Megan Freiling
Senior Editor

Heather Shute
Reporter

D.A.R.E.: Progressive curriculum addresses changing pressures children face

By Megan Freiling and Heather Shute

Ask a high school student what she should do when offered drugs and her response will resemble the teachings on D.A.R.E. within the kindergarten through 12th grade educational system.

D.A.R.E., or Drug Abuse Resistance Education, gives kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs and violence. The program began in 1983 when police officers led a series of classroom lessons that teach children from kindergarten through 12th grade how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug- and violence-free lives.

It was implemented in Los Angeles and spread to more than 54 countries. This figure represents 36 million children around the world and 26 million in the United States alone, who were introduced to the D.A.R.E. program since it began.

The mission of D.A.R.E. is to provide children with the information and skills they need to avoid tobacco and alcohol and to live drug-free and violence-free lives.

D.A.R.E. America is the national non-profit organization that sponsors the program.

They provide officer training, support the development and evaluation of the D.A.R.E. curriculum, provide student educational materials, monitor instruction standards and program results and create national awareness for D.A.R.E.

Though D.A.R.E is not a government program, it has received governmental support. According to D.A.R.E. America’s Web site, www.dare.com, less than 1 percent of D.A.R.E. America’s budget comes from federal sources.

According to www.guidestar.com, a national database for non-profit organizations, D.A.R.E. America received more than $2.78 million of its $9.7 million in total revenue from various government grants for fiscal year 2000.

Teaming with local schools and sheriff’s departments, D.A.R.E. curriculum is taught by police officers whose training and experience gives them the background needed to answer the sophisticated questions often posed by young students about drugs and crime.

Prior to entering the D.A.R.E. program, officers undergo 80 hours of special training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques and communication skills. Forty hours of additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.

D.A.R.E. is a universally recognized model of community policing. The United States Department of Justice has identified that D.A.R.E. humanizes the police, allowing young people to relate to officers as people.

D.A.R.E. also permits students to see officers in a helping role, not just an enforcement role; opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth; and the officers serve as conduits to provide information beyond drug-related topics.

The greatest function of D.A.R.E. beyond educating and protecting students is to open dialogue between the school, police and parents to deal with other significant issues.

To maintain consistency and accuracy, the D.A.R.E. Scientific Advisory Board, the D.A.R.E. America Law Enforcement Advisory Board, D.A.R.E. officers, school and municipal administrators, reviews the D.A.R.E. program annually.

Research findings and increased knowledge of effective anti-drug, anti-violence and anti-substance abuse prevention is continually evaluated for incorporation into curricula.

D.A.R.E curriculum aims to help youth identify and resist the many direct and indirect pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, other illegal drugs and violence.

Strategies of the program focus on the development of social skills, communication skills, self-esteem, decision-making abilities, conflict resolution and independence. At the same time, the program offers positive alternative activities to drug use and other destructive behaviors.

It is a progressive course that builds upon itself depending on the grade level. The same topics introduced in the kindergarten curriculum can be seen in the senior high school curriculum, but adjusted to meet age and maturity.

For example, the simple “say no” message eventually becomes a critical look at how students can reduce the demand for drugs in their community.

KINDERGARTEN TO 2ND GRADE CURRICULUM

1. Rules to Keep Safe
Concept: Rules help protect people and keep them safe. Students will identify rules to keep them safe at school, at home and in the neighborhood.

2. Drugs May Help or Harm
Concept: Medicines and drugs may be helpful or harmful depending upon use.

3. Saying “No” To Drug Offers
Concept: Saying no to drug offers is a way to keep safe. Students will be able to recognize and say no to drug offers.

4. Feeling Special
Concept: Feeling special is important in building feelings of self-worth. Students will identify qualities about themselves that make them special.

5. Dare to Say “No”
Concept: Dare to say “no” means having the courage to say no to offers that may lead to things that are unsafe.

3RD AND 4TH GRADE CURRICULUM

1. Handling Conflicts without Violence
Concept: Students will be able to identify acceptable ways to handle a dispute without resorting to acts of violence.

2. Avoiding Gangs and Gang Violence
Concept: To make students aware of gang violence and ways to avoid becoming involved in gang activity.

5TH AND 6TH GRADE CURRICULUM

1. Introducing D.A.R.E & Understanding the Effects of Mind Altering Drugs.
Concept: Preventing drug abuse among children and youth is a collaborative responsibility. Students will learn about mind-altering drugs and the harmful effects that may result from the misuse of these drugs.

2. Consider the Consequences
Concept: Students will be able to identify consequences of using and not using tobacco, marijuana and alcohol.

3. Media Influences on Drug Use and Violence
Concept: Students will be able to recognize media influence on tobacco, alcohol, other drug use and violence.

4. Making Decisions about Risky Behavior
Concept: Students will be able to apply decision-making skills in evaluating the risks of using drugs and weapons.

D.A.R.E. JUNIOR HIGH CURRICULUM

1. Drugs, Violence and Victims
Concept: Laws and school behavior codes regarding possession of substances and acts of violence have been established to protect the rights and safety of all persons. Students will demonstrate awareness of the need of laws and behavior codes, such as possessing substances or bringing weapons to school.

2. Forming Positive Relationships
Concept: Respecting and appreciating the diversity of others enable people to interact with, and form positive relationships with, one another without stereotyping or other unfair treatment.

3. Making Our Environment Drug-Free, Violence-Free and Safe
Concept: Good citizenship and pride in self, family, school and community contribute to making our environment drug-free, violence-free and safe.

D.A.R.E. SENIOR HIGH CURRICULUM

1. Reducing the Demand for Drugs
Concept: Decisions to use alcohol and other drugs may lead to significant negative consequences for teenagers, their families and the communities in which they live.

2. Drug-Related Behaviors and the Law
Concept: Laws are codes of conduct that have been established to protect human health and provide safety, to ensure individual freedom and the security of one's person and possessions, and to maintain an orderly society.

3. Drugs, Media and Violence
Concept: Violence is a destructive behavior, which can be intensified by the use of alcohol and drugs and sometimes exaggerated by the media. Students will be able to recognize how alcohol, drugs and the media can increase violent behavior and suggest ways to reduce violence.

D.A.R.E. PARENT PROGRAM CURRICULUM

The D.A.R.E. Parent Program is designed to motivate families and communities to take an active role in the prevention of drug use and community violence.

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D.A.R.E. of America Official Website