Contacting D.A.R.E. for comment proves too much work for today’s reporters; instead, they Google and quote a 21-year-old study!

 

On July 11, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions spoke at the 30th Annual D.A.R.E. International Training Conference praising the nearly 35-year-old anti-drug curricula taught in thousands of schools in every state in America and 52 other countries.

The New York Daily News, the Washington Examiner, and the Huffington Post, among other news organizations, criticized the Attorney General’s statement that America needs the D.A.R.E. program today more than ever. Rather than meeting professional journalism standards by contacting D.A.R.E. for comment regarding the current curricula, these reporters dove to the lowest depths of journalistic professionalism by spending a few minutes on Google and citing a 1996 study on an old curriculum…a curriculum that was replaced nearly a decade ago in middle schools and more than four years ago in elementary schools. A call to D.A.R.E. would have resulted in a direct referral to a principal researcher involved in the evaluations cited, a referral that would have put research of D.A.R.E. in the 80’s and 90’s in proper context with the D.A.R.E. curricula of 2017. Simply stated, the 1996 study and other outdated studies that reporters have repeatedly used are irrelevant. Sadly, flawed, faulty, and wrong reporting limits the public’s awareness of today’s D.A.R.E. program.

Had the authors exercised “best practices” journalism and CALLED D.A.R.E. America, they would have learned that nearly 10 years ago, D.A.R.E. America formed an alliance with The Pennsylvania State University and adopted the evidenced-based keepin’ it REAL (kiR) curriculum for its middle school program. The kiR program was developed by PSU and Arizona State University with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse utilizing rigorous longitudinal scientific evaluations to create this evidence-based program. Then, in 2013, D.A.R.E. adopted the keepin’ it REAL elementary school curriculum.

Contacting D.A.R.E. – or properly researching – would also have identified the United States Surgeon General’s recent landmark report entitled, Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. That exhaustive report’s chapter dedicated to prevention states, “The good news is that there is strong scientific evidence supporting the effectiveness of prevention programs and policies.” The report lists the keepin’ it REAL curriculum among a select number of select programs the Surgeon General identifies as building social, emotional, cognitive, and substance refusal skills that provide children accurate information on rates and amounts of peer substance use.

D.A.R.E.’s mission today is teaching students good decision-making skills for safe and healthy living. D.A.R.E. education programs are a collaborative effort of the essential components of a community – students, parents, schools, law enforcement, and community leaders. Perhaps some of today’s reporters need the D.A.R.E. lesson on responsible decision-making to help them make better choices when writing stories.

<style><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->.et_post_meta_wrapper img {display: none !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#content-area {background: #e3e3e3 !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area {padding-bottom: 0px !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area .et_pb_post .et_post_meta_wrapper {text-align: center !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area .et_pb_post .entry-title {font-style: normal !important; font-size: 32px !important; font-weight: 600 !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area .et_pb_post .post-meta .published, #left-area .et_pb_post .post-meta a {font-size: 15px !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area .et_pb_post .post-meta a:hover {color: red !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area .et_pb_post .et_post_meta_wrapper .entry-title:after {content:''; display:block; width:100px; height:2px; margin:15px auto 5px; background:#000;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --><!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->@media only screen and (min-width: 1255px) {<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->#left-area {margin-top: -40px !important;}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] -->}<!-- [et_pb_line_break_holder] --></style>
The Role and Preparation of School Resource Officers

The Role and Preparation of School Resource Officers

There is an opportunity for law enforcement and schools to partner in a way that elevates both institutions and is potentially transformative in building trust and cooperation between community members. If school communities decide that having law enforcement on site…

Surgeon General Sounds Alarm On Risk Of Marijuana Addiction And Harm

Surgeon General Sounds Alarm On Risk Of Marijuana Addiction And Harm

At a time when more than 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of marijuana for either medical or recreational use, the U.S. surgeon general says no amount of the drug is safe for teens, young adults and pregnant women.

“While the perceived harm of marijuana is decreasing, the scary truth is that the actual potential for harm is increasing,” Surgeon General Jerome Adams said…

Prevention 101: The Science Behind Healthy Decision Making for Students

Prevention 101: The Science Behind Healthy Decision Making for Students

The D.A.R.E. America – National School Board Association webinar conducted by Richard Clayton, PhD and David L. Wyrick, PhD on August 13, 2019 is now online to view. The webinar will help the listener understand the evidence and theoretical base underlying Prevention Science, identifying the D.A.R.E. curricula as a model program. The D.A.R.E. curricula focuses on providing cutting edge instruction that helps prevent drug use by developing basic, core Socio-Emotional skills needed for safe and responsible choices…

D.A.R.E. Launches New High School Curriculum

D.A.R.E. Launches New High School Curriculum

myPlaybook: Core is a four-lesson curriculum designed for delivery to High School Students, ideally in 9th or 10th grade. The lesson content is aligned with D.A.R.E. Elementary and Middle school program concepts, continuing the focus on understanding risk behavior…

D.A.R.E. Responds to Vaping Crisis with New Enhancement Lesson

D.A.R.E. Responds to Vaping Crisis with New Enhancement Lesson

Vaping nicotine nearly doubled among high school seniors from 11 percent in 2017 to 20.9 percent in 2018. More than 1 in 10 eighth graders (10.9 percent) say they vaped nicotine in the past year, and use is up significantly in virtually all vaping measures among…

3 Big Prevention Ideas to Keep Young People Safe and Healthy

3 Big Prevention Ideas to Keep Young People Safe and Healthy

Navigating teen life while confronted with current issues like vaping, teen suicide, social media bullying, and illicit drugs, including today’s opioid epidemic, mean young people today must make critical choices at an early age. The hopeful news is communities that...

D.A.R.E. in 2019 – It’s Science & Evidence-Based Curricula

D.A.R.E. in 2019 – It’s Science & Evidence-Based Curricula

Read an article about D.A.R.E. by Richard Clayton, Ph.D., former Chair of Health Education and Health Promotion in the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. For more than 20 years, he was the director of the federally funded Center for Prevention Research

Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2022 D.A.R.E. America.
All Rights Reserved.