Key Findings
The “D.A.R.E.: keepin’ it REAL” elementary school program is delivered by certified D.A.R.E. officers with high fidelity and their delivery is engaging to students. It is effective and successful in the long-term reduction of drinking alcohol, getting drunk, smoking cigarettes, and vaping.
Highlights of the evaluation include:
- Year 1 Elementary School- There were statistically significant reductions in the prevalence of drinking alcohol, getting drunk, smoking cigarettes, and vaping among students who received D.A.R.E. compared to the control cases.
- D.A.R.E. Officers performed very well in the classroom based on both teacher and student ratings. Teachers and students rated D.A.R.E. Officers extremely high on both program fidelity (9.4 out of 10 – delivering the program as intended) and engagement (9.32 out of 10 – actively engaging students during program delivery).
- The teachers’ ratings of officer implementation were highly correlated with students’ ratings of personal engagement (r = .813; p < .0001).
- D.A.R.E. Officer instruction was directly related to positive program outcomes. That is, there were statistically significant correlations between student engagement and student scores at posttest on all variables assessed – increased student engagement was related to positive outcomes on all variables.
- The responsiveness of the D.A.R.E. Officer to the students was also predictive of scores at post-test for variables like decision-making, intentions to avoid drug use, and beliefs about peer norm use.
