DARE PROGRAM TO BE REVIEWED FOR CHANGES

Copyright 1998 Houston Chronicle

Houston's $3.7 million DARE program, called "only marginally successful" in
a recent report, will not be instituted at area schools again in its
present form, Houston Police Chief C.O. Bradford said Wednesday.

Bradford met with his command staff to discuss the program Tuesday, the
first time since release of a critical independent study conducted by the
University of Houston-Downtown sciences Professor Bruce Gay.

The study, released last week, suggested the Drug Abuse Resistance
Education curriculum taught in public schools by police officers may not work.

DARE, aimed at fighting drug and alcohol abuse, was begun in Los Angeles in
1983 and is taught in about 10,000 cities worldwide. About 27,000 Houston
fifth-graders and 24,000 seventh-graders participate in DARE programs here.

The Houston study is only the latest of several questioning the
effectiveness of the program in U.S. cities.

Bradford said he and his command staff do not question the results or the
methodology of Gay's study.

The study concluded, in part, "There is very little compelling evidence to
suggest that the primary goal of the DARE program is being reached at a
statistically significant level."

Among students surveyed prior to participating in the DARE program --
generally, fifth-graders -- 15 percent had tried drugs, 18 percent had
tried tobacco and 32 percent had tried alcohol.

When survey-takers returned at the conclusion of the DARE program in May to
measure responses again, they found that drug usage was up 29 percent,
tobacco usage up 34 percent and alcohol increased 4 percent.

During the coming months, Bradford said he and the HPD command staff will
study ways to modify the DARE program to increase its effectiveness.

In their study, Bradford said he plans to solicit the opinions of the 63
HPD DARE officers as well as school officials, teachers, parents and students.

Bradford noted the modifications also will be made with the cooperation of
DARE America, which provides the curriculum.

The chief said possible changes could include offering the program to
children at an earlier age, reducing the number of objectives of the
program from the current 12, or changing it from a citywide program to one
more focused on problem areas.

"I am committed to making changes in the program," Bradford said Wednesday.

Noting the program now under way for this school year will proceed,
Bradford added, "I have no desire to implement the program another time,
without changes."

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski