D.A.R.E.

Keepin it REAL 2013 - 2014 Middle School Campaign Plan Background

D.A.R.E.

The Drug Abuse Resistance Education program (D.A.R.E.) started in 1983 by the Los Angeles Police Department in a joint effort with the Los Angeles Unified School DistrIct (LAUSD). The program employs police officers to teach methods to resist peer pressure and avoid drugs and violence to children K-12. Officers need to complete 80 hours of training and an additional 40 hours to prepare for the high school program prior to teaching. The D.A.R.E. program allows students to develop a relationship and identify with local police officers by understanding the helpful side of the law. The program increases open communication among the departments, the school, students, and parents. As of 2011, the program reached 75 percent of the school districts in the United States and 54 countries around the world, equating to 36 million students each year. 1 All students participating in the traditional D.A.R.E. program must complete a student workbook and a D.A.R.E. essay. Students must also maintain good attendance, follow D.A.R.E. and school rules and remain a positive role model and citizen to receive an award and graduate from the program. International outreach remains an important component of the D.A.R.E program. Since 1990, police officers from over 50 countries joined the program. In 2009, United Nations (UN) granted D.A.R.E. America Special Consultative Status. As a member of D.A.R.E. worldwide,

Hanson, David. Drug abuse resistance education: the effectiveness of DARE, http:// www.alcoholfacts.org/DARE.html.

China started to pay more attention to drug abuse resistance education and increased communication about anti-drug education between U.S. and China. In recent years, many cities in Southern China with youth violence and drug abuse problems, such as Shenzhen and Yunnan, began to follow the example of the kiR curriculum.
keepin it REAL

In July 2009, D.A.R.E. introduced the keepin It REAL (kiR) curriculum to meet the National Health Education Standards and apply to evidence-grounded methods and American culture. The Keepin It Real program focuses on enhancing the decision making process to avoid drugs and alcohol. kiR teaches protective factors shown to build strength in students at-risk for drug use. The new program and increased demand for drug abuse awareness led to the creation of D.A.R.E. America that aims to improve the curriculum and train officers.
LAUSD

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) remains the largest public school system in California and second largest public school district in the United States. The LAUSD serves approximately 700,000 students throughout 700 schools. The LAUSDs ethnic student population consists of 73% Hispanic, 11% African-American and 9% White. 2 The LAUSD holds a negative reputation for overcrowded schools, high drop-out and expulsion rates, low academic performance, poor maintenance and incompetent administration.
LAPD The Los Angeles Police Department remains the third largest local law enforcement in the United States. It employs over 9,000 officers and covers an area of approximately 500 miles. The LAPD increased focus on diversity hiring in the past two decades to better represent the ethnic population in

LAUSD Fingertip Facts 2007-2008.

Los Angeles. The officer population consists of one-third Hispanics, less than half whites and 20 percent women. Following allegations of racial discrimination, the LAPD underwent major reformation to gain community support.3

Business Goal U.S. Goal: Provide an effective program to prevent K-12 students from using drugs while remaining part of the curriculum in 75 percent of U.S. school districts. Global Goal: To become the most influential and credible international drug abuse resistance education program.

Statement of Problem The previous D.A.R.E. curriculum proved ineffective at preventing kids from using drugs. Numerous studies conducted on the programs overall effectiveness found an increased likelihood for children exposed to the program to use drugs. The messaging created the perception that teens abused drugs more frequently than research showed. The belief increased pressure to enter the drug culture for social acceptance. D.A.R.E. lost federal funding and faced major scrutiny due to the overwhelming research results that emphasized the programs failure. The ineffectiveness of the programs campaign resulted from out-of-date messaging, insufficient scope of relevant information, usage of police officers as teachers, and lack of parent involvement. Though the program reconstructed the curriculum, the messaging, presentation, parental support, and credibility need improvement. The new D.A.R.E. program still suffers from a poor public image and low

Los Angeles Times. The Changing Face of the LAPD. http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/17/local/melapd17

awareness of changes. The D.A.R.E. program formed in 1983, almost 30 years ago. The program adapts too slowly to societal and technological advancements and fails to engage students outside the classroom. No social media exists to support the messages. The program needs to gain presence in times when children face peer pressure. In addition, the keepin it Real curriculum proved effective and accountable but the perception of an old ineffective D.A.R.E. still dominates due to lack of awareness of the new program. Pressures increase as society continues to accept the use of marijuana for both recreation and medicine. Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes. Children need to understand the dangers of drug use and the potential for marijuana to act as a gateway drug. The National Institute of Drug Abuse states that Americans 14 and older abuse prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs most commonly, after marijuana and alcohol.
Prevalence of marijuana use in Asia (1.0 - 3.4 per cent) remains lower than the global average. However, Asia's large population means the absolute number of users in Asia, estimated between 26 million and 92 million, remains the highest worldwide.

Between 1994 and 2002, several events prompted D.A.R.E. to revise the original curriculum, including a loss of federal funding. D.A.R.E. changed its program in an attempt to adapt to cultural changes and become more scientifically based. D.A.R.E. remains one of the most popular drug prevention programs in the world. Each year more studies provide greater insight on effective drug prevention methods. This creates an opportunity to design a new campaign based on research and modernized for students in the

21st century. D.A.R.E. holds the possibility to effectively reach millions of young students in a way that will help them say no to drugs and lead better lives.

Research
Research goals:

Identify key audiences and audience segments. Target and understand the evolution of teenagers with social media and technological advancements. Focus on interests, activities and social culture. Identify key issues and trends of teenage drug use. Understand the prevalence of specific drugs within L.A.U.S.D. schools. Identify popular drugs among students and the availability of them. Assess L.A.U.S.D. student attitudes and perceptions towards D.A.R.E. and drugs. Focus on students recreational habits other than drug use. Link recreational activities of interest to D.A.R.E. program to provide an alternative to recreational drug usage. Implement a strategic plan to build a positive perception about D.A.R.E. among students.
Key Questions:

Why is the D.A.R.E program considered ineffective? How can the program be revamped and modernized to increase effectiveness? Are schools discussing the D.A.R.E. program and how do the schools perceive the program?
Research Methodology:

Primary Research: a. Qualitative Student Focus Groups

At least four groups of Hispanic and African-American L.A.U.S.D. middle school students (Male and Female, Fifth - Seventh Grade) who have taken or been offered drugs. Allow them to express interests, activities, social groups, personal influencers, social media usage and themes of interest. Parent Focus Groups At least two groups of single parents of L.A.U.S.D. students (Male and Female, Hispanic and African-American) with prior addictions or problems with drugs.

Teacher Interviews, 5+ years A group of 25-50 School administrators and counselors (Male and Female, Ages 27-45) with over five years experience in middle schools with prevalent drug issues on campuses in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Inglewood and Westlake. Allow them to assess drug usage on campus by most common drugs and the median time students abuse them.

Teacher Interviews, Under 5 years A group of 15-30 Teachers (Male and Female, Ages 23- 35) working less than five years in L.A.U.S.D. middle schools located in South Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Inglewood and Westlake. Allow them to give insight student drug use, parent support, teacher willingness to support, administrator support, Los Angeles Police Departments relationship with school, student and community issues.

 Graduate Focus Groups Groups will discuss the program with graduates of D.A.R.E. ages 18-30 from LAUSD. The groups will measure the opinions of the programs effectiveness and messaging strategies. We will also find potential options to change the program. Classroom Discussions Gym teachers in LAUSD and Shenzhen middle schools that offer D.A.R.E. will spend 30 minutes of one class conducting a focus group. Teachers will test sample messages on the children to determine which resonate the best. The children will discuss types of influential people to discover the appropriate source of drug abuse messages. Students will also analyze the lion mascot of the D.A.R.E program and other possible characters or role models.
b. Quantitative

Online Survey The survey will determine the percentage of students that graduated with the D.A.R.E. program and still abused drugs or alcohol. We will target a total of 2,000 high school students in LAUSD and Shenzhen, China. The survey will also focus on reasons students feel the program fails or succeeds in effectiveness and possible new methods for reaching children. Classroom Surveys Survey LAUSD middle school students to gain an understanding of attitudes and familiarity with different controlled substances ranging from marijuana to heroin. Also, Identify attitudes and familiarity with inhalants or OTC and prescription drugs.

 In-person surveys with parents Survey over 700 LAUSD parents at four school events to gain an understanding of how often they speak to children about drugs and violence and willingness to support the program. Social Media Analysis A Radian6 analysis will show all online conversations about D.A.R.E. over the past three months. We will gauge the number and tonality of posts about the program. The analysis will measure every platform from social media to comments on local news articles. Secondary Research: Database Analysis Psychological and educational databases will provide insights on effective teaching methods for children of Generation Z. The messaging will promote the psychological research and proven teaching methods in the new curriculum. Media Content Analysis A media content analysis will measure the number and tonality of articles written by mainstream media. The analysis will focus on the LA Times, Los Angeles Daily News, L.A. Parent, the Chinese Daily, and education trade publications. Competition Analysis A competition analysis will examine programs that effectively achieve the same goals D.A.R.E. attempts to accomplish. The analysis will study the methods used in

Above The Influence, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Foundation For A DrugFree World, Schools and Families Educating Children (SAFE Children) and CASASTART. Also, the analysis will include similar international programs, such as the Legal Class initiated by China Central Television and the Ministry of Public Security and Anti-drug Education Teaching Plan Contest by China Ministry of Education.

SITUATION ANALYSIS Strengths Prevalence/popularity - Implemented in 75% of U.S. school districts and in more than 54 countries worldwide. Community policing Opens lines of communication between law enforcement and youth; helps kids with real-life situations from the officers that know the drug and alcohol-related field. New flexible curriculum Keepin It REAL as of 2009 research-based and effective.

Community Resource Provides communities with various resources for parents and youth that might be at-risk for drug and alcohol abuse.

Weaknesses Traditional one-size-fits-all curriculum ineffectiveness left D.A.R.E. with a negative program reputation. (Ex: Has not taken into account the approval of marijuana-use in Colorado).

 Police officers ineffective instructors Limited teaching experience and strained relationships with communities. Gender and ethnic differences problematic in creating a relationship with officers. Key message Repeated for so many years that it lost meaning and became tedious among youth. The message did not evolve with society. Parents Do not effectively integrate into program and assume it fails to keep kids off drugs. Minimal, almost non-existent social media presence.

Opportunities Growing Social Media Trends Establish a strong social media presence to promote new curriculum, provide additional resources and engage parents and youth. Rising health-conscious society Position D.A.R.E. to further promote health by strategically partnering with other organizations. Prescription and over-the-counter drug use Increased use amongst youth provides new needs for the D.A.R.E. program to meet. Legalization of marijuana in different regions Invites further drug-prevention strategies. Threats Legalization of marijuana in certain areas distorts drug-free messaging. Lack of Federal funding Limited the budget and caused criticism of the program. Research studies Provide evidence showing that D.A.R.E. ineffective.

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 Children in schools also now use other forms of drugs such as prescription pills and overthe-counter drugs instead of the typical drugs the D.A.R.E. program teaches against.

STRATEGIC IMPLICATIONS D.A.R.E. holds a reputation as the most popular drug prevention program in the world. The image gives the program the opportunity to change its messaging style and old strategies to meet the problems of K-12 students in the modern-day drug culture and fit new legalization laws in the U.S. and around the world. D.A.R.E. needs to apply current psychological research findings to enhance the new curriculum and to develop new messages that students will relate to in todays modern society.

Communication Goals
Overall Goal: Inform and attract modern-day middle school students to maximize the revamped D.A.R.E. kiR programs social appeal and effectiveness. Rationale: The program needs to combine new social technology and cultural trends to reach teenagers.

Sub-goal: Make drug and alcohol-related behavior socially unacceptable amongst middle school students. Rationale: Drug and alcohol-related behavior will be stigmatized and students will participate in such behavior less frequently.

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Sub-goal: Create an environment that allows students, parents, police officers and school faculty to interact and reinforce D.A.R.E. messaging. Rationale: Engage students at all times by incorporating influential adults into the messaging strategy.

Objectives
Overall Campaign Objective: Launch a new pilot D.A.R.E. campaign in 75% of Los Angeles Unified School District middle schools by the end of 2014. Rationale: Launching a pilot program with the same curriculum and new messages in the originating district will instill a sense of fellowship in the police officers, teachers and students. The original D.A.R.E. program launched in LAUSD schools years ago allowing easier evaluation from access to original data. Output Objectives:

- Reach 1,000 facebook followers, 2,000 youtube hits and over 250 tweets by June 2014.
Rationale: D.A.R.E. will create a social media culture for middle school students and parents. It will raise program awareness and reinforce messaging through interactive visuals, links and videos.

- By May 2014, Increase by 30% total number of positive media coverage stories.
Rationale: Extended positive media coverage will allow key audiences to obtain information and gain program awareness. It will also improve reputation while generating buzz for culminating special events. Outcome Objectives:

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- Change the opinion of 25% of participating LAUSD middle school students to perceive all drugs
as socially unacceptable by June 2014. Rationale: D.A.R.E. needs to eliminate the cool factor in using drugs to increase effectiveness.

- Decrease total number of drug-related suspensions or expulsions in participating LAUSD

middle schools 15% by June 2014. Rationale: Decreasing the total number of drug-related suspensions or expulsions in the participating middle school will reveal whether the campaign reduced the number of children that use drugs.

Key Audiences
7th-8th grade LAUSD students: The LAUSD student body comprises 73% hispanic, 11% African American, and 9% Caucasian students. The dropout and expulsion rate remains high and academic performance fails to meet standards. Students face the identity stage of personal and social

development and remain susceptible to outside influence. Students seek support and acceptance and remain vulnerable to adolescent crisis as a result of peer pressure. Students
may cope with emotions by using tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Public school students in large cities face higher rates of interpersonal problems such as violence in the family, poor academic achievement and lack of supportive friends. Research shows an increased likelihood for minority middle school students participate in drug and alcohol-related activity. Single Parents of LAUSD middle school students:

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In Los Angeles, single-parent households represent 34 percent of households. Parents typically lack time to monitor childrens academics, after school activities, and their circle of friends. Keeping a roof over their head and food on the table takes priority over drug education. Research shows that people turn to substance abuse as a coping mechanism for instabilities in family structure such as divorce or remarriage. LAUSD Staff: Administrators, Counselors and Teachers: Administrators maintain the responsibility of overseeing student issues, community relations and the schools direction. They set the schools program expectations and make the choice to adopt the DARE program. Counselors deal with student issues and foster relationships with students, parents and teachers. Teachers spend the most time with students outside of the home. Teachers to must fill the void when families fail to talk to kids about drugs. Teachers help students fill the gaps in drug use education and balance the information given by the police officers of the D.A.R.E. program, the street and the media.

Key Messages
Current Keepin it Real Overarching message: Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave. (R.E.A.L) 7th-8th grade LAUSD students: Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave helps kids understand the effects of drug use, teaches them the decision-making skills to say no and, resist drugs altogether. Research proves that kids still use drugs with this messaging. New messages:

- A drug is a drug whether its marijuana, an inhalant, prescription, or over the counter. - Drugs will not help you fit in, look popular or achieve your dreams. - Just because a substance is legal in some states, doesnt mean its right to use. - You have more power than you think to live a drug-free life.

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Rationale: According to a Los Angeles Times article, kids do not find marijuana dangerous. Legalization laws in some states lead to an increased acceptance of marijuana use. The D.A.R.E. campaign needs to recognize the new legalization laws in some states and communicate that marijuana remains unacceptable to use.4

Single Parents of LAUSD students: The current Keepin it Real messages offer parents methods to find warning signs of a child using drugs. It doesnt offer parents suggestions to talk to children after finding warning signs. The D.A.R.E website tells parents to keep a watchful eye on children to eliminate drug use and alcohol consumption. The messaging needs to inform parents to address the drug issue before the child begins using drugs. New messages: Its important to talk to your child about the dangers of drugs and alcohol at a young age as preparation for school years. The fact is, kids now try substances before high school. Maintain open communication and create a comfortable, non-punishing environment in the home when a child wants to talk to about drugs or alcohol. Rationale: Busy single parents will always find time to talk to children about drugs and alcohol. Communication with parents about drugs will help reinforce D.A.R.E. messages.

LAUSD Teachers: Neither the D.A.R.E. program nor the Keepin it Real curriculum addresses teachers. Teachers need to take advantage of close relationships with students to help promote a drug-free lifestyle. D.A.R.E. should show teachers the opportunity to play a major role in a teens life by offering a confidential outlet to discuss drugs without consequence. New Messages: As a teacher, counselor or administrator, you have the opportunity to change

CNN Opinion. Legalize pot? No, reform laws. http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/20/opinion/sabet-

marijuana-legalization/

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a students life for the better. If a student feels uneasy about talking to parents about drugs, you provide a safe place to discuss living a drug-free lifestyle. Let students know you will help them with any drug situations that may arise. Starting a conversation with each of your students will give you a chance to become a key influencer in all of their lives. Rationale: Teachers will offer another channel of drug communication. Close relationships with students will provide a safe zone and open doors for teachers to prevent drug use.

Strategies Make drug usage socially unacceptable by linking the behavior to physical body deterioration, poverty and prison statistics. Rationale: Making drugs socially unacceptable will allow students to witness the harsh realities of drugs and the evolution of drug addicts from similar backgrounds and neighborhoods. The addicts will open students eyes to the bleak future of drug users.
Use social media as a platform for sharing program information, student testimonials, special events, contests, positive videos and music. Rationale: Social media will allow DAREs KiR program to create a cultural identity outside of the classroom while reinforcing messages. It provides an interactive approach for students to keep the program fresh and new. It also enables students to feel a sense of belonging to a positive social club that emphasizes artistic expression as an alternative to drug use. Develop a series of DARE special events and contests for students to remain engaged and look forward to something throughout the academic school year. Rationale: Special events will bring students, parents, teachers, law enforcement officers and positive influencers together. The innovative contests will promote drug-free student

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expression through the use of art, music, video, drama and sports. Contest winners will earn guest celebrity special events on campus alongside students (ex: new DARE song.) Use high-profile celebrities to build credibility, establish student connections and generate buzz for DARE. Rationale: DARE will increase its appeal and acceptance among students through the use of drug-free pop culture celebrities. The use of celebrities will also invite media coverage and drive conversation on social media while generating buzz amongst fans. It provides an example to students of people that aspired to achieve greatness and a cool reputation without succumbing to the dangerous world of drug use. Leverage the endorsement of United Nations (UN) in global communication. Rationale: As a UNs Special Consultative Status holder, D.A.R.E. maintains the advantage

of expanding its global impact by using UN as a powerful and credible endorsement, especially in developing countries like China. The overall image of new D.A.R.E. will rise with successful international outreach under the name of UN.
Emphasize over-the-counter and prescription drug use prevention. Rationale: Over-the-counter and prescription drugs emerged as a trend in youth drug consumption. D.A.R.E. needs emphasize the two drugs in the curriculum. The current Keepin It Real curriculum includes the substances, but fails to bring the attention.

Tactics
Partner with Above the Influence, a National Youth Anti-Drug media campaign to host an informational school event for celebrities/musicians with drug histories to speak about the hardships road to recovery.

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Rationale: Above the Influence, aims for the same goals as D.A.R.E. The popularity of the program will help acquire guest celebrities that will acts an influential example for kids to stay off drugs.

Revamp the D.A.R.E. website to offer drug information using modern and interactive methods, including social media, that will reach our target age groups. Rationale: Current website looks outdated and childish with puzzles and rhymes. It is not suitable for adolescents in a highly technological culture.

Create modern PSAs that address kids at a party realistically making the decision to say no to drugs when offered.. Rationale: The D.A.R.E. program received negative feedback because it tells kids to blindly say no to drugs. A video that demonstrates realistic situations teenagers might come across at parties will engage kids.

Create a contest for students at each participating LAUSD middle school to create a new D.A.R.E. song. The winning school will partner with a well-known musician to record a video. Rationale: The current D.A.R.E. song is outdated and does not appeal to all K-12 students, most particularly to middle school students. Revamping the D.A.R.E. song with a school and a wellknown, drug-free artist will help popularize and modernize the D.A.R.E. program.

Create D.A.R.E. sponsored after school programs with sports organization or club activities to act as a day care for teenagers whose parents that work full-time jobs until after dark. Rationale: Sports and other high-energy activities will decrease the opportunities for teenagers to participate in drugs.

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Offer alternative drug-free activities for children on weekends at a teen center or library such as movie nights, video game tournaments, skate parties etc. Rationale: Offering drug-free activities will offer places to socialize and fit in without the threat of drugs.

Sports tournaments - Have seasonal intramural leagues within each LAUSD middle school partnered with after-school programs. After completing each league, establish an All-Star team for each school to play against other middle schools throughout the LAUSD.

Establish April 20th as National D.A.R.E. Day instead of April 8th. Rationale: Students in American schools celebrate April 20th by smoking marijuana. Shaping 4/ 20 as National D.A.R.E. Day will give teenagers a chance to take a stand against drugs and help make marijuana smoking socially acceptable.

Develop a pen pal connection with Chinese and American students through social media. Rationale: Using social media will ensure that teenagers will reach new friends with different perspectives. Students will understand that children all over the world face peer pressure and drug-related problems.

Establish dual teacher and officer instruction. Rationale: D.A.R.E. training officers and the teachers need to align with messaging strategies in the Keepin it Real curriculum. Teachers and police officers will offer different perspectives.

Appoint an officer from schools campus security that represents the students background as the certified D.A.R.E. program teacher.

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Rationale: Students will remember the curriculum better if its taught by a familiar face. Using the same officer over the years will allow students to develop a long-term relationship with the D.A.R.E. officer. YouTube - Create an archive of D.A.R.E. sponsored and screened testimonials for parents to show kids examples of recovering drug addicts, addicted prostitutes, released and rehabilitating inmates, skid row footage, premature crack-babies, meth addicts stories, etc. Rationale: Fear tactics will show teenagers the tragedies avoided by staying drug-free. Real footage removes the glamour of drug culture. Twitter - Establish a D.A.R.E. twitter account to engage parents and provide latest news. Rationale: Parents will receive and offer information quickly via social media. Facebook - Create a D.A.R.E. facebook page for kiR student and parents. Allow them to add pictures and videos to share with other students and parents. Provide links for them to obtain additional information regarding events and partnering activities after-school. Have the Facebook page monitored by D.A.R.E. student leaders. Allow athletes and celebrities to post words of encouragement. Announce winners of D.A.R.E. sponsored contests and activities. Rationale: Facebook will empower students to feel part of something greater than themselves. It will reinforce messages and allow them to interact with other students throughout the LAUSD.

Coach parents on how to talk to kids at an early age about drug abuse. Rationale: Parents will learn about the curriculum and officers will explain the parents role in enforcing anti-drug messaging.

Develop parent forums online where parents upload photos and videos of anti-drug activities with children, best practices of discussing drugs with teenagers, and offer support to other parents struggling with drug-addicted children.

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Rationale: Parents will talk to one another to find the best methods to raise children drug-free. The forums will allow parents to work together to keep all LAUSD children safe and aid each other in the fight against drugs.

Assign one discussion topic for week for children to discuss with parents or guardians for 20 minutes. Rationale: One short discussion about drugs per week between children and parents will help keep communication channels open. Comfortability with confiding in parents will increase as regular talks become routine.

D.A.R.E. will increase presence at local fairs. Tables will provide information to parents and the community with brochures and kiR bracelets for the kids. The program will sponsor a police department drug dog demonstration. Rationale: Families passing by the booth will gain information about the program. The demonstration engages kids and shows the consequences of drug possession and distribution.

D.A.R.E. will host monthly pizza parties Friday nights for parents and children to get together. The evening will open with a quick 10 minute presentation about drug abuse. Afterward, guests will eat pizza and ice cream and participate in games or mingle with others. Rationale: Once a month parents will come together to spend time with children and meet each other. Parents will know other parents and children in the community and will keep an eye on each others children.

International Tactics Launch the Keepin it REAL Curriculum in Shenzhen, China with an event.

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Rationale: Shenzhen, a coast city in southern China, holds similar demographics and psychographics to Los Angeles. The city acts as the economic and cultural hub of southern China. Immigration, violence and drug abuse remain big headaches for both cities.

Publish first annual report on kiR in Shenzhen after two semesters trial in the end of 2014. Rationale: The report will offer the public concrete results of the pilot program and gain support.

Create an L.A.-Shenzhen Anti-Drug Education Forum, Shenzhen, June 26, 2014 Rationale: The UN established June 26th as International Day Against Drug Abuse. The day will promote the D.A.R.E. program on an international spectrum. Delegates of the LAPD and kiR curriculum developers will attend a discussion with Chinese educators, teachers and police officers in Schenzhen. It will create conversation on the reformation of Chinese anti-drug education.

Launch a D.A.R.E. China official website Rationale: The program needs to establish an official website for Chinese teenagers to learn about drugs and stay drug-free. It will provide news and updates of both D.A.R.E. American and China in two languages and will also function as a medium to connect American and Chinese teenagers.

Create a contest for students at each participating Chinese middle school to create a new D.A.R.E. song. The winning school will partner with a well-known musician to record a video. Rationale: The D.A.R.E. China program also gained the opportunity to revamp the D.A.R.E. song in a way that will appeal to Chinese teenagers. Students will post and vote for favorite songs on

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social media to create buzz and interaction. The Chinese musician who will record a video will also act as the spokesperson of D.A.R.E. China.

Establish media relations with Chinese press with press releases and op/eds. Rationale: Ensuring media coverage of events mentioned in Shenzhen will create buzz about the D.A.R.E. program. Op/eds from domestic educators will discuss the best practice methods of integrating kiR curriculum and Chinese anti-drug education.

Create a strong social media buzz on RENREN.com. Rationale: The social media page currently maintains more than 7 million users of middle school students. Its an effective channel to reach Chinese students and promote anti-drug events.

XII. Evaluation A. Overall Campaign Objective: In-class surveys of the same students will measure perceived effectiveness of the campaign in 75 percent of LAUSD middle schools. Rationale: Assess L.A.U.S.D. student attitudes and perceptions towards D.A.R.E. and

drugs at the end of the pilot to measure change in opinion or behavior.

B. Output Objectives: Follow up social media analysis will determine if the campaign gained 1,000 facebook followers, 2,000 YouTube hits and over 250 tweets and the content of posts by students. Rationale: Social media monitoring will measure the increase of activity on program sites.

Media content analysis of the same publications will measure if the campaign reached an increase of 30 percent in total number of positive media coverage stories.

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Rationale: Media clippings will measure if key audiences in the Los Angeles County community received the positive message content.

C. Outcome Objectives: Focus groups with the same children will measure if the campaign changed the opinion of 25 percent of participating LAUSD middle school students to perceive all drugs as socially unacceptable. Rationale: Focus groups will allow children to discuss post-program opinions and specific components they liked or felt needed improvement.

An analysis of school records will determine a decrease by 15 percent of the total number of drug-related suspensions or expulsions in participating LAUSD middle schools. Rationale:The analysis will measure whether children decreased drug usage and distribution.

Timeline July 2013- June 2014

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Works Cited Raheem, J. P., Robert, F. V., & J, W. D. (2007). Is there a relationship between family structure and substance use among public middle school students? Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16(5), 593-605. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-006-9109-y Roan, S. (2011, December 15). Teen drinking, smoking continue to decline, but pot use is up. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2011/dec/15/health/la-he-youth-drugs-20111215 Kelder, S. H., Murray, N. G., Orpinas, P., Prokhorov, A., & al, e. (2001). Depression and substance use in minority middle-school students. American Journal of Public Health, 91(5), 761-6. Retrieved from http:// search.proquest.com/docview/215101265?accountid=14749 (n.d.). 2012 | los angeles, california | children in single-parent households. Retrieved from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps website: http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/node/339/82 (n.d.). Retrieved from Above the Influence website: http://www.abovetheinfluence.com/ World drug report 2012. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/ WDR2012/WDR_2012_web_small.pdf

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