The goal of this Phase I SBIR project is to develop and test an elementary school drug abuse prevention program. This program will be designed specifically to prepare students to participate in an existing middle school program, All Stars, developed with previous SBIR funding. To maximize its potential for integration into the structure of elementary school education, the program will be developed for use in core subjects typical of elementary school. Activities designed to reinforce conventional normative beliefs about drug use, fighting, and delinquency will be integrated with science and mathematics instruction. Reinforcing perceptions that drug use and other high-risk behaviors do not fit with desired lifestyles will be integrated into language arts education; Vocabulary and language activities will focus on building idealism among students. In addition to these content specific components, a behavior management strategy based on Kellam's Good Behavior Game that uses group contingencies to foster prosocial interaction among students will be included. Separate age-appropriate programs will be developed for 4th and 5th grades. The prototype programs will be pilot tested in 12 classes of 4th and 12 classes of 5th grade students. Age- appropriate measures of mediating variable constructs targeted by the program will be developed and tested.
The US Department of Education budget for FY 2000 for Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-free Schools is nearly $600M. Commercial programs with proven track records that specifically address known mediating variables among elementary school students are lacking. This project will be integrated with a middle school program that shows great promise and is developing significant market potential, All Stars.
