Evaluation Studies of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance - An Evaluation of the Impact of Mandatory Random Student Drug Testing

Evaluation Studies of the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance

An Evaluation of the Impact of Mandatory Random Student Drug Testing

Contractors: RMC Research Corporation, Mathematica Policy Research

Key Staff:
Eric Einspruch (RMC)
Susanne James-Burdumy (MPR)

Research Questions:

Do high school students who are subject to mandatory-random drug testing (e.g., athletes, participants in competitive extra-curricular activities) report less use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substances compared to students in high schools without drug testing policies?
Do students in high schools with mandatory-random drug testing policies, but who are not subject to drug testing, report less use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit substances compared to students in high schools without drug testing policies?
What are the characteristics of the drug testing policies implemented by participating treatment schools? What types of other strategies are treatment or control schools using to reduce substance use among students?

Design: A wide range of prevention efforts have been developed to reduce substance use by adolescents. One strategy used by schools is mandatory-random drug testing of students enrolled in school-sponsored, competitive, and extracurricular activities. The goals of mandatory-random student drug testing are to identify students who are in need of counseling or treatment, to reduce current drug use, and to prevent future use.

The four-year evaluation began in early 2007 and involves schools that received grants from the Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools (OSDFS) in 2006. Within seven grantees, 36 schools were randomly assigned such that one half are implementing drug testing immediately (treatment schools) and the other half are delaying implementation until the end of the one year experimental period (control schools). Data collection will include student surveys of reported drug use, interviews with staff at grantee schools and school records.

Duration: September 2006 - August 2009.

Reports: The final report is expected in Spring 2009 and will be announced on http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/.

Current Status: (August 2008) A baseline student survey was conducted in spring 2007 across all grantee high schools and random assignment of schools was completed shortly thereafter. A follow-up student survey was conducted in spring 2008.