Description of the DARE Program

Grades 5 – 6

Purpose:

D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative effort by DARE certified Law Enforcement Officers, Educators, Parents, Students and the Community to offer an educational program in the classroom to prevent or reduce drug abuse and violence among children and youth.  The emphasis of the Officer’s Guide to D.A.R.E. to Resist Drugs and Violence, Student Workbook, Grades 5-6, is to help students recognize and resist the many direct and subtle pressures that influence them to experiment with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, inhalants, or other drugs or to engage in violence.

 The DARE program offers preventative strategies to enhance those protective factors-especially bonding to the family, school and community-which appear to foster the development of resiliency in young people who may be at risk for substance abuse or other problem behaviors.  Researchers have identified certain protective and social bonding factors in the family, school and community which may foster resiliency in young people, in other words, the capacity of young people for healthy, independent growth in spite of adverse conditions.  These strategies focus on the development of social competence, communication skills, self-esteem, empathy, decision-making, conflict resolution, sense of purpose and independence, and positive alternative activities to drug and other destructive behaviors.

 Organization:

The program content for DARE is organized into seventeen 45-60 minute lessons to be taught by a law enforcement officer with the suggested extended activities to be integrated into other instruction by the classroom teacher.  A specially trained officer is assigned to the school one day a week for one semester to conduct weekly lessons in grades 5 or 6.  Suggested extended interdisciplinary activities to be integrated with other subjects as time permits are listed in the publication titled D.A.R.E. Instructional Activity Guide for Teachers, Grades 5-6.  Student participation in the DARE program may be incorporated as an integral part of the school’s curricular offering in health, science, social studies, language arts, or other subject(s) as appropriate.  The classroom teacher should maintain a supportive role in classroom management while the officer is teaching and should incorporate DARE program participation by students as an integral part of the students final evaluation.

 Peer Leadership (Interactive Participation)

DARE offers a variety of interactive, group-participation, cooperative-learning activities which are designed to encourage students to solve problems of major importance in their lives.  An important element of DARE is the use of student leaders who do not use drugs as positive role models in influencing younger students.

 Culminating Activity:

The last lesson of DARE is the culminating assembly-type activity to which all classe4s involved in DARE are invited.

 This event provides an opportunity for recognition of the student leaders and all the students and staff who participated in the program.  The scheduling of an event of this nature requires the approval of the school principal.

Comprehensive Program Approach:

The DARE program – offered in concert with other school-based prevention activities and intervention strategies for the identification, early intervention and aftercare support of students at risk for substance abuse-may be viewed as a comprehensive substance abuse program that meets the goals of the Federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities act.

 A comprehensive program within the school offers such educational activities as the following to heighten awareness and knowledge about alcohol and other drug dependencies.

 Cooperative Learning:

Cooperative learning is an important strategy that is used throughout the DARE lessons.  The officer should consult with the classroom teacher concerning the pre-assigning of students to cooperative-learning groups.