Best practice in School Drug Education

Australian Government Commonwealth Monographs
Commonwealth Monographs 1 – 8 (www.dewr.gov.au)

Summary of ‘good practice’ in school drug education

Research about effective teaching in the area of drug education has been well documented, particularly since 1990. The following summary provides schools and teachers with a set of guiding principles for teaching drug education in an effective and developmentally appropriate way. More detail is provided in a series of monographs published by the Australian Government.

1. Understanding key terms in drug education
2. Creating an engaging curriculum
3. Schools can't do it alone
4. Safety with a lifeline
5. Drugs and a sense of personal responsibility
6. Effective communication
7. Creating connectedness
8. Knowing the scene

1. Understanding key terms in drug education‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• promotes connectedness
• understands that, in the school environment, such belonging carries with it clear obligations – the expectations that are part of any culture
• adopts this integrated and pervading approach so that students are supported to make good health judgements and decisions about themselves and others, and to acquire the skills and capacities that contribute to resilience and self-worth
• engages students at both the cognitive and the emotional levels in their learning
• understands that the best way to promote a sense of self-worth is through keeping each student connected to school, friends, family and the community.

2. Creating an engaging curriculum‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• sees opportunities created for drug education to occur in ways which, to staff, students and families, look ‘different’
• is less concerned with ‘teaching about drugs’ than it is with creating the circumstances that will build student engagement and connectedness to a healthy and positive outlook
• gives prominence to identifying and meeting the needs of individual students.

3. Schools can’t do it alone‘: Good practice’ in drug education

• recognises that drug education requires a united response from the school, the family and the community
• sees the school giving priority to support
• sees a strong sense among all staff that they are responsible for the wellbeing of all students
• sees staff-student relationships characterised by trust and respect
• sees awareness by the school that inappropriate discipline may serve only to increase the vulnerability of the student concerned
• recognises the relationship between the school and the family as a key element to its effectiveness
• facilitates effective and appropriate ongoing communication between the school and the family regardless of the issue or the level of family dysfunctionality
• sees that where the student’s family or home life may increase their vulnerability, the school works assiduously to support the student and his/her connection to the school
• sees schools identify and harness available community resources to support students who are at-risk.

4. Safety with a lifeline‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• focuses on support rather than sanctions
• views disconnection of the student from the school as an indication of failure, and suspension is used as a last resort
• ensures that constructive use of time is on- and off-site alternative activities, including those conducted in association with community agencies and the family, as appropriate
• listens to and reinforces the prevailing voice of optimism and constructive behaviour
• sees the engagement of the whole school community in a learning experience that can lead to both understanding and direction in relation to drug issues
• sees the school’s ethos as one of genuinely caring for each student within a stable and safe environment.

5. Drugs and a sense of personal responsibility‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• recognises and values the school as a ‘community’
• focuses on meeting simultaneously the needs of the individual student and creating the conditions and circumstances in which they can positively engage with others
• harnesses students’ concern for the wellbeing of friends.

6. Effective communication‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• is based upon the school mapping and checking regularly that all stakeholder groups are participants in the school’s communication channels, and that communication is leading to shared understandings
• allows school leaders to articulate regularly and consistently the values and understandings that underpin the school’s work in drug education
• builds an inclusive culture in which key information is provided, disparate views are listened to, and all feel that they will be treated with respect
• conveys the message that school is a safe environment, and that there are strategies set in place to ensure this
• binds school communities together so that the school’s work in drug education forms part of and complements, a larger community picture of commitment to the wellbeing of children and young people.

7. Creating connectedness‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• values and encourages debate and exploration of new and different ways to maintain student engagement and continued support for those most at risk
• requires that students’ learning experiences meet academic needs while also building social competencies and self-worth
• sees schools seeking to create and sustain student connectedness to allocate time and resources and to provide precise, individual feedback to students on their learning
• accords a student’s connectedness to school as a high priority.

8. Knowing the scene‘Good practice’ in drug education:

• sees schools attaching a high importance to being well informed about the realities of local drug use and associated lifestyle issues
• sees schools developing a multifaceted approach to drug education that targets the differing needs of all students
• sees schools able to describe all activities relevant to drug education across the school that are designed to engage students, keep them connected and develop capacities for long-term resilience
• sees schools gather data regularly and systematically, thereby enabling evaluations of contextual information and drug education activities.