DARE'S FUTURE SHOULD REST ON LOCAL SCRUTINY

Critics: No Evidence Of Lasting Benefits

The widespread popularity of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or DARE,
program is threatened by critics who say the impact isn't worth the time
and money spent.

The concerns they raise are valid and deserve specific answers. In fact,
national DARE officials last month said the program needs revamping, and
they are in the process of updating it.

However, the local DARE program should be retained until the results of an
intensive evaluation already in progress are known.

DARE is a community-based program founded in 1983 in Los Angeles. Police
departments and schools partner, with officers providing students
information and advice on how to avoid drug use and violent behavior.

DARE also attempts to nurture positive relationships among students, law
enforcement, teachers, parents and community leaders.

Funding sources vary in each community. In Davenport, a non-profit DARE
foundation raises money for materials, equipment, vehicles and to partially
offset police officers' pay. In Bettendorf, the program is funded primarily
by the police department.

DARE's core course is taught to fifth-graders or sixth-graders in most
participating schools. Curriculum also has been developed for older
students, but the majority of school districts, including Davenport,
utilize it only at the highest grade-school level. Bettendorf is one of
only a few districts in Iowa that offers DARE from elementary through high
school.

Some research indicates there are positive short-term benefits from the
core DARE course in elementary school. However, through age 20, there is
little evidence that DARE has a lasting effect. The lack of followup
programs in many middle and high schools may be a factor.

After all, students build on math and language skills as they progress
through each grade. Should we expect progress in resisting drug abuse
without regularly updating those skills as peer pressure intensifies in the
complicated teen years or when, in some cases, parental influence may be
absent?

All told, it is probably unrealistic to expect one dose of any primary
prevention program to prevent most substance abuse and violence among our
young people.

However, it is also not reason enough to suddenly give up on DARE, which
has many supporters and is designed to help kids make healthy choices.

The three-year national project announced last summer by the U.S.
Department of Education will scrutinize DARE as well as other programs that
deal with student substance abuse and violent behavior.

In Scott County, four analysts are assigned to the task. A federal grant of
$394,000 is covering the research costs. The independent findings should
help school officials make wise decisions regarding DARE and the other
programs. What works in one community may not in another.

Drug abuse and violent crime among juveniles may never be eliminated, but
there's reason to believe they can be reduced. It won't be easy or cheap,
and DARE may or may not be part of the long-term answer.

But given the seriousness of the drug problem, we dare not discard a
prevention tool before its effectiveness at the local level is thoroughly
understood.