Drug Use and Learning

Drugs erode the self-discipline and motivation necessary for learning.

Pervasive drug use among students creates a climate in the schools that is destructive to learning. Research shows that drug use can cause a decline in academic performance. This has been found to be true for students who excelled in school prior to drug use as well as for those with academic or behavioral problems prior to use. According to one study, students using marijuana were twice as likely to average D's and F's as other students. The decline in grades often reverses when drug use is stopped.

Drug use is closely tied to truancy and dropping out of school. High school seniors who are heavy drug users are more than three times as likely to skip school as nonusers. About one-fifth of heavy users skipped 3 or more schooldays a month, more than six times the truancy rate of nonusers. In a Philadelphia study, dropouts were almost twice as likely to be frequent drug users as were high school graduates; four in five dropouts used drugs regularly.

Drug use is a.s.sociated with crime and misconduct that disrupt the maintenance of an orderly and safe school conducive to learning. Drugs not only transform schools into marketplaces for dope deals, they also lead to the destruction of property and to cla.s.sroom disorder. Among high school seniors, heavy drug users were two-and-one-half times as likely to vandalize school property and almost three times as likely to have been involved in a fight at school as nonusers. Students on drugs create a climate of apathy, disruption, and disrespect for others. For example, among teenage callers to a national cocaine hotline, 44 percent reported that they sold drugs and 31 percent said that they stole from family, friends, or employers to buy drugs. A drug-ridden environment is a strong deterrent to learning not only for drug users, but for other students as well.

_A PLAN FOR ACTION_

In order to combat student drug use most effectively, the entire community must be involved: parents, schools, students, law enforcement authorities, religious groups, social service agencies, and the media.

They all must transmit a single consistent message that drug use is wrong, dangerous, and will not be tolerated. This message must be reinforced through strong, consistent law enforcement and disciplinary measures.

The following recommendations and examples describe actions that can be taken by parents, schools, students, and communities to stop drug use.

These recommendations are derived from research and from the experiences of schools throughout the country. They show that the drug problem can be overcome.

_WHAT PARENTS CAN DO_

Parents

Instilling Responsibility

_Recommendation #1_:

Teach standards of right and wrong and demonstrate these standards through personal example.

Children who are brought up to value individual responsibility and self-discipline and to have a clear sense of right and wrong are less likely to try drugs than those who are not. Parents can help to instill these ideals by:

Setting a good example for children and not using drugs themselves.

Explaining to their children at an early age that drug use is wrong, harmful, and unlawful, and reinforcing this teaching throughout adolescence.

Encouraging self-discipline through giving children everyday duties and holding them accountable for their actions.

Establishing standards of behavior concerning drugs, drinking, dating, curfews, and unsupervised activities, and enforcing them consistently and fairly.

Encouraging their children to stand by their convictions when pressured to use drugs.

Northside High School, Atlanta, Georgia

Northside High School enrolls 1,400 students from 52 neighborhoods. In 1977, drug use was so prevalent that the school was known as "Fantasy Island." Students smoked marijuana openly at school, and police were called to the school regularly.

The combined efforts of a highly committed group of parents and an effective new princ.i.p.al succeeded in solving Northside's drug problem.

Determined to stop drug use both inside and outside the school, parents organized and took the following actions:

Formed parent-peer groups to learn about the drug problem and agreed to set curfews, to chaperone parties, and to monitor their children's whereabouts. They held community meetings to discuss teenage drug use with law enforcement agents, judges, clergy, and physicians.

Established a coalition that lobbied successfully for State antidrug and antiparaphernalia laws.

Offered a.s.sistance to the schools. The school acted on the parents'

recommendations to provide drug prevention education to teachers, update its prevention curriculum, and establish a new behavior code. Parents also helped design a system for monitoring tardiness and provided volunteer help to teachers.

The new princ.i.p.al, Bill Rudolph, also committed his energy and expertise to fighting the drug problem. Rudolph established a tough policy for students who were caught possessing or dealing drugs.

"Illegal drug offenses do not lead to detention hall but to court," he stated. When students were caught, he immediately called the police and then notified their parents. Families were given the names of drug education programs and were urged to partic.i.p.ate. One option available to parents was drug education offered by other parents.

Today, Northside is a different school. In 1984-85, only three drug-related incidents were reported. Academic achievement has improved dramatically; student test scores have risen every year since the 1977-78 school year. Scores on standardized achievement tests rose to well above the national average, placing Northside among the top schools in the district for the 1984-85 school year.

Parents

Supervision

_Recommendation #2_:

Help children to resist peer pressure to use drugs by supervising their activities, knowing who their friends are, and talking with them about their interests and problems.

When parents take an active interest in their children's behavior, they provide the guidance and support children need to resist drugs. Parents can do this by:

Knowing their children's whereabouts, activities, and friends.

Working to maintain and improve family communications and listening to their children.

Being able to discuss drugs knowledgeably. It is far better for children to obtain their information from their parents than from their peers or on the street.

Communicating regularly with the parents of their children's friends and sharing their knowledge about drugs with other parents.

Being selective about their children's viewing of television and movies that portray drug use as glamorous or exciting.

In addition, parents can work with the school in its efforts to fight drugs by:

Encouraging the development of a school policy with a clear no-drug message.

Supporting administrators who are tough on drugs.

a.s.sisting the school in monitoring students' attendance and planning and chaperoning school-sponsored activities.

Communicating regularly with the school regarding their children's behavior.

Fact Sheet

Signs of Drug Use