Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Mar;10(1):33-40.
doi: 10.1007/s11121-008-0112-y.

The prevalence of evidence-based drug use prevention curricula in U.S. middle schools in 2005

Chris Ringwalt  1 , Amy A Vincus, Sean Hanley, Susan T Ennett, J Michael Bowling, Louise Ann Rohrbach
Affiliations

The prevalence of evidence-based drug use prevention curricula in U.S. middle schools in 2005

Chris Ringwalt et al. Prev Sci. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Since the promulgation of its Principles of Effectiveness in 1998, the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of the U.S. Department of Education has promoted the use of evidence-based drug prevention programs in the nation's schools. We report the results of a survey, conducted in 2005, of a nationally representative sample of 1,721 schools with middle school grades. Respondents comprised the staff member in the school identified as most knowledgeable about the school's drug prevention programs. The total response rate was 78%. Respondents answered questions concerning which drug use prevention curricula they used, and, if they used more than one, which one they used the most frequently. Three federally-sponsored registries were used to specify which curricula were considered evidence-based. Findings from 2005 were then compared to earlier estimates based on a similar 1999 survey. We found that 42.6% of the nation's schools with middle school grades were using an evidence-based curriculum, an increase of 8% from our 1999 estimate. The two most prevalent curricula in use, at 19% each, were Life Skills Training and Project ALERT. We note, however, that only 8% of Life Skills Training users and 9% of Project ALERT users reported using those curricula the most, and that only 23% of respondents overall reported that they used an evidence-based curriculum the most. More information is needed as to why over three-quarters of the nation's schools with middle school grades continue to administer curricula that have not been identified as effective.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Anderson P, Aromaa S, Rosenbloom D. Prevention education in America’s schools: Findings and recommendations from a survey of educators. 2007. Retrieved November 21, 2007, from http://www.jointogether.org/resources/2007/prevention-education-in.html.
    1. Center for Substance Abuse and Preventon (CSAP) CSAP’s prevention portal: Model programs. 2001. Dec 12, Retrieved May 18, 2001, from http://www.samhsa.gov/centers/csap/modelprograms/default.cfm.
    1. Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence. Blueprints for violence prevention overview. 2006. 2007, from University of Colorado, Boulder (CO) Web site http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/blueprints/model/criteria.html.
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for school health programs to prevent tobacco use and addiction, Feb 24, 1994. 2000. May 4, Retrieved May 18, 2001, from http:/www.cdc.gov.nccdphp/dash/ptuaaag.htm. - PubMed
    1. Crosse S, Burr M, Cantor D, Hagen C, Hantman I. Wide scope, questionable quality: Drug and violence prevention efforts in American schools. Report on the study on school violence and prevention. 2001. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from U.S. Department of Education, Planning and Evaluation Service Web site, http://www.ed.gov/offices/OUS/PES/studies-school-violence/wide-scope.pdf.

Publication types