Background: In recent years, several states have created mandatory prison-diversion programs for felony drug possessors. These programs have both individual-level goals of reducing recidivism rates and system-level goals of reducing prison populations. Objective: This study examines the individual level and system level impact of Kansas' Senate…

This study explores the possibility that any drug prevention program might be considered "evidence-based" given the use of data analysis procedures that optimize the chance of producing statistically significant results by reanalyzing data from a Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program evaluation. The analysis produced a number of…

In an effort to promote evidence-based practice, government officials, researchers, and program developers have developed lists of model programs in the prevention field. This article reviews the evidence used by seven best-practice lists to select five model prevention programs. The authors' examination of this research raises questions about the…

Longitudinal trajectories for HIV risk were examined over 5 years following treatment among 1,393 patients who participated in the nationwide Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Studies. Both injection drug use and sexual risk behavior declined over time, with most of the decline occurring between intake and the first-year follow-up. However, results of…

Discrepancies between staff perceptions of program efficacy and empirical evaluations of program effectiveness were studied for two drug education and prevention programs. Possible explanations involve: (1) the relatively low drug involvement of the study population; (2) differing expectations about program impacts; and (3) the sensitivity of…

The Doubles, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, is a seven-episode series of media tools designed to teach third and fourth grade students about the science of drug addiction. The program's curriculum is delivered via a set of videos, interactive CD-ROMs, workbooks, or an Internet site. This article examines the process used to…

A student-centered evaluation of the California Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Education (DATE) program shows how a state policy directed toward students at risk influences program directions and affects at-risk and thriving students. Reasons to question the validity of the risk factor model as a prevention tool are discussed. (SLD)

Data analysis approaches for program evaluation under the conditions of natural experiments are explored, using evaluation of the DARE program of drug use prevention among elementary school students as an example. The suggested methodology uses multiple independent analyses to demonstrate the convergence or divergence of program outcomes. (SLD)

A pilot study involving 90 percent of the parents of 200 seventh graders attending two junior high schools evaluated the effectiveness of active versus passive methods of obtaining parental consent. Passive consent can provide a viable alternative to active consent when supplemented by appropriate backup and privacy safeguards. (TJH)

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…

Reports on the evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) prevention program at several sites. Findings show a very small effect on children, but as has been the case for the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program (DARE), GREAT will continue because of its importance to stakeholders and political symbolism. (SLD)

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)

The long-term effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Program was assessed by contrasting 497 ninth graders who received the program in sixth grade with 352 who did not. Employing latent variables to represent the concepts, no significant differences were found between D.A.R.E. participants and comparisons. (SLD)