Responses to drug and alcohol related questionnaire administered to intermediate grade students showed that sixth graders were significantly more advanced than fourth or fifth graders in terms of conformity to peer pressure and positive attitudes toward drug and alcohol use. Results have implications for drug and alcohol education curriculum…

Describes Be a Winner, an innovative drug education program in which uniformed law enforcement officers lead an eight-week instructional program at the fifth or sixth grade levels. Program evaluation indicated program decision-making skills improved as well as a positive change in some attitudes and beliefs concerning substance use. (Author/ABL)

Examined effects of mixed affective-cognitive drug education program on rural northern Michigan and northeastern Wisconsin sixth and seventh graders' (N=265) substance use health beliefs and behaviors. Alcohol use in this population was determined to be much higher than national average for similar age groups while marijuana, cigarette, and…

Piloted Me-ology Drug Prevention Program in Ohio among sixth graders in rural and small town schools. Conducted pre/post tests to measure students' knowledge of decision making processes, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. Results supported use of program in expanding students' knowledge base. (NB)

DARE's effectiveness in Charleston County (South Carolina) was studied by comparing 341 DARE to 367 non-DARE fifth-grade students. DARE teaches students to recognize and resist social pressures to use drugs. DARE has positive impacts on anti-substance abuse attitudes, assertiveness, positive peer association, association with drug-using peers, and…

Assessed impact of Project DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) on knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported behavior of seventh graders who received DARE curriculum in sixth grade. Compared to controls, DARE students reported significantly lower use of alcohol, cigarettes, and other drugs. Findings were especially strong for boys. (Author/NB)

This study examined the effectiveness of school-based drug education in affecting knowledge, attitudes, decision making, motivation, and self-esteem. Pre- and postintervention surveys of fourth through eighth graders indicated that self-esteem did not improve significantly. Knowledge and attitude scores improved significantly, with a positive…

The long-term effectiveness of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was assessed by contrasting drug use and other D.A.R.E.-related attitudinal latent variables among 356 12th graders who received the program in 6th grade with 264 students who did not receive the program. Results suggest a possible sleeper effect for the program. (SLD)

Recent research on middle and senior high school students showed a reversal of previous decline in smoking marijuana and using drugs other than marijuana, a decline in students' personal disapproval of marijuana, and a high prevalence of alcohol use. Student reports of peer approval, availability, and use at school of alcohol, marijuana, and other…

Focus groups at four middle schools examined the health topic areas of most concern to young adolescents, noted interrelationships among health issues, and gathered opinions on how to improve classroom health instruction. Sex, drugs, and violence were students' main health concerns. Students had numerous suggestions for improving classroom…