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Positive Action, Inc. 264 4th Avenue South, Twin Falls, ID 83301. Web: http://www.positiveaction.net. E-mail: info@positiveaction.net. Telephone: (800) 345-2974. Fax: (208) 733-1590.
The Positive Action program was created and first implemented in four school sites in Idaho from 1979–81. Positive Action, Inc. was founded in 1982. Since then, more than 11,000 schools in 2,500 school districts and 2,000 community groups and agencies in all 50 states have adopted the program. Positive Action may have changed since the studies were conducted. The WWC recommends asking the developer for information about the most current version of this curriculum and taking into account that student demographics and school context may affect outcomes.
The Positive Action curriculum for each of the elementary school grades averages 140 lessons taught four days a week, organized into six teaching units and a seventh review unit, presented in a consistent order. Units 1–3 and a summary of units 4–7 are taught in grade 7, totaling 81 lessons, while units 4–7 and a summary of units 1–3 are taught in grade 8, totaling 75 lessons. The high school curriculum is composed of four kits. Each kit covers one school year but can stand on its own or be used in a different order. Each kit includes six teaching units and a review unit, and has approximately 132 lessons. Kit IV, however, has two options, each with its own curriculum, so the possible number of lessons doubles for that kit. In each of the elementary, middle, or high school grade levels teachers may implement the entire set of lessons or choose a partial implementation of at least 20 lessons per grade level. There are Levels of Implementation Plans for the Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum Levels, which guide users on how to choose lessons for the highest level of effectiveness. In all grade levels a typical lesson lasts about 15 minutes.
The Positive Action program consists of a core curriculum and optional components that may or may not be implemented as part of the program—site-wide climate development; drug education for grade 5 and middle school; conflict resolution; counselor, parent, and family classes; and community/coalition development. The program philosophy, "You feel good about yourself when you think and do positive actions, and there is a positive way to do everything," underlies the content of the program units. Kits for the core curriculum and the supplemental components may include instructor's manuals, group materials, activity booklets or activity sheets, text booklets, posters, song CDs with lyrics, game boards, and teaching aides (stickers, index cards, medals, puppets, flannel boards and figures, bean bags, and visual aids).
The cost of a Positive Action classroom kit varies by grade level. Kindergarten kits cost $460; grades 1–8 cost $360; high school kits I, II, and III cost $360; and high school kit IV costs $460. The cost of the drug education supplemental kits also varies by grade level, ranging from $250 to $360. The optional community kit costs $550, the counselor kit $125, and the family kit $75. Family classes cost $360 and parenting classes $160. Some of the kits are available in Spanish. Combo kits (at reduced prices), refresher kits, and kit parts are also available for varied prices.
An orientation training workshop that includes curriculum; climate development; and counselor, family, and community components costs $200 a school type (elementary, middle, or high school). Ongoing training workshops and media training workshops cost $250 each. Workshops that combine orientation, ongoing training, and media training for grades K–12 cost $900.
|Institute of Education Sciences
Character Education