Indicator Description
The provision of educational programs in public schools is an indicator of a community's activities to prevent alcohol, drug, and tobacco use among children and adolescents.

What to Measure

• The presence of school-based policies to prevent alcohol and drug use, including a no-use policy and consequences, counseling services, and student drug testing.
• Track the number of grade levels where a written substance use prevention curriculum has been adopted and is used during the year.
• Verify that the curriculum is research-based and been shown to prevent substance use in youth.
• Document evidence of collaboration with parents and youth.
• Track the school district budget allocated toward prevention activities.
• Track state funding for substance-use prevention activities to schools.
• Track federal substance use prevention funding to your community.

Where to Find Local Data

Programs

• Contact the drug-free school coordinator in your local school district to identify prevention programs used in your school system.

Effectiveness

• Use the SAMHSA Model Programs database to see if the programs used in your community are proven to be effective.

Federal Funding for Prevention Programs

• The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) Grants
• Drug-Free Communities Grants

Interpretation Guidelines

• The major difficulty with this measure is that the quality and scope of the curricula are difficult to report on and evaluate

 RAND. What are the true benefits of school-based drug prevention programs? Research Brief, 2002.