Philosophy :: Infusion

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Above and beyond the characteristics of any prevention curriculum, however, is the more basic concept of infusion. Curricula that seek to reduce students' risks, increase the factors that protect them, and encourage them to identify and model themselves after drug- and violence-free individuals-while teaching functional information and skills-will be more successful in achieving the objectives of reducing students' use of drugs and involvement in violence. Infusion means that the information students get, the skills they practice, and the models they explore are "infused" throughout their school curriculum, much as tea is infused in water. And just as water takes on the appearance and taste of the tea, the school curriculum takes on the goals and the strategies of prevention.

For example, students in a math class might learn how much it costs per year to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day. Students in an English literature class might read the biography of someone who challenged the violent norms of a community and reduced the occurrence of violence. Students in a physical education class might practice conflict resolution skills. Infusion is one of the best ways to encourage the transfer of students' learning from activities in the classroom to skills they can use in their everyday lives.

The two keys to successful infusion are the students and the teachers.

Students:

• If students are to structure their lives to be free of drugs and violence, they need to actively apply what they learn to all facets of their lives.

Teachers

• If infusion throughout the school curriculum is a significant mechanism for students to transfer learning of prevention strategies, commitment by teachers and other school adults is essential to students' reaching the goals of remaining drug-free and without violence.
• Teachers are the ones who must be able to reinforce the no-drug use, no-violence messages.
• Teachers must be able to model no tolerance of illegal alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by minors and no misuse of legal drugs nor any use of illicit drugs themselves.
• Adult school staff must be able to model no tolerance of violence behaviors and, by example, demonstrate effective communication and conflict resolution skills.
• Teachers must actively encourage students' adopting those messages for their own until the students become those messages themselves.

The goals of this DRUG AND VIOLENCE EDUCATION prevention resource guide assume that:

• teachers are involved
• related activities are infused into the school curriculum
• transfer does occur.

Student achievement of the goals--learning essential knowledge, finding examples to follow, acquiring skills needed, and putting into practice their personal plans to become and remain drug and violence free---depends on this. This is how schools will be able to successfully LEAP into prevention of drug use and violence.