NCJ Number
237319
Date Published
August 2006
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This document contains the progress report for the third year of implementation for Hawaii's Positive Action project.
Abstract
Findings from the evaluation indicate that after 3 years of program implementation, students in grade five in schools participating in Positive Action (PA) had improved academic performance scores in both reading and math and reduced negative behaviors; improved retention rates and decreased suspension rates; decreases in the average daily rate of absences; and higher levels of parent involvement. This report presents the findings from an evaluation of the third year of implementation of Hawaii's Positive Action program. The PA program is a comprehensive program aimed at teaching students the positive actions needed for developing the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social areas of social and character development. The program also shows the students the positive actions needed for improving school performance. Data for the evaluation were obtained from 111 elementary schools in 3 cities in Hawaii that participated in the program. The study followed two cohorts of students, those in grades one and two in the 2001-02 school year. The students were surveyed at baseline and then every spring thereafter, up to grades 4 and 5. The initial findings from the evaluation indicate that the PA program is an effective social and character development program that comes close to incorporating current theory regarding what is needed to improve student academic performance and reduce negative behaviors. The effects of the No Child Left Behind Law on the PA program are discussed. Figures, tables, and references