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| Home- | |Facts On Adolescent Binge Drinking | Strategies & Approaches | What You Can Do | Resources & Links |  |
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Has your school or community assessed student drinking to determine the extent of the problem? Do you know what factors may be contributing to student drinking in your school or community? Is your school currently working to educate parents about alcohol use among children? Does your school have an active partnership with the families of its students? |  |
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Summary Schools have long been central to prevention programs. Schools are often the first resort when ATOD problems become obvious--policymakers, media, and citizens demand more comprehensive educational programs for students. These programs often focus on educating children when they are very young in the hope that they will learn to avoid the pitfalls of ATOD use. Yet research consistently shows that school programs have only a marginal effect on student substance use and community ATOD problems. This should not come as a surprise; schools inevitably reflect and respond to the community environment, as well as its norms and values. Schools are only one of the many influences on young people, and even the best curriculum will fail if not supported by the community through policies, norms, and attitudes that discourage ATOD use. Only when a whole systems approach is taken, such as addressing all of the questions above, can schools effectively serve youth in preventing underage alcohol use. References:
In the School. 2004. Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free. Available at: http://www.alcoholfreechildren.org/en/act/school.cfm. Accessed on [10/05/06] What Schools Can Do. Alcohol Epidemiology Program: University of Minnesota. Available at: http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol/policy/schools.shtm. Accessed on [10/02/06] L Austin, G. and R. Skager. 10th biennial California Student Survey Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Use 2003-2004. WestEd. California’s Attorney General’s Office. http://safestate.org/documents/CSS03MainFindings.pdf [Accessed on 08/15/06] Hansen WB, Graham JW, Wolkenstein BH, et al. 1991. Program integrity as a moderator of prevention program effectiveness: Results for fifth-grade students in the adolescent alcohol prevention trial. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 52(6):568-579. National Social Norms Resource Center. Available at: http://www.socialnorms.org/CaseStudies/evanston.php. Accessed on [09/08/06] A Campus Case Study in Implementing Social Norms and Environmental Management Approaches. 1999. The University of Arizona Campus Health Service. A Campus Case Study in Implementing Social Norms and Environmental Management Approaches. 1999. The University of Arizona Campus Health Service. Hansen WB. 1993. School-based alcohol prevention programs. Alcohol Health and Research World 17(1):54-60. Phillips, J.L. Springer, F. & Roberts, B. 2005. Summary Report: High Rate Underage Users Workgroup Findings and Recommendations. Community Prevention Institute. |
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