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D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is a collaborative effort by D.A.R.E. certified law enforcement officers, educators, students, parents, and 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 D.A.R.E. program offers preventive 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 abuse and other destructive behaviors.

Organization

The program content for D.A.R.E. is organized into ten 45- to 60-minute lessons to be taught by a law enforcement officer with 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 student's final evaluation.

Peer Leadership (Interactive Group 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 D.A.R.E. 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 D.A.R.E. is a culminating assembly-type activity to which all classes involved in D.A.R.E. 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.

Comprehension Program Approach

The D.A.R.E. 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:

• Planning and implementation of the school behavior code that includes guidelines concerning the possession or use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs.
• A comprehensive program of instruction of the harmful effects of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs that are commonly abused. The program is sequential and grade-appropriate for kindergarten through grade 6. Ideally, this instruction should be offered as an integral part of the school's comprehensive health curriculum.
• Faculty in-service training.
• Instruction by D.A.R.E. officer in target classrooms.
• Parent education, including a DARE evening for parents.
• Interest groups.
• Parent outreach and support.

Cooperative learning is an important strategy that is used throughout the D.A.R.E. lessons. The officer should consult with the classroom teacher concerning the preassigning of students to cooperative-learning groups. Learning to function as a responsible, sharing member of a group and to participate in cooperative problem solving is a key factor in helping students meet their needs for affection, recognition, respect, and feelings of self-worth. Cooperative learning involves students of all ability levels working in learning groups controlled by the instructor in size, membership, purpose, and duration. Small groups of students (usually no more than six) work together, each student contributing to the achievement of the task objective.

Suggestions for working with cooperative-learning groups are as follows:

1. Establish the size of the groups according to the number of class members. Four to six students per group is usually a workable number.
2. .Make groups heterogeneous by including members of both sexes, various ethnic groups, and various ability levels.
3. Arrange group seating so that each group has its own space and is able to work independently. Emphasize the need for group members to talk quietly together and work to complete their task.
4. Give clear directions about the assignment or task, and discuss the rules and guidelines for group work. Include the following rules:
   1. Stay seated during group work.
   2. Adhere to time limits.
   3. Allow everyone to participate.
   4. Resolve conflicts without put-downs.
   5. Work together toward a common group goal.
5. Make sure all materials needed for the task are readily available before beginning the assignment.
6. Have a signal that tells the students to get into their cooperative teams. For example, when you say "Team up," students should know where to go and what rules to follow.
7. Have each group select a spokesperson and recorder so that a summary of each group's discussion can be shared with the rest of the class.
8. Interact with groups, when necessary, to explain, clarify, motivate, help resolve conflicts, and keep students on task.