Education

Clippings

May 01, 1999 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

On The Ropes: DARE, the worldwide program that puts cops in 5th and 6th grade classes to teach kids about drug abuse, has taken a lot of knocks in recent years. Critics charge that DARE has no lasting impact. One study even found increased drug use among suburban kids who participated in the program. A number of cities have dropped it. But, as Jennifer Gonnerman reports in the April 7-13 issue of the Village Voice, 80 percent of U.S. school districts continue to teach with DARE.

The largest program in the country is in New York City, where 271 elementary schools have DARE. But the critics apparently have put DARE on the defensive. According to Gonnerman, DARE’s president, Glenn Levant, is working behind the scenes to bolster the program’s image.

“Mounting criticism-and prodding from Congress-has led DARE to solicit advice from its fiercest critics,” Gonnerman reports, adding that DARE leaders have met twice in recent months with several drug-prevention researchers who have exposed the program’s failings.

One of those critics, Richard Clayton, describes the first meeting as “blunt and bloody.” But by the next meeting, according to Gonnerman, “the researchers and DARE officials had smoothed out their differences and together drafted a plan to conduct a long-term study of other drug-prevention curriculums.” Levant told Gonnerman, “We’re very willing to change. If someone’s got a better mousetrap, we’ll use it.”

--David Hill

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: February 21, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 7, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 31, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: January 17, 2024
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read