Index for the D.A.R.E. FAILING OUR KIDS series:

Sun, 27 Feb 2000:

D.A.R.E. Doesn't Work
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n281/a04.html

DARE Wary Of Outside Reviews
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n281/a02.html

Some Schools Opt Out Of Program
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n282/a04.html

Officers Become School Favorites
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n281/a06.html

Officers Hope To Make A Difference
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n292/a02.html

Analysis Tracks Students' Drug Use
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n292/a03.html

Mon, 28 Feb 2000:

DARE's Clout Smothers Other Drug Programs
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n292/a04.html

Raves Thrive As Teen Drug Havens
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n293/a04.html

Parents Struggle When Discussing Drugs With Teens
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n292/a05.html

Tips For Parents
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n293/a03.html

Parents' Anti-Drug Resource Guide [many website links]
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n293/a02.html

Tue, 29 Feb 2000:

Editorial: Drugs: Dare to be Honest
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n293/a05.html

Readers: Cops Key to DARE Success, Failure
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n293/a06.html

ANALYSIS TRACKS STUDENTS' DRUG USE

News Used Teen Survey To Measure Impact Of DARE

The Detroit News set out to determine if the DARE program reduces drug
use by the time Metro area students get to high school. Several
national studies suggest the program doesn't work.

There was already an in-state resource to do it.

Western Michigan University surveys most Metro Detroit 8th, 10th and
12th graders every two years about their drug and alcohol use, and
sends results to the schools.

Results of the anonymous Alcohol and Other Drug Survey are public
records and parents can get a copy through WMU or their school district.

The WMU survey is nearly identical to the University of Michigan's
Monitoring the Future study, considered the national benchmark for
measuring drug use nationally.

Both ask how often or how many times students have used specific types
of drugs or alcohol recently, in the past year and in their lifetime.

To measure DARE's impact, The News researched when the anti-drug
program was implemented in each district and looked for those that
surveyed 8th graders between 1993 and 1995 and surveyed the same group
as 12th graders between 1997 and 1999. The surveys of more than 30,000
students were the source of district results.

The News found 17 districts whose 8th graders had had DARE and 16
districts whose 8th graders had not.

A minimum of 15 districts in each category was needed for the study to
be statistically sound, according to Patricia Smith, a statistician at
the University of Michigan-Dearborn's Social Science Department, who
helped design the study.

Because research shows that most drug and alcohol use increases
between 8th and 12th grade, the News compared the two groups to see if
there was a statistically significant difference in the increases.

The News looked at lifetime drug use because DARE's message is zero
use -- meaning no drugs or alcohol ever. If DARE works, it would show
up by the teens' assertion they'd never experimented.

The study, called a regression analysis, showed there was no
statistically significant difference in the increase in lifetime use
of alcohol, any illicit drug and inhalants, although the use of
inhalants tends to drop after 10th grade for both groups. The result
for marijuana use was inconclusive.

The News study did not take into consideration other drug prevention
programs to which students might have been exposed -- in health class
or scouting, for example.

Partly, that's because it's impossible to weed out every anti-drug
message a student hears. Even so, if DARE was effective, it would
still emerge as significant in the results, said Donald Lynam, a
researcher at the University of Kentucky.