The UNC Greensboro and Prevention Strategies three year, multi-longitudinal study concludes: D.A.R.E. keepin’ it REAL Elementary School Curriculum is Evidence-based, Successful and Effective

The comprehensive study is the only one ever conducted reviewing any prevention education curricula taught by law enforcement officers, rather than teachers. Specifically, the study found:

• There were statistically significant reductions in the prevalence of drinking alcohol, getting drunk, smoking cigarettes, and vaping among students who received D.A.R.E. compared to the control cases. The study also concluded that the program was entirely successful in preventing marijuana use.
• D.A.R.E. Officers performed very well in the classroom based on both teacher and student ratings. Teachers and students rated D.A.R.E. Officers extremely high on both program fidelity and engagement actively engaging students during program delivery.
• D.A.R.E. Officer instruction was directly related to positive program outcomes. That is, there were statistically significant correlations between student engagement and student scores at post-test on all variables assessed – increased student engagement was related to positive outcomes on all variables.
• The responsiveness of the D.A.R.E. Officer to the students was also predictive of scores at post-test for variables like decision-making, intentions to avoid drug use, and beliefs about peer norm use.