A Research-Based Character Education Curriculum
The Positivity Project helps PreK-12 schools build positive school cultures, strengthen student well-being, and support academic success through a shared focus on character and relationships.
In my 31 years as an educator, I’ve seen countless character ed programs come and go. This is the first I’ve experienced that has made a noticeable difference in our schools and amongst our community. Teachers embrace it, students learn and develop from it, and our community is the beneficiary of it.
– Dr. Joe DiPonio, Superintendent, Lake Shore Public Schools
Enhance Your School Culture with Character Education
The Positivity Project (P2) empowers your students to build character, take ownership of their actions, and strengthen relationships, creating a positive and connected school culture.
- Quick and easy lessons — minimal prep for busy teachers
- Evidence-based curriculum — grounded in the research of positive psychology
- Engaging content for students — high-quality curriculum that’s age-appropriate, thoughtfully designed, and thoroughly vetted
3 Simple Steps to Strengthen Your School Culture with P2
In just 15 minutes a day, our character education curriculum gives schools the tools to enhance culture across classrooms, schools, and districts proactively. Simply:
- Pick your implementation strategy tailored to your school or district.
- Teach one character strength per week with ready-to-use, 15-minute lessons.
- Watch attendance, behavior, and school culture improve as students and educators learn to identify and celebrate the strengths in others.
Proactive Instruction,
School-wide Impact
A strong school culture begins with a strong foundation, which is why P2 is the leader in MTSS Tier 1 character education. By proactively building character and relationships, our leading school curriculum prevents the need for higher-level interventions through:
- Universal implementation — creating a school-wide common vocabulary by reaching every student, every day
- Supporting the entire MTSS framework – with Tier 1, 2, and 3 lessons
- Trusted by 800+ schools nationwide
More Than a Curriculum,
It’s a Culture Strategy
P2 isn’t a one-time lesson or reactive program. It’s a daily practice that builds character, resilience, and real relationships — the foundation of a strong school community. With P2:
- Attendance increases
- Behavior improves
- Culture becomes more connected (And yes — academics benefit too)
Why Our Character Education Curriculum Lasts
While other character education and leadership programs for students fizzle out, The Positivity Project is there for the long haul. Our program is designed to be a lasting part of your school culture by reaching all students, every day. Grounded in timeless principles of character and relationship-building, it stays relevant through ever-changing trends and challenges. With a clear and transparent family connection, P2 empowers parents to stay involved and informed so they can continue supporting character development at home.
- Tier 1 — strengthens the foundation of your school culture by reaching students across grade levels
- Timeless — grounded in evidence, not trends
- Timely — students need character and relationships now more than ever
- Transparent — P2 for Families provides families full transparency into what their children are learning in the classroom
The Positivity Project has the potential to shape the culture of an entire school in a way that brings people together, provides identity, and acts as the foundation for many other school efforts.
– Joe McDonough, Superintendent, Canton Central School District
Boost Attendance Through Belonging
“This past year, there were several comments from parents that my student begs to come to school—even when they’re sick. They don’t want to miss class time. They don’t want to miss being with their friends. To me, that’s a powerful reflection of the positive relationships that have been built and that are now a foundation at Clovis Elementary because of The Positivity Project.”
– Donelle Kellom, Principal, Clovis Elementary
Improve Behavior Proactively
“When a child can have a conversation with another child instead of running to get an adult, they really started to own the relationships that they were building, and they started to own their own behavior. That’s huge for a school site. That’s what starts to change the culture on the playground and the culture in the classroom.”
– Lisa Vuola, Learning Director of EL Services, Clovis Unified School District
Strengthen Relationships, Strengthen Culture
“One of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my 25 years in education is what The Positivity Project did for our school and our students and our staff and our community. I can’t say enough about the impact, the positive impact it has had for our educators and our students.”
– Erin Waer, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction, and Accountability, Clovis Unified School District
Start a Free Pilot at Your School or District
Experience full access of P2 resources— free.
See firsthand how strong MTSS Tier 1 character education can transform your school culture.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Positivity Project
The Positivity Project (P2) is a research-based character education curriculum for PreK–12 schools that teaches students the 24 character strengths identified through positive psychology. In just 15 minutes a day, P2 helps schools build positive school culture and support academic success through a shared focus on character and relationships. Trusted by more than 800 schools nationwide, P2 equips educators with ready-to-use lessons that require minimal prep time while creating lasting, school-wide impact.
Positive psychology’s 24 character strengths serve as our foundation. Ranging from bravery and perseverance to integrity and gratitude, the character strengths are classified and described in the 800-page book Character Strengths and Virtues, co-authored by Drs. Chris Peterson and Martin Seligman. These strengths aren’t about ignoring the negative. Instead, they help us overcome life’s inevitable adversities. P2’s curriculum teaches one character strength per week, giving students the language and framework to recognize these strengths in themselves and others.
The Other People Mindset is a core philosophy of The Positivity Project. It teaches students to shift from a “Me Mindset” — where they see the world only through their own perspective — to an “Other People Mindset,” where they actively seek to understand, appreciate, and value others. By developing this mindset alongside the 24 character strengths, students build stronger relationships, greater empathy, and a more connected school community.
Most character education programs are built around a set of organizational values or pillars and are taught through periodic lessons or assemblies. The Positivity Project is different in three key ways. First, P2 is grounded in the peer-reviewed science of positive psychology — specifically the 24 character strengths from the VIA Classification — rather than a values list created by a single organization. Second, P2 is a daily practice, not a weekly or monthly lesson; 15 minutes a day with zero teacher prep builds lasting character habits instead of one-off conversations. Third, P2 takes a strengths-based approach — helping students identify their own character strengths and teaching them to recognize and appreciate the strengths in others through the Other People Mindset — rather than focusing on correcting behavior. Combined with built-in family engagement through P2 for Families, a consistent PreK–12 vocabulary, and purpose-built MTSS Tier 1 alignment, P2 is designed to become a lasting part of your school culture, not a program that fades after a year.
The Positivity Project provides a comprehensive character education curriculum for PreK through 12th grade. Every grade band features age-appropriate, developmentally tailored lessons and activities, ensuring consistent character strength education across a student’s entire academic journey from early childhood through high school.
P2 lessons are designed to take just 15 minutes per day with minimal teacher preparation. Each week focuses on one character strength, with ready-to-use lesson materials that educators can seamlessly integrate into morning meetings, advisory periods, homeroom, or any existing part of the school day. This low time commitment is one of the key reasons P2 sustains long-term adoption where other programs fade.
The Positivity Project is designed as a Tier 1 universal instruction program within the MTSS framework, meaning it reaches every student, every day, to proactively build a foundation of character and positive relationships. P2 also provides Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports for students who need additional intervention. By strengthening the Tier 1 foundation, P2 helps reduce the number of students requiring higher-level behavioral or social-emotional interventions, saving schools time and resources.
Schools implementing P2 have reported measurable improvements in attendance, student behavior, and overall school culture. For example, Clovis Unified School District documented increased student attendance, fewer behavioral incidents, and a stronger sense of community across its schools after district-wide implementation. Educators consistently report that P2 creates a common vocabulary around character that transforms how students interact with each other and with adults.
P2’s curriculum is grounded in the science of positive psychology, specifically the VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues developed by Dr. Christopher Peterson and Dr. Martin Seligman. Beyond this foundational framework, P2 itself has been the subject of multiple peer-reviewed studies. Published research shows that P2 increases student-teacher relationship quality, strengthens students’ sense of relatedness, and significantly reduces both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems compared to control groups. P2 also meets the criteria for a Tier 2 evidence-based intervention under ESSA. Notably, in peer-reviewed research, P2 teachers achieved 93-94% implementation fidelity—nearly double the industry norm. More telling: 90.9% of teachers wanted to continue using P2 the following year.
Yes. P2 for Families provides parents and caregivers with transparency into what students are learning in the classroom each week. P2 curriculum also includes weekly Family Letters to send home, allowing families to reinforce and discuss strengths at home, creating a consistent message between school and family. This transparency builds trust and strengthens the home-school connection.