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Positive Action

Positive Action, Inc.

A US-based, comprehensive K-12 program that promotes emotional health, wellbeing, and positive behaviour by equipping students with essential life skills, supporting self-management, social awareness, and academic growth.

  • Online

Pricing: Paid

Origin: Developed elsewhere but applicable for Australian schools

Product type: Program; Whole school approach or initiative

Contact details

Positive Action, Inc.

https://www.positiveaction.net/

info@positiveaction.net ; info@pasela.com

Focus areas

  • Positive relationships

  • Belonging and inclusion

  • Bullying and cyber-bullying

  • Mental health literacy and life skills

  • Self-regulation and engagement

  • Resilience and optimism

  • Grief and loss

  • Self-esteem and body image

  • Drug and alcohol education

  • Respectful relationships and consent education

  • Suicide and self-harm

Curriculum alignment

Prospective users

Audience: Whole school universal (Tier 1), Whole class universal (Tier 1), Targeted small group early intervention (Tier 2)

Context: School or centre-based, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC), E-schools

Main beneficiaries: Foundation/Prep, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 8, Year 9, Year 10, Year 11, Year 12

Delivery style: Classroom teacher is trained

Aims & approach

Its whole-school approach creates a positive school climate with effective prevention and intervention strategies. The program strengthens students' emotional health, wellbeing, and academic success by developing positive behaviours and character. It creates a supportive learning environment, reduces risky behaviours, and equips students with lifelong skills.

The program's structured, evidence-based curriculum offers lessons across grade levels that focus on self-management, social awareness, and responsible decision-making.

The program is not adapted to the Australian context but has been implemented in a small number of Australian schools.

Implementation support

  • Implementation training webinars or modules
  • Ongoing helpdesk, email or phone support

Evidence

Program development was influenced by Madeline Hunter, creator of the Instructional Theory Into Practice teaching model and the Essential Elements for Instruction model. Other theories of influence include Maslow's Hierarch of Needs, Bloom's Taxonomy, Piaget's Periods of Cognitive Development, Vygotsky's social constructivism theory, Gardner's multiple intelligences, Golman's Emotional Intelligence Competencies model, Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development, and Seligman's PERMA model of wellbeing. Recent articles include:

  • Bavarian, N., et al., (2022). Mechanisms of Influence on Youth Substance Use for a Social-Emotional and Character Development Program: A Theory-Based Approach. Substance Use and Misuse,https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2022.2120359
  • Lewis, K.M., et al., (2021). Effects of Positive Action is Elementary School on Student Behavioral and Social-Emotional Outcomes. The Elementary School Journal https://doi.org/10.1086/714065