Evaluating Population-Level Implementations of Evidence-Based Programming: PAX Good Behavior Game and Youth Crime

08/01/2025 | PAXIS Institute |

This study analyzes whether the implementation of the PAX Good Behavior Game in elementary
schools was associated with lower levels of school-based law enforcement referrals and arrests.
It utilizes publicly available administrative data in a quasi-experimental design. School-based
law enforcement referrals and arrests in zip codes in which the PAX Good Behavior Game was
implemented in schools as part of a statewide population-level public health initiative were
compared to those of otherwise similar comparison schools in neighboring zip codes in which the
intervention was not yet implemented. For the two geographic regions examined in this study, one
region recorded a significant decrease in law enforcement referrals in intervention zip codes
compared to comparison zip codes. Neither region recorded significant changes in school arrests
among zip codes. The modeling used to detect these changes has meaningful implications for
evaluating population-level implementation.

Citation: Gulcan Cil, Jason Fruth, Anthony Biglan. 2021, Evaluating Population-Level Implementations of Evidence-Based Programming: PAX Good Behavior Game and Youth Crime. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 8,27-34

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