There are few effective research-based alcohol and drug prevention education programs targeted to high school students that are designed to fit into the time and curricular constraints high school science educators face. This is due, in part, to a perceived lack of alignment between the content associated with alcohol prevention education and the mandated state and national science education standards. In fact, most prevention education at the high school level is provided in health classes rather than in science classes. To address the urgent need for alcohol resistance education materials that are firmly grounded in science content, this project will complement hands-on laboratory science experiences with follow-up interventions that prevention research has shown to be effective in preventing and reducing early drinking. Experts suggest that content-based curricula are most effective when complemented by peer support groups, resistance skill building, normative education, and include community involvement and media components. This project will create an inquiry-based curriculum supplement consistent with state and national science education standards that will be augmented by a peer-mediated booster program to enhance students' understanding of the biological and cognitive effects of alcohol. The materials will enable students to understand the effects of alcohol on the body and brain, with a particular emphasis on how alcohol influences adolescent risk-taking and decision-making. Further, this program will also meet teachers' need for easy implementation and will utilize instructional mentorship to promote efficient and effective professional development. The proposed curriculum supplement will employ an inquiry-based laboratory approach to explore the role of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the metabolism of alcohol as well as the consequences of excess alcohol on this metabolic process. The basics of brain structure and function will be explored to enable students to understand how alcohol impairs decision-making and leads to risky behavior. The lessons will incorporate a progressive role-play that ties the unit together, providing students with opportunities to use their developing evidence-based knowledge of the effects of alcohol on the body and brain to make informed decisions. An online component will include a website and follow-up email communication with students and leaders of in-school student support groups to provide booster materials and information to participants in the program. Materials will include anonymous online screenings for at-risk behavior, normative information, and suggestions for students to become involved in peer-targeted community service projects. ? ? Public Health Relevance: This project will bring together a team of high school teachers and students, scientists, and educators to develop an inquiry-based laboratory science curriculum supplement that integrates best practices from alcohol prevention research with sound science content and pedagogy. The curriculum supplement will explore the biology of alcohol as a means of teaching students both essential biology content as well as encouraging responsible decision-making. This in-class resource will be complemented by a web-supported peer-mediated booster program to provide students with a deeper understanding of the biological effects of alcohol. These materials will provide students with opportunities to use their newly acquired knowledge in decision-making contexts in the presence of their peers, thereby promoting alcohol resistance and improved public health. ? ? ?
