Academic Performance and Substance Use Among Students Aged 12 to 17: 2002, 2003, 2004
www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k6/academics/academics.cfm
This brief report provides data from SAMHSA’s National Household Survey on Drug Abuse related to the link between academic performance and youth substance use. Highlights include the following: students with higher grades were less likely to have reported using any type of substances; students engaged in two or more school activities were less likely to report substance use than those participating in one or less activities; and students participating in two or more activities were more likely to obtain higher grades.

Alcohol and Drug Use Influence Academic Performance
ncadi.samhsa.gov/newsroom/rep/2005/academics_alcohol.aspx
This brief fact sheet from SAMHSA’s National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug information cites various reports showing the link between alcohol and drug and academic performance. Arguments made in this fact sheet include that students who reported using substances were more likely to have lower academic grades, and that students who enjoyed going to school and felt their school work was meaningful were less likely to use substances.

Infofacts Resources: College Academic Performance and Alcohol and Other Drug Use
www.higheredcenter.org/pubs/factsheets/fact_sheet2.html
This document cites different studies showing how alcohol and other drug use negatively affects college academic performances. Specifically, it reports on studies that show that difficulty meeting academic responsibilities and low academic grades are among the most common consequences of alcohol use on college campuses.

Making the Link: Underage Drinking and Academic Performance
www.alcoholfreechildren.org/gs/stats/Fct%20Sht-Acdmc%20Prfrmnc.pdf
This fact sheet, from the Leadership to Keep Children Alcohol Free, provides evidence to make the case that alcohol consumption negatively affects adolescents’ academic achievement. Specifically, it provides information about how alcohol impairs brain function and memory among adolescents, as well as negatively affects students’ academic performance.

Substance Abuse Linked to Poor Academic Performance, Memory Loss among Teens
www.hazelden.org/web/public/ade51226.page
This article from the Alive & Free newspaper column, produced by Hazelden, reports on studies that show the relationship between substance use and academic performance. It provides quotes from experts and concludes with suggestions to parents about how to prevent students from losing academic ground to substance abuse.

Substance Abuse, Violence, Mental Health, and Academic Success
www.promoteprevent.org/documents/prevention_brief_substanceabuse_
academicsuccess.pdf
This Prevention Brief from the National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention argues that schools should engage in health promotion and risk prevention and teach children social and emotional skills and how to promote their own wellbeing in a complex and sometimes threatening world. It also discusses the interconnections between substance abuse, violence, and emotional disorders, and how the three interfere with the ability of children to learn and the ability of a school to educate.

The Forgotten Link: Drug and Alcohol Use and Academic Performance
cadca.org/CoalitionResources/PP-documents/FinalAcademicPerformance.pdf
In response to the President’s FY 2006 Budget Requests to Eliminate the State Grants Portion of the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) Program, CADCA released this fact sheet presenting links between student drug use and academic performance, level of schooling, and high school completion, as well as the link between peer drug use and academic performance.

The Impact of Substance Use and Violence/Delinquency on Academic Achievement for Groups of Middle and High School Students in Washington
hspc.org/publications/pdf/DASA_full_2002.pdf
This paper reports on a study that examined the associations among substance use, violent/delinquent behavior, and academic achievement, as indicated by test scores, in groups of high school and middle school children. It found that groups of middle and high school students with even moderate involvement with substance use and violence/delinquency had poorer overall test scores than groups of students with little or no involvement in these behaviors.

Reducing Substance Use Improves School Attendance
www.rand.org/health/feature/2006/060811_engberg.html
This article reports on a study by Engberg, J. et al that shows that reductions in the frequency of alcohol, stimulants, and other drug use and the elimination of marijuana use were each associated independently with increased likelihoods of school attendance.

Research Brief: The Intrinsic Connections between Student Substance Use, Violence, and Academic Achievement
www.psesd.org/prevention/documents/ResearchBriefIntrinsicConnections.pdf
Prepared by Marke Associates for the Puget Sound Educational Services District, this research brief makes a good case for the need to address substance sue and violence/delinquency in order to improve achievement and meet programmatic goals that schools are mandated to achieve.