D.A.R.E.

Table of Contents

Introduction
What Is D.A.R.E.?
Original D.A.R.E. Curricula
Studies about the Efficacy of D.A.R.E.
Pros
- Pro 1: The D.A.R.E. program helps prevent drug use in elementary, middle, and high school students.
- Pro 2: D.A.R.E. improves decision making and attitudes toward drug use.
- Pro 3: D.A.R.E. improves social interaction between police officers, students, and schools.
- Pro 4: D.A.R.E. is popular with kids and parents.
- Pro 5: Students who enroll in D.A.R.E. have better attendance in the classroom.
- Pro 6: D.A.R.E. is certified as an "evidence-based substance abuse prevention program" by the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
- Pro 7: D.A.R.E is the most prevalent school-based substance abuse prevention program in the United States.
- Pro 8: D.A.R.E. has great goals that should be pursued regardless of cost or efficacy.
Cons
- Con 1: The D.A.R.E. program does not help prevent drug use in elementary, middle, or high school students.
- Con 2: D.A.R.E. is associated with increased drug use.
- Con 3: D.A.R.E. graduates do not show any long-term increase in knowledge of drugs, attitudes about drug use, social skills, or attitudes toward the police.
- Con 4: D.A.R.E. causes kids to ignore legitimate information about the relative harms of drugs.
- Con 5: D.A.R.E. is a "potentially harmful therapy" that violates the Hippocratic Oath.
- Con 6: Students respond negatively to the D.A.R.E. program.
- Con 7: D.A.R.E. lures parents into a false sense of security about their kids’ drug use.
- Con 8: The number of schools partnering with D.A.R.E. has steadily declined and revenues have fallen year after year, proving that teachers and administrators do not believe it works.
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