A study of the current status of drug education in Nebraska public schools

Drug education was mandated in Nebraska schools by state legislation in 1971. The purpose for conducting this study was to examine the current status of drug education in the public schools of Nebraska to see if the legislative mandate was being carried out in public school districts within the state. The sample included 280 local school attendance centers from a total population of 972 attendance centers in the state of Nebraska. The sample was determined by random selection. Upon the completion of the review of literature, a survey instrument was developed and distributed to the principals of the local attendance centers included in the sample. The survey instrument was designed to determine the extent of the drug education curricula within the public schools of Nebraska. The findings of the study included: (1) The majority (79.5%) of public school officials indicated that drug education was offered as part of the regular school curricula. Drug education was not offered in 20.5% of the schools. (2) The most common components of drug education programs in Nebraska public schools included the teaching of cognitive and affective skills. Psychosocial components were not as commonly taught in Nebraska public schools. (3) Most school district officials utilized regular classroom teachers as the providers of drug education within their local schools. The training and preparation of the teachers of drug education were not complete at both the preservice and inservice levels. Parents and community resources were not utilized in very many meaningful ways in the drug education programs in the public schools of Nebraska. (4) The Nebraska Department of Education has not been a major factor for the drug education movement in Nebraska public schools. Many schools did not take advantage of federal funds for drug education that were distributed by the Nebraska Department of Education