Award-winning Penn State researchers working to "keep it real".
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), an international education program that seeks to prevent youth substance use, gang participation, and violent behavior, has partnered with Penn State researchers to disseminate the keepin’ it REAL (kiR) program in schools across the United States.
kiR was developed over 20-years by researchers at Penn State and Arizona State with funding provided by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). kiR is an innovative, culturally grounded, multicultural curriculum that teaches youth the skills they need to refuse drug offers and engage in other high-risk behaviors.
The skills (Refuse, Explain, Avoid, Leave) prepare children to act decisively, confidently, and comfortably by teaching them how to say no in difficult situations. Students also learn how to recognize risk, value their perceptions and feelings, and make choices that support their values.
kiR is led by Penn State Department of Communication Arts and Sciences faculty Dr. Michael Hecht, Distinguished Professor, and Dr. Michelle Miller-Day, associate professor. kiR is designated as a model substance abuse prevention education program on the SAMSHA National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). A recent cost effectiveness study ranked kiR among the top 3 prevention programs with a cost benefit ratio of 2 ($28 in benefits for every $1 spent). kiR was also the winner of the 2010 Penn State Award for Community Engagement and Scholarship.
“We are gratified that DARE is partnering with us to further disseminate kiR", said Dr. Hecht. “DARE’s recent decision to transition to the kiR elementary school curriculum was based on the abundance of evidence which has accumulated over years, that kiR is effective and incredibly cost efficient”, continued Dr. Hecht. The new elementary school curriculum will be taught to the 1.6 million students enrolled in DARE beginning in September 2011.