In addition, some parents say that DARE s just say no message is too simplistic that kids need more discussions about drug use rather than predetermined ways to resist peer pressure. These objections come at a time when several studies are questioning the effectiveness of DARE programs. The study, funded by the Illinois State Police, tracked the impact of DARE on 1,800 students for six years. History DARE has been the premiere drug prevention program in schools for years and was developed by the Los Angeles Police Department and the L.A. Unified School District in 1983. The backbone of DARE is the use of law enforcement officers, who visit classrooms weekly in an effort to build both anti-drug attitudes and social skills to resist drugs.
Lessons center on assertiveness, self-esteem, choices, and peer pressure.
The traditional DARE core curriculum consists of seventeen 45-60 minute lessons to fifth and sixth graders. More than 100,000 students across Colorado receive DARE training each year from over 300 law enforcement officers. Studies, Studies DARE, has also come under scrutiny in light of the recent rise is teenage drug use. A five-year U.S. Department of Education study released in 1997 by the Triangle Research Institute found that drug prevention programs have little or no effect on the extent of drug use among students. And when researchers at the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence at the University of Colorado compiled a list of 10 recommended drug resistance programs, DARE was absent from the list.