Evaluating the effectiveness of a school drug and alcohol prevention curriculum: a new look at "Here's Looking at You, Two"

Abstract

The article reports on the results of an evaluation of a school drug and alcohol prevention curriculum marketed under the title, "Here's Looking at You, Two." Previous evaluations, unreported in the literature and having unresolved methodological problems, have found that while the program appears effective at transmitting information regarding drug and alcohol abuse, it has not been effective at changing the underlying attitudes and behaviors that, in part, explain substance abuse. Employing a more rigorous methodology, our examination of a relatively large sample across five school districts provides support for previous findings. Over the short-term of one year, the program was particularly effective at transmitting substance information to primary and middle school students. The program, however, produced very little of the expected effect on the underlying attitudes that are critical to changing substance abuse behaviors.