I have been trying to get the DARE program brought back to our school. We dropped it at our school due to funding awhile back because the IU stopped funding it. The 8th graders that had it in the younger grades still remember the lessons and if asked really enjoyed the program and learned from it. For students to remember lessons from 4th grade it must have had some impact! I just read an article Column: Cutting DARE funding isn't a bad idea
Rendell wants to eliminate money to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program, popularly known as DARE, as in DARE to stay off drugs.
Two generations of kids have been exposed to DARE in school. Yet the Centers for Disease Control reported in 2006 that more than 43 percent of the nation's students are drinkers, and more than 25 percent admitted downing five or more alcoholic drinks in a row within the 30 days prior to the survey. Alcohol consumption, the CDC said, began before the age of 13 for one quarter of the students.
Now I hope this study was from schools that participated in the DARE program, because I know a lot stopped the program due to funding changes with the area IU, and some schools have a lot of gaps in the program such as they may have it for one grade skip two grades then have it again. Every school seemed to participate in a different way. If they get rid of this program are they going to replace it with a different program? Or just drop the entire thing all together? I am not sure what the answer is.
Either way I really didn't like the statement, Cops climbing into the trenches with kids is fine, but I wonder if they really need 80 hours of specialized DARE training to learn how to stand in front of a group of elementary school kids and tell them why drugs are bad.
What so the state saying anyone can come in and teach kids they don' training to do it? I have sat in on DARE sessions and they are good and probably those 8o hours helped hone those that already had good teaching skills. Maybe they can make teachers only take 80 hours of training. I wonder why we need the Act 48 hours anymore here in PA since we already spent 1,000 of hours in class. Now I actually don't mind the Act 48 that much I really enjoy workshops and training sessions and now the school has to pay for it, otherwise I think a lot of schools wouldn't pay anything if teachers didn't have to take a certain amount of classes.
Now I have been researching other programs besides the Pennsylvania DARE Program. I just don't like why they are saying they need to cut it, just come out and say you don't want to pay for it anymore, don't just say that these cops don't need training to come in the classroom. A few programs:
OSDFS Office of safe and drug-free schools has a few good grants and a few good publications that are free from the edpubs are:
- Protective Schools
- Success Stories is older but nice
- Experiences In Effective Prevention
- Growing up Drug Free
Other programs I have looked at
- University of Arizona
- McGruff of course a old standby
- The KNOW project
Does your school have a good program? If so let me know.
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