American Institutes for Research
About Us

About Us

At AIR, we focus on strengthening social-emotional and instructional competencies through the use of evidence-based practices.

The Good Behavior Game Team

Our team of experts at AIR is what makes the delivery of high quality support possible. As a group, we bring over 50 years of experience in the field of education, public health, and classroom behavior management to bear in support of effective implementation of the Good Behavior Game. We develop and execute teacher-driven training; provide contextually appropriate ongoing support for implementation; and conduct research to deepen the existing evidence base in support of the Good Behavior Game.

Good Behavior Game Projects/Partners

The Good Behavior Game at the American Institutes for Research would not be a success without our partners helping to research and implement the program in the field. We work with state and local education agencies, experts from universities and other entities both nationally and internationally to help spread the positive outcomes of the Good Behavior Game across the country and beyond.

Current Implementation Partners
  • Houston Independent School District
    Houston Independent School District

    We have partnered with the Houston Independent School District since 2009 to implement the Good Behavior Game and conduct research on the impact of different models of professional development on the game’s implementation, while partnering with the school district for an implementation study.

  • Nebraska Department of Education
    Nebraska Department of Education

    We work with the Nebraska Department of Education to build resources to integrate the Good Behavior Game into a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system. The Nebraska Department of Education is also partnering with us as we develop online distance learning training and supports for teachers to play the game in rural schools.

  • National Coordination of Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs from the Ministry of Health of Brazil
    National Coordination of Mental Health, Alcohol and other Drugs from the Ministry of Health of Brazil

    The Good Behavior Game Team has partnered with the National Coordination of Mental Health, Alcohol, and Other Drugs (Brazilian Ministry of Health) to pre-pilot the Good Behavior Game in Brazil. The government of Brazil mobilized the funds through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), who served as the project executors in partnership with the government team.

  • Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology (Ce-PIM)
    Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology (Ce-PIM)

    The Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology (C-PIM) for Drug Abuse & Sexual Risk Behavior seeks to learn what the goal, opportunities, and capacities are of communities, institutions and agencies around prevention programs designed to reduce drug abuse, HIV infection, and sexual risk behavior. The Center is developing new methods for improving implementation in communities as well as new methods for conducting implementation research, quality improvement, and evaluation in practice settings.

  • HFT
    Houston Federation of Teachers

    Also known as Texas AFT, it is recognized as one of the outstanding state federations for the implementation of a statewide leadership development. Texas AFT believes in democracy in education, and that our students deserve a world-class education. Texas AFT will work to initiate, support, and enforce state legislation to benefit all the children and school employees of the State of Texas, through a dynamic organization which builds upon the diversity of its members through a democratic governance structure.

  • Harris County Department of Education
    Harris County Department of Education

    Harris County Department of Education (HCDE) was formed in 1889 as the original area district to provide free public schools. Today, HCDE supports the educational needs of 25 school districts in Harris County. Services are extended to children, adult learners, educators, local governments, charter schools and taxpayers. We partnered with HCDE to provide coaching as part of our IES funded trial and continue this partnership in expanding the GBG throughout the Houston area.

  • Cincinnati Public Schools
    Cincinnati Public Schools

    Cincinnati Public Schools is partnering with American Institutes for Research to help design its Allegiance Project initiative, a structured Walking School Bus designed to improve the physical and emotional safety of elementary school students on their walks to and from school. By infusing elements of the Good Behavior Game into the Walking School Bus, the Allegiance Project hopes to contribute to key students outcomes such as reduced student tardiness, absenteeism, and disruptive classroom behavior. RAND will be partnering with Cincinnati Public Schools and AIR to evaluate the program outcomes.

  • Mentor UK
    Mentor UK

    Good Behavior Game in partnering with Mentor UK to implement a randomized control trial study of the Good Behavior Game throughout primary (elementary) schools in the Northwest of England. Mentor UK is an alcohol and drug prevention organization that works with schools, parents, and policy makers to support early intervention.

University-Based Partners
  • Dr. Hendricks Brown

    Professor in Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University & Director of Center for Prevention Implementation Methodology

  • Dr. Wei Wang

    Associate Professor in Biostatistics, University of South Florida

  • Dr. Catherine Bradshaw

    Professor & Associate Dean for Research & Faculty Development at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia

  • Dr. Celene Domitrovich

    Director for Research,  Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

About American Institutes for Research

Established in 1946, with headquarters in Washington, D.C., American Institutes for Research (AIR) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that conducts behavioral and social science research and delivers technical assistance both domestically and internationally. As one of the largest behavioral and social science research organizations in the world, AIR is committed to empowering communities and institutions with innovative solutions to the most critical challenges in education, health, workforce, and international development.

Contact Us

Interested to learn more? Ready to start discussions of how Good Behavior Game could fit the needs of your classroom, school, district, or state? Contact us!

American Institutes for Research
1000 Thomas Jefferson Street NW
Washington, DC 20007-3835
866.535.8686
gbg@air.org