Teachers' Resource Page
We know that a lot is asked of you during the school day. In our national survey on prevention education in schools, most of you told us that you don't have the time, training, or other resources needed to do the job effectively.
Research shows that a comprehensive approach to prevention encompasses families, schools and communities. We encourage parents and other community institutions to participate in prevention activities so the burden is not placed on teachers to be the sole providers of prevention education.
Research has shown the following components to be part of effective prevention programs. Try to incorporate as many of these strategies into your prevention program to make the best out of the time you have to devote to it:
- Helps students recognize internal and external pressures to drink or use drugs
- Provides normative information
- Involves family and the community
- Uses interactive teaching methods
- Helps students develop refusal skills
- Uses developmentally appropriate materials
- Consists of a minimum of eight sessions supplemented by at least three booster sessions
- Includes teacher training and support
- Is easy to implement
Research has also shown that these widely used strategies have little or no effect:
- One-time assemblies
- Personal accounts of people in recovery
- Scare tactics
- Curricula that only provide information on drugs and their dangers or only promote self esteem
RESOURCES
Here are some resources that will help you make the most out of the time you have to teach drug and alcohol prevention in your class:
Learn more about the Join Together prevention survey.
