One major problem with the nationwide D.A.R.E program success is that:
options:
a) the program only focused on upper middle-class schools for making classroom presentations about drug used.
b) the program was continually underfunded by the federal government, resulting in expanding into other areas in the United States.
c) school boards at religious elementary schools were reluctant to have open discussions with students about drug use and abuse.
d) research studies repeatedly found that students who participated were no less likely to use drugs than students who had not gone through the D.A.R.E program.
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is d) research studies repeatedly found that students who participated were no less likely to use drugs than students who had not gone through the D.A.R.E program.
The D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program, launched in the 1980s, aimed to educate students about the dangers of drug use and to prevent them from engaging in substance abuse. Despite its widespread implementation across schools in the U.S., research studies have shown that the program was not as effective as originally hoped.
Numerous evaluations conducted on the program’s effectiveness indicated that students who participated in D.A.R.E were no less likely to use drugs in the long term compared to those who had not participated. This failure to show a significant reduction in drug use among participants has been a major critique of the program. Several factors may have contributed to this lack of effectiveness.
One significant issue is that the program primarily focused on imparting knowledge about drugs and their dangers rather than addressing the underlying reasons why students may turn to drugs in the first place. D.A.R.E did not provide students with the tools needed to resist peer pressure or manage stress and emotions, which are often at the core of risky behaviors like drug use. Additionally, the program relied heavily on law enforcement officers to deliver lessons, and while their presence might have been authoritative, it may not have resonated with the students or built trust in the message.
Over time, research findings led to a reevaluation of the D.A.R.E approach, and the program has since been revised and restructured in various ways. However, its original intent to reduce drug use through educational sessions alone proved to be insufficient for achieving long-term positive behavioral change.