Drug and Alcohol Prevention Education. ERIC Digest.

Overview & Synopsis

This digest discusses the issue of safe, disciplined, drug-free schools, one of the six national goals for American education established as a result of the February 1990 education summit. The importance of including substance use in comprehensive school health education (as well as other content areas of the curriculum) is stressed, noting that school systems, administrators, parents, and the community must establish policies and strategies for achieving objectives at the local level. Program philosophy must evolve from the community in order to lessen community resistance to sensitive issues and to increase curriculum relevance. Very little evaluation has been done on drug education programs, but the information available indicates that instruction must begin early in life, be part of a comprehensive health curriculum, ensure community involvement, and include teacher training. Implementation of drug education programs involves three steps: needs assessment; curriculum development; and program evaluation. Inservice teacher education is crucial to successful drug and alcohol education. (SM)