Study: D.A. R. E. Plus, parents make difference
On February 10, 2003, an interesting study was published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine about the D.A.R.E Program and it's effectiveness with 7th grade students in 24 schools during 1999 and 2000. One of the three groups in the study used the traditional D.A.R.E program's 10 session direct instruction curriculum taught by a police officer. One group utilized a new D.A.R.E Plus program that included a four-session classroom-based, peer-led program that included parental involvement and was lead by specially trained teachers. The third group had no drug prevention program.
The study concludes that there was no significant difference between the traditional D.A.R.E. students and those who had no drug prevention program. However, among boys in particular, the D.A.R.E Plus program resulted in less experimentation with alcohol and drugs during the year of the program. The study followed up with the students again during the following year with the same results.
The Reuters article concludes that the parental involvement made the difference. I firmly believe that parental involvement is a strong predictor of success in the behavior and performance of students. However, in reading about the changes in the program's approach to teaching the students, I noticed a marked shift from more "behaviorist" approaches to more "constructivist" approaches. I think that it is likely that the new educational approach had an impact on the improvement of the program's effectiveness. I would be interested in developing a study that would confirm or deny this observation.
2:20:20 PM 
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