BACKGROUND

The Michigan Alcohol and Other Drugs School Survey (MAOD) was a research project housed in The Kercher Center for Social Research at Western Michigan University. The project collected data from 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students regarding their attitudes toward the use of alcohol, tobacco, and various drugs as well as safety and violence issues beginning in 1985. The survey itself was patterned after the national high school senior substance use survey, "Monitoring the Future," conducted by Dr. Lloyd Johnston and his staff at The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan (Dr. Johnston was a consultant during the development of the MAOD project). In addition, the MAOD report uses the "Monitoring The Future's" 12th grade national statistics for comparison purposes.

The MAOD survey was first given during the 1989-90 school year. A total of 93 school districts were surveyed during the first year, involving more than 41,000 students. Since the 1989-90 school year, the number of districts and students surveyed has varied. At the end of the 2003-2004 academic year, over 86% of Michigan's K-12 public schools had been surveyed at least once during the span of the project, including over 790,000 students. The project closed in 2005.

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION

The MAOD project recommends to school districts that they complete the MAOD survey every two years. The first year establishes baseline data, and subsequent administrations provide an approximate tracking mechanism following up with the same general cohorts of students (since the survey covers 8th, 10th, and 12th graders). This method of survey research provides school districts with a tool for the ongoing evaluation of their drug and alcohol prevention programs, as well as a tool for detecting trends and patterns of substance abuse. Therefore, it also offers districts a way of more accurately targeting future programs. The Ann Arbor Public Schools have participated in the MAOD survey five times since the project began: 1992-93, 1995-96, 1998-99, 2000-01, and 2004-2005.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN ANN ARBOR

A 2004/2005 survey revealed some alarming facts about drug and alcohol use in Ann Arbor Public Schools...

FACT: Approximately 3.5% of all 8th graders, 10.7% of 10th graders and 24.4% of 12th graders had smoked in the past 30 days.

FACT: As early as 8th grade, students reported using a wide range of drugs, including marijuana, amphetamines, barbiturates, tranquilizers, hallucinogens, cocaine, heroin, and steroids.

FACT: Past-month alcohol use among students was as high as 47.4% for 12th graders, 28.7% for 10th graders, and 11% for 8th graders.

FACT: Abuse of prescription drugs was slightly lower than national averages. However, all students reported strong peer pressure to use illegal drugs.

WHAT'S HAPPENING NATIONWIDE

Monitoring the Future, an annual study conducted by the University of Michigan and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, reported the following in 2005:

FACT: Approximately 9% of all 8th graders, 14.9% of 10th graders and 23.2% of 12th graders had smoked in the past 30 days.

FACT: Half of all American students have tried an illicit drug by the time they complete high school.

FACT: In 2005, 19% of 8th graders, 35% of 10th graders and 48% of 12th graders used alcohol.

FACT: There was a sharp increase in the number of students abusing prescription drugs, including painkillers such as vicodin. That included 9.5% of 12th graders.