From The State Evaluating drug prevention programs by Al Fredrickson

With the recently released evaluation of the D.A.R.E. Program there is a renewed focus on the evaluation of drug prevention programs. While I think that evaluating our efforts is a critical element of providing good service and being responsible stewards of funds, it is important to be aware of our motivations in the evaluation process. Are we looking for ways to improve efforts and services or is this a pass/fail test of one program? Do we really think that there is a magic bullet, one single program that will prevent the “scourge of teenage drug abuse”?

Just prior to the release of the evaluation of D.A.R.E., a national report on adolescent health reconfirms the importance of family in the prevention of a whole host of problems that effect young people, including ATOD problems. The Protecting Adolescents National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health Report underscores the common sense fact that we need similar messages coming from many sectors of our community that are reinforced through community norms and standards. We don’t assume that exposure to math, science, language or physical education for one year is enough for lifetime mastery of the subject. Why do we try to hold any drug prevention program to this rigorous standard?

What we need is a continual infusion of prevention messages throughout all sectors of our communities, reinforced through our behavior as members of the community. We need to continually evaluate the programs we have developed and funded to be sure that they are doing the maximum to benefit the recipients and use the information to improve the program’s effectiveness.

I am encouraged that the results of the D.A.R.E. evaluation reinforce the idea that we need many different programs in a comprehensive set of strategies, frequently reinforced over the long term. While this long-term view of prevention efforts is not necessarily headline grabbing, the purpose is not sound bites, but the formation of healthy productive communities.