PreK–12.

Positive Action is a school-based program that helps children better understand and manage themselves, build relationships with others, act with honesty, develop healthy habits (both physical and intellectual), and continually work on their own growth. At the heart of the program is the "Thoughts–Actions–Feelings about Self" cycle: positive thoughts lead to positive actions, actions shape self-perception, and that self-perception generates new thoughts, creating a self-reinforcing loop.

The program can be implemented at different levels — as a regular classroom course run by an individual teacher, or as a full Whole-School Reform Model that involves not only lessons but also the work of the school counselor, administration, families, and the local community.

Beyond the core classroom curriculum, there are additional thematic kits covering school climate, substance abuse prevention, bullying prevention, counseling, and family engagement. In total, the full lineup of materials from Pre-K through grade 12 includes more than 2,000 lessons, designed so that a school has substantive, non-repeating material for every school day throughout the year.

Lessons take place several times a week for 15 minutes, using ready-made lesson scripts and materials — posters, puppets, games, and music. Approximately 140 lessons per year for grades K–6 and 82 lessons per year for grades 7–8.

More than 5 million students.

50 US states and 28 countries worldwide.

The primary language is English. Official Spanish-language material sets used to exist separately (bilingual: the instructor's guide and worksheets in Spanish, visual materials in English), but as of June 30, 2025 they have been officially discontinued in favor of the new digital platform Pasela, where translation is handled by a browser-based AI translator (Google Translate) supporting more than 100 languages — meaning translation now happens "on the fly" rather than through pre-prepared materials.

The program is listed in the CASEL Program Guide with SELect status. It is also certified by the independent registry Blueprints for Healthy Youth Development with Certified Model Program status.

A large-scale study in Hawaii (2001–2006) followed 1,714 students from grades 1–2 through grade 5. By fifth grade, children in the program less often reported lifetime substance use, violence, and risky sexual behavior, and teachers less often noted aggressive behavior in them, compared with the control group.

Another Hawaii study (2002–2006, with an additional follow-up one year after completion) tracked 20 schools and showed improved perceptions of school safety and quality, according to teachers, parents, and students themselves.

A separate study in Chicago (14 schools, a cluster-randomized controlled trial) tracked children from grades 3 through 5; about 510 fifth-graders took part in the final survey. Compared with control schools, children in the program showed substance use rates that were on average 31% lower, serious violent behavior (including carrying weapons and gang involvement) that was 36% lower, and recent bullying involvement that was 41% lower.