Thoughts on DARE program

[castleview]

DD just had to write her DARE report and as I was checking it (and the outline they were given to write about), it really seemed like they were asked to write a testimonial for DARE. Of course, I have no problem with this program - even though some people question the effectiveness - but that was kind of a turn off for me. Anyone else have thoughts as I know very little about this.

 

[castmember19]

I remember being involved with DARE when I was very young and in elementary school. I do like the program in theory and their cause, but I remember pledging to not use drugs or alcohol when I was what, seven years old? That's way too young to actually influence kids, who get introduced to such things at high school age. DARE was nowhere around during high school.

 

[Samandmom]

Funny you ask about DARE, my son was just working on his DARE poster. He is in 5th grade and 10yrs old.

 

[Pigeon]

We opt out. By law, DARE is required to be an opt-in program, but usually does not bother to get parental permission.

DARE has been shown time and time again to be at best, ineffective, and in some specific situations, makes kids more likely to take drugs. Even the goverment accounting office has found this to be the case. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03172r.pdf As a taxpayer I object to squandering tax money to have a police officer waste his or her time when the officer could be doing something to keep our communities safer.

It is beyond ridiculous that schools continue this garbage. If we had a math curriculum that was demonstrated to be ineffective in teaching math, we would stop doing it. But because people get a warm fuzzy feeling about DARE, we waste contact time, community resources and money on this tripe.

 

[dakcp2001]

I grew up in the city and we had a DARE program in 6th grade, just before we went to Junior High School (in my area we went to junior High for 7 & 8 grade). Only speaking for myself, it had a huge impact on me. I am very thankful for the program. I guess it just came at the perfect time for me and my group of friends. We were very adamant about not doing drugs or drinking alcohol while most of our peers were experimenting. Not only was it good for education purposes, but it also gave us peer support to say no.

I am sad to hear others are not having such a positive experience. I still remember the Officer that taught our group.

 

[Feralpeg]

DD was her sixth grade DARE essay winner. Her essay was about what she wanted to do with her life and how she knew that drugs would prevent her from achieving her goals. Somewhere, I have a copy of it. It was not about DARE per se.

She got to read her essay to the parents and other students at the end of the year program and she got a medal. It seemed like a worthwhile project. Of course this was a few years back.

 

[Jen414]

DARE is taught in my class--not by me, but by a police officer. I have listened in for the last 11 years. I'm not so sure it's effective; however, if it saves even one kid from doing drugs or drinking or smoking before they're legal, then I guess it's worth it. I did have one girl who got in a car with her sister who was drunk (she was drunk too) and her sister crashed their car. It ended up upside down, impaled on a telephone pole. One other girl in the car survived, but they did not. They were 15 and 17. Hands down, it was the worst wake I have ever been to. Both sisters were DARE graduates. :-(

 

[si-am]

My cousin's daughter went through a militant anti-alcohol phase after DARE. It was kind of annoying; if we were all out to eat and the adults ordered wine, she'd try to make us feel guilty about it. Nothing like a sanctimonious 10 year old to ruin a nice meal!

 

[njmom47]

I just asked dd#2 if DARE had any influence on her when she was younger, and said they were all gung-ho about not doing drugs. However, as a senior in high school, she said it has not stuck, as she sees her classmates do various types of drugs.

 

[Pigeon]

I just asked dd#2 if DARE had any influence on her when she was younger, and said they were all gung-ho about not doing drugs. However, as a senior in high school, she said it has not stuck, as she sees her classmates do various types of drugs.

My cousin says that the kids who are into drugs in her high school like to party wearing their DARE t-shirts, which they say stand for "Drugs Are Really Excellent."

Every independent (non-DARE funded) study that has looked at the outcomes of the program has come to the same conclusion that your dds have anecdotally observed. DARE does nothing to keep kids from taking drugs. There is an increase in anti-drug attitudes shortly after the indoctrination, but it doesn't translate into behavior.

 

[disney1990]

My cousin says that the kids who are into drugs in her high school like to party wearing their DARE t-shirts, which they say stand for "Drugs Are Really Excellent."

Every independent (non-DARE funded) study that has looked at the outcomes of the program has come to the same conclusion that your dds have anecdotally observed. DARE does nothing to keep kids from taking drugs. There is an increase in anti-drug attitudes shortly after the indoctrination, but it doesn't translate into behavior.

I know so many kids that went through the DARE program and went on to do drug and abuse alcohol.

 

[Poohforyou]

I think that's pretty typical of the program. My DD went though it last year and I remember her writing about what she thought was best about the program and how she would use what she learned in the real world. She didn't learn many new things since we've talked with her for years about drugs and alcohol. However, I think it was great for her to connect with the local police and hear the same things we've been telling her from a neutral party.

I don't understand how DARE could make a child get into drugs and/or drinking. That's like saying telling kids about birth control leads to teen having s e x.

 

[Cinderella94]

I'm a senior in high school and when I saw the title of this thread, I remembered hearing about DARE in elementary school but couldn't remember what it was.

In my opinion, it isn't worth a hoot being targeted at elementary schoolers. Start with 7th grade, maybe.

 

[*JoGo*]

What timing... I am sort of upset b/c my son made a flippant remark today trying to get out of doing what I told him to do... he gave me a laundry list of why he couldn't do what I said and ended it with "I think I'm high".

He's in 5th grade, he's 11, he just did the DARE program.

He had no idea what the term "high" meant, but a girl at school (his PRIVATE, CHRISTIAN school, where I work! -i know, not immune to drugs, but 5th grade talking like this?) apparently says this. Is it a new phrase? I don't know. Anyway, I knew about the studies saying DARE is ineffective, and agree. I let him do the program b/c otherwise he would've been pulled out and just sitting around during the program time. Perhaps one reason the program is ineffective is b/c they don't even get into the language/slang of the culture. I don't expect them to go into depth, but surely having a sort of dialogue about it would be helpful! If someone asks you, Hey, want to get high? That means do you want to do drugs. I mean, no one says Hey kid, want some drugs? My goodness. Now I'm worried someone's going to ask my kid Hey, want a whippy-whap? and he's going to think it's a cow tail and eat it up.

Anyway. Not impressed with DARE.
I didn't do the DARE program, I guess they didn't come out to the rural elementary schools. We did have a "Just Say No" campaign where we stayed after school a couple times, did a craft, and designed a poster. I've never done drugs, but I do not think it has anything to do with "Just Say No".

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm a senior in high school and when I saw the title of this thread, I remembered hearing about DARE in elementary school but couldn't remember what it was.

In my opinion, it isn't worth a hoot being targeted at elementary schoolers. Start with 7th grade, maybe.

I have to disagree there. By 7th grade they are already doing drugs. Completely pointless to start it then.

While it does not help ALL kids, kids do get info from it regardless of they do drugs or not and in the end it is probably a good thing.

 

[castmember19]

I have to disagree there. By 7th grade they are already doing drugs. Completely pointless to start it then.

While it does not help ALL kids, kids do get info from it regardless of they do drugs or not and in the end it is probably a good thing.

What seventh graders do you know who are doing drugs? I'm asking sincerely. Even I, who have grown up with some pretty bad kids, only knew one or two kids who had gotten involved with drugs in middle school- and that was because they had older brothers or sisters in high school.

Drugs weren't a huge deal until high school, and even then, I noticed in more in the older years. I don't spend a lot of time with middle schoolers anymore but it strikes me as hard to believe that they're already avidly into drugs at seventh grade.

 

[Cinderella94]

What seventh graders do you know who are doing drugs? I'm asking sincerely. Even I, who have grown up with some pretty bad kids, only knew one or two kids who had gotten involved with drugs in middle school- and that was because they had older brothers or sisters in high school.

Drugs weren't a huge deal until high school, and even then, I noticed in more in the older years. I don't spend a lot of time with middle schoolers anymore but it strikes me as hard to believe that they're already avidly into drugs at seventh grade.

Me too...no disrespect meant to the pp, obviously if they see it they see it. But I wasn't in 7th grade too long ago, and my brother is in 7th grade now. Maybe it's because of the area we're in...I can't think of any 7th or even 8th graders I know that do drugs.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

What seventh graders do you know who are doing drugs? I'm asking sincerely. Even I, who have grown up with some pretty bad kids, only knew one or two kids who had gotten involved with drugs in middle school- and that was because they had older brothers or sisters in high school.

Drugs weren't a huge deal until high school, and even then, I noticed in more in the older years. I don't spend a lot of time with middle schoolers anymore but it strikes me as hard to believe that they're already avidly into drugs at seventh grade.

It depends on the area and the kids' circumstances. If your parents are drug dealers or do drugs and drugs are openly consumed in your neighborhood, on your street, in your house, then of course, you'll have knowledge and experience with drugs earlier (likely much earlier) than kids who come from the type of people who post on Disney Boards.

 

[castmember19]

It depends on the area and the kids' circumstances. If your parents are drug dealers or do drugs and drugs are openly consumed in your neighborhood, on your street, in your house, then of course, you'll have knowledge and experience with drugs earlier (likely much earlier) than kids who come from the type of people who post on Disney Boards.

I'm going to openly come out and say that the neighborhood I grew up in, while it isn't the worst, it is pretty bad when it comes to what I imagine other posters are used to (gunshots, break-ins, there's a meeting place down the street for drug deals.)

I was fourteen when I was walking down the street and an adult approached me asking if I wanted to buy weed for the first time. Let's just say that if I ever wanted to buy drugs, it was readily available. That being said, I maintain my original position that I only knew one or two kids in middle school who were doing it and even they were influenced by older siblings.

Like I said, there are worse areas than in my neighborhood in which younger kids are probably definitely doing it. But in my experience (and my neighborhood was pretty bad) it still wasn't happening that early.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Well I graduated high school 25 years ago I knew plenty of kids in 7th and 8th grade getting high and drinking. I distinctly remember because it was my first year of being in a public school after many years in a small 100 kid private school. I was wide eyed and nieve.

We live in a somewhat affluent neighborhood now and my 6th grader son tells me about the kids who already have drinking parties while their parents are away. Our school's DARE program is in 5th grade.

No it may not help every child but if it prevents just one from using drugs and alcohol then to me its worth it.