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Drug Education Writing Assignment Currently being used In about eighty percent of schools In America Is the DARE program. DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and has taught over this program Is actually effective in preventing the use of drugs and alcohol. On the official DARE website it gives success statistics based on if parents and teachers were satisfied with the program and if a child talked about the program at home, which in the minds of researches wasn’t enough to call it “successful”.
One of the studies in the article, “Does DARE Work? Found that DARE had caused a twenty-nine percent increase in drug usage and a thirty-four percent increase in tobacco usage. A large amount of society hasn’t seen or heard of these statistics or the results of one of the other many studies done because the pro-DARE population does a lot to try to hinder the leakage of such studies. Although we have proven that DARE is ineffective and often counter-productive, we have yet to produce a substitute universal program for drug education.
The article gives a few suggestions for what direction drug education should take. The first being the social norms marketing technique, which shows kids the low frequency of their peers engaging In these dangerous behaviors. Secondly, the author suggests brief intervention techniques that have proven effective. And lastly, the author also supports the U. S. Department of Educations suggestions of target group programs, like Life Skills Training Program for ten to fourteen year olds or Project ALERT for middle school aged children.
Although these ideas are valid and effective, not one of these programs alone will be able to tackle the large goal of caching children to resist drugs and alcohol. When think of ideas for a new drug education program, there are many factors to consider, one of these being the National Health Education Standards. The Second Education Standard especially relates to drug education with the goal being to have students analyze the Influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors.
In this we would want them to know the negative and positive affects that each of these groups has on their decision to do drugs. We have o be careful in doing this to make sure that we are correctly using the social norm marketing technique, because this is a large area where DARE had failed. DARE makes it sound like all of the children’s friends will be drinking and doing drugs which is why it might be hard to say no. This makes a child even more likely to do so as well because then they believe they are “fitting in”.
The Third Education Standard is to teach children where they can access information. They need to know where they can get information, products, and services when it Is needed. For example, aging a list of adults they feel comfortable going to If they ever needed advice or making lists of the closest police stations and hospitals. Standard four states that students will demonstrate the ability to use Interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks.
This could look like learning different ways to say no like make up excuses, or learning how to explain to a peer ten dangers AT Argus Ana alcohol In a way Tanat reels combo rattled Tort can student. Another standard that is deeply intertwined with drug education is Standard five, which is supposed to teach students to demonstrate the ability to use decision- making skills to enhance health. Instead of Just telling students to “Just say no”, maybe teach them to make an educated decision for themselves.
If they know how to make educated decisions and know the facts about drugs and alcohol, they will make the right decision not to try them. Decision making skills will teach them to think about the outcomes that the decision to do drugs will have, also causing them not to do drugs. Something to keep in mind about each of these National Health Educational Standards is that they are not a one time teaching experience. DARE is only presented in fifth grade. These Standards should be presented and constantly reiterated every year, Just like any other primary subject.
If not, then Just like the DARE program, they will be forgotten and outdated. Also, as trends change, so does the program. DARE lacked continuing relevance. Children today aren’t going to have the same exact experiences as children in twenty years. The new program needs to accommodate each generation of children as they enter our schools. Another factor to consider when finding a new direction for drug education is the Coordinated School Health Model. The Coordinated School Health Model is a strategy for improving students’ health and learning in our nation’s schools.
It is made of eight components that contribute to increasing student wellness and learning. Of these eight factors, health education, family and community involvement, healthy school environment, and physical education stand out as really interacting with a drug education program. Health education is an obvious one because student will deed to know not only good health habits, but also the dangers of bad health habits, like drugs. They need to know what can happen to them and how drug use will affect them in the long run.
In my opinion, family and community involvement should be the number one drug education target. If schools partner up with parents and the community to teach about drug education and give students the resources they need, this will have the biggest impact on them. If in every environment they are in they are hearing about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, they will remember and the autistic will change dramatically. As an education major I believe parent involvement is one of the most important factors of learning any subject.
Also, a healthy school environment will affect the success of a new drug education program. Health should always be promoted, in all areas of the building. In the cafeteria and in the classroom, this goes along with promoting healthy behaviors in all of the child environments. Lastly with the Coordinated School Health Model is physical education. If children are taught to strive for good physical education, they will not want to harm heir bodies with the effects of drugs or alcohol. This can be seen with school athletes.
Many school athletes choose to abstain from partying, drinking, or drugs, because they do not want them to influence their abilities. These individuals could be used as examples. So a new universal drug education program should take all of these, along with the rest of the factors of the Coordinated School Health Model into consideration. One of the struggles to implementing a new drug program is the cost. Just about any new program is going to cost a lot, but if it is effective, there is no reason these orgasm snout’s De approval.
In Tact, currently we are spending DARE annually, when it is ineffective and useless. This money being wasted should be used to try new forms of drug educations that implement the characteristic that have previously been discussed. Another problem, is deciding on what program to use and knowing beforehand if it is effective. For that problem, we can look to the examples that the U. S. Department of education deem successful. But before any of this can happen, DARE needs to be removed from all schools, which has proven to be an uphill battle in itself.