.E. program now authorizes screen-printers to license their graphics. D.A.R.E. programs can create their own personalized shirts with different colors that incorporate the D.A.R.E. logo and either a school or local police agency logo. The standard (and most recognized) shirt design is a black tee with the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) logo in red and accompanying text underneath in white printed on the front of the shirt. 'To Keep Kids Off Drugs' or 'To Resist Drugs and Violence' are common phrases printed on the shirt. The D.A.R.E. T-shirt was adopted from the Black Concert T-shirt is associated with Rock Concerts . The classic black t-shirt has become a Pop Culture Icon among youth and young adults in the U.S. Parody of the shirt The D.A.R.E. T-shirt has inspired parody T-shirts featuring defended the suit on Free-speech grounds. Charges were eventually dropped. Charges Dropped Against Shop Owner Who Sold Shirts That Parodied D.A.R.E. Logo D.A.R.E. police cars A number of D.A.R.E. programs in local police departments have some notable vehicles marked as Police Car s to promote the program. The D.A.R.E. cars appear at schools and in parades. Typically these cars are high-end or performance cars that have been seized in a drug raid. They are used to send the message that drug dealers forfeit all their glamorous trappings when they get caught. Cars include the Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, and Humvee. D.A.R.E. cars can also be regular police vehicles that are nearing the end of their service life that are pressed into service for the promotion. D.A.R.E. IN THE UK D.A.R.E. (UK) D.A.R.E UK is a national charity that operates across the UK. The program has been delivered (now discontinued) by Police Officers from the Ministry Of Defence Police (MDP) to children who attend schools on Garrison estates or located near Garrison areas. The D.A.R.E UK program is currently operating in the following areas:
The program aims to:
There is no scientific evidence that D.A.R.E. is effective in the U.K. SEE ALSO
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