School Anti-Drug Programs

With drug and alcohol abuse being commonplace among young students, schools are searching for the best programs in order to educate their students about their risky behaviors. Many schools rely on projects such as Drug Awareness and Resistance Education (DARE), but a survey by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill College of Public Health has shown that many of these popular programs are less effective than their relatively unknown counterparts. These are several of the programs which have shown positive results in schools.

Reconnecting Youth is a six-week program geared towards high school students who are at risk of becoming addicted to drugs or alcohol. In this program, students are identified by teachers as struggling in school, having an increased dropout risk, or as potential drug users. These students obtain class credit in their daily peer sessions, which are led by certified teachers. There are five modules to the program: Getting Started, Self-Esteem Enhancement, Decision Making, Personal Control, and Interpersonal Communication, all of which are designed to decrease the chances of these at-risk students trying drugs.

Life Skills Training

With programs suited to students of all ages from elementary school to high school, Life Skills Training is an adjustable program to teach students how to resist peer pressure, gain self-esteem, cope with anxiety, and know the effects of risky behavior. Teachers lead the lessons, which can be taught daily or once a week, with all lessons lasting between 40 and 45 minutes. This program also comes with a companion website and handbook for teacher use in order to plan class activities.

Project ALERT

Geared towards middle school students, Project ALERT contains 14 lesson plans with posters, videos, and an online component. The cost is $150 per teacher, and schools that choose to have multiple teachers undergo training can benefit from a specialist who provides a workshop for the teachers. The lesson plans are interactive, containing projects such as role playing, small group activities, real life videos, and classroom discussions. Lessons are taught once per week for a year, then students are given three booster lessons the following year.

Project Northland

Project Northland works to delay or prevent alcohol use among middle school students.The lessons cover the various causes of alcohol abuse, such as environment, intrapersonal, and behavioral factors. Lessons take place over four weeks, and they are adaptable for any size classroom or to be done at home with parental supervision. Each of the eight lessons are 45 minutes long and contain peer interaction and role playing, each individualized to the grade level of the students.