POSITIVE DARE SURVEY RESULTS NOT REPORTED

I am concerned that a recent article (June 9, WV drug program panned)
and an editorial criticizing the DARE program in West Vancouver
schools may seriously damage the reputation of this program, and,
indeed, cast reproach upon those students in West Vancouver who have
neither experimented with, nor do they ever intend to experiment with,
"some form of drug."

Since my report on DARE was referred to in the article by Katharine
Hamer, in which the chairman of the Youth Advisory Committee is quoted
as recommending that DARE "should be abolished completely," I should
like to comment on several findings in my study that should be
considered in any decision to remove DARE from West Vancouver schools,
and also to suggest that although several recommendations of the
committee should certainly be examined, its report needs to be put in
the proper context.

To begin with, I acknowledge that the comments you selected from my
report were accurate, and I have no argument with their use. However,
as a researcher who spent almost a year conducting the study, I am
disturbed by the obvious disregard of the many very positive findings
I reported. For example, while it is true that some parents
recommended changes in DARE content, teaching strategies, and
materials, 86% of the parents "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the
"way DARE is taught," and 85% "agreed" or "strongly agreed" with the
DARE materials they had seen or had heard about.

Furthermore, a decidedly large majority of the teachers agreed that
the content of DARE was age-appropriate for their students and a clear
majority of teachers agreed with the teaching strategies used in DARE.
And, 72% of the students believed that the information learned in DARE
was "truthful and up-to-date."

Other findings that should be considered in any recommendation to
remove DARE from the schools and that were not mentioned in the News
article might be the following, based on questionnaires completed by
1,089 students in DARE classes, 672 graduates of DARE programs (core
graduates enrolled in Grades 6 and 7 and middle school graduates in
Grades 8 and 9), 45 teachers in DARE classrooms, and 422 parents of
DARE students (for a total of 2,228 responses):

88% of the parents, 72% of the DARE students, and 60% of the DARE
graduates believed that DARE taught students effective strategies for
avoiding drug use. Teachers believed that DARE did this for at least
"many" of their students.

92% of the parents, 77% of the DARE students, and 67% of the DARE
graduates suggested that DARE taught students to consider the
consequences of their actions before they act. Teachers agreed with
this objective for at least "many" of their students.

80% of the teachers, rated DARE at least a "good" drug education
program; 98% rated it at least "adequate."

67% of the teachers rated DARE at least a "good" violence-avoidance
program; 81% rated it at least "adequate."

96% of the parents, 92% of the teachers, 74% of the DARE students, and
89% of the DARE graduates recommended that the program be continued in
their schools.

My task was to assess attitudes of students, teachers, and parents
toward DARE, and it seemed reasonable to assume that whether students
actually used DARE strategies might be a factor in their opinion of
DARE. Therefore, I asked DARE graduates if they had been involved in
situations where drugs or alcohol had been available or where violence
had been a possibility. Two-hundred and sixty DARE graduates (39%)
acknowledged that they had been in situations involving drugs or
alcohol. Of these students, 117 (45%) stated that they had used
strategies learned in DARE to avoid taking drugs or drinking alcohol.

The most frequently given response (76 times) for not using DARE
strategies in such situations was that the student had simply wanted
to take the drugs or the alcoholic drink. Only eight students actually
stated that they had not used DARE strategies because they had thought
such strategies would not work Additionally, 321 DARE graduates (50%)
reported that they had encountered situations where they felt violence
was likely to occur. One hundred and fifty (47%) of these students
used what they had been taught in DARE to either remove themselves
from danger or eliminate it.

Thirty-six students had not used DARE strategies because they enjoyed
fighting, and 35 stated that when the situation arouse there had not
been enough time to use DARE strategies and they had had to defend
themselves. Only 10 students refused to use DARE strategies because
they had believed that they would not have worked. One hundred and
seventeen encounters with drugs and alcohol and 150 potentially
violent situations were successfully managed because students utilized
the skills they learned in DARE.

Certainly, a reader of my report will note statements aimed at
improving DARE, and I am certain that these are presently being
considered by DARE instructors.

However, as an educator, I am not aware of any school program
including curricula from the ministry --that cannot be improved, or
that is without its critics. And, although at this time most materials
used in DARE elementary programs are prepared in the United States,
this is not inherently bad. In fact using U.S. textbooks in B.C.
schools is not uncommon, as a perusal of any list of prescribed social
studies texts will confirm.

A careful reading of the comments by the Youth Advisory Committee
suggests to this reader that the committee's criteria for judging DARE
appear to be more relevant for programs offered to high school students.

For example, the comment that the content of DARE is "juvenile" is
appropriate since the DARE programs offered when my study was
conducted were prepared for elementary, or "juvenile," students.
Moreover, although I am not a drug educator, it seems to me that
programs examining societal and personal problems that might be
correlated with drug use, discussions of the use of hard drugs, and
realistic materials such as Through a Blue Lens are more appropriate
at the high-school level than in the grades where DARE is presently
taught.

The research on drug education suggests that drug education programs
tend to have only a short-term effect, implying the need for programs
throughout both the elementary and high school years. This would
support the Youth Advisory Committee's recommendation and that of many
parents who were part of my survey that drug education be included in
the high-school curriculum. And, according to the parents in my study,
means for managing or controlling violence should also be taught in
schools, at all grade levels.

It should be noted that violence-avoidance is an important aspect of
DARE programs.

I concluded my report with the comment that "in a short period of time
and with programs involving just a few hours each, DARE has managed to
gain a solid reputation in West Vancouver -- without compromising its
message." I see no evidence that would cause me to change this
conclusion.