Dj. Palumbo et Jl. Ferguson, EVALUATING GANG RESISTANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING (GREAT) - IS THE IMPACT THE SAME AS THAT OF DRUG-ABUSE RESISTANCE EDUCATION (DARE), Evaluation review, 19(6), 1995, pp. 597-619
Gangs became a major concern of law enforcement and the public in the
late 1980s and remain so in the first half of the 1990s. One response
for addressing the problem has been the development and dissemination
of a prevention program called Gang Resistance Education and Training
(GREAT). This program is similar to the popular Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (DARE) program of the 1980s. No published evaluations exist
about GREAT although there have been numerous evaluations of DARE. The
latter show that DARE has a very small effect on the drug behavior of
children. This research reports an evaluation of GREAT in several sit
es in the United Stares that show that it also has a very small effect
on children. However; as is the case with DARE, GREAT will continue b
ecause of the powerful symbolic political and public relations utility
it has for various stakeholders.