Skills at School

One skills-based language, across every system.

Rae helps district and school leaders build foundational systems of support aligned to one set of universal skills, connected to Vermont's Transferable Skills. There are fewer resources than ever in our schools. Preparing students for the world means using district-wide systems of support efficiently and effectively, with one unified skills language at the core, and pro-social motivation for students and adults alike.

Talk with Rae Tech-light classrooms

Why one unified language

Efficient use of resources

One language runs through every system instead of separate initiatives, so time, training and dollars go further.

Coherent for students

Students hear the same skills in class, in supports, in repair conversations and at home.

Pro-social for adults too

Staff grow the same skills they teach, building shared motivation for students and adults alike.

Where the skills live

One language across every system

Universal instruction and assessment

Skills named, taught and assessed in every classroom.

PBIS

Schoolwide routines and recognition organized by skill.

MTSS

Targeted and intensive supports built on the same skills taught to every student.

PLPs and advisory

Students set goals and reflect in the language they use every day.

Repair and restorative practices

One consistent process every adult uses after harm.

Family partnership

Tech F.A.S.T., Analog Hour and Skills at Home carry the language home.

One aligned system in action

When "say sorry" isn't working

The challenge

After harm, kids are often told to say sorry right away. Many resist. The apology comes out flat, nothing is learned, and the student who was harmed doesn't always want a "sorry" at all. Teachers feel stuck, and the harm isn't really repaired.

The shift

Instead of requiring a word, teach everyone the actual skills of repair, before anyone needs them. Students learn to name the action, name the impact and make a future commitment. Repair becomes something they know how to do, not a script they're forced to say, and the student who was harmed gets a real choice in how it happens.

Name the action

"I called you a name in front of the class."

Name the impact

"That was embarrassing and made you feel like you don't belong here." Then ask, and listen.

Make a future commitment

"Next time I'm frustrated, I will take a break instead of saying something hurtful."

These come straight from the Impact on Others and Conflict & Repair skills, so teachers practice them in morning meeting and advisory when the stakes are low.

Walking through it

A 6th grader says something unkind in class

What a consistent, skills-based repair process looks like, step by step:

1
In the moment
The teacher stops it briefly and calmly: "That word isn't okay here. We'll talk after class." Then keeps the lesson going, without a public lecture.
2
Care for the student who was harmed first
A private check-in: Are you okay? What do you need? They choose whether they want to hear from the other student, and how: in person, in a note, with an adult present, or not at all.
3
Prepare the student who caused harm
A short coaching conversation using the three steps: What did I do? Who was affected, and how? What will I do next time? Plus: What can I do to make it right?
4
Repair, the way the harmed student wants it
If they want it, a short facilitated conversation where the student names the action, the impact and the commitment. If not, repair can happen another way, like a letter the counselor holds or an action that helps the class.
5
An accountability circle, if the class was affected
A facilitated circle where students share how the words landed and the class recommits to its agreements. The student who caused harm names the action, impact and commitment to the group.
6
Follow up
The teacher checks in with both students within a week, the family hears from the school, and the incident is logged. If it's part of a pattern, the student gets targeted support built on the same skills.

What colleagues say about US Project founder Rae Donovan

“[Restorative practices] not only encourage student accountability and skill-building but also nurture positive relationships through open communication, empathy, and reflection.”
Gina Normand, School-Based Clinician, Ferrisburgh Central School

How Rae helps leaders

Make repair consistent, schoolwide

Repair only works when students can count on it looking the same with every adult. Coaching helps leaders build that consistency.

One repair process every adult uses, with simple scripts and visuals for classrooms, hallways, buses and the lunchroom
Accountability circles: when to use them, and training for staff to lead them well
Voice and choice for students who were harmed, built into every step
Accountability that teaches: clear expectations and follow-through, without relying on forced apologies
Families as partners: how to talk with families about harm and repair, and share the same three steps to use at home
Data: logging incidents and repair so patterns lead to targeted support
Coaching is available for administrators, counselors and teacher leaders to put the systems into daily practice

Tech-light classrooms

Less screen, more teaching.

Schools around the world are rethinking how much technology students need. Rae helps schools make intentional choices about classroom technology, so screens support learning instead of replacing the human parts of teaching.

What I noticed when the internet went down

“Three years into being an elementary school principal, our internet went down for a week. Teachers couldn’t use their slideshows or smart boards, so they picked up markers and wrote on the board. That week I realized there were teachers I had never once seen write on the board. These were prepared, wonderful teachers. But our reliance on technology had quietly changed what teaching looked like in our classrooms, in ways none of us had stopped to notice.”

Rae Donovan, M.Ed., J.D., former principal, Ferrisburgh Central School

Countries are moving away from overreliance on screens

Sweden

After years of rapid digitalization, Sweden began moving back to printed textbooks in 2023, setting aside about $70–80 million a year for books and printed materials.

Denmark

Denmark is banning student phones in schools and investing DKK 540 million in physical books to reduce reliance on screens.

Norway

By early 2025, 96% of primary schools had introduced phone bans, following a national call for phone-free classrooms and breaks.

UNESCO

The 2023 Global Education Monitoring Report found technology can help some learning, but the benefits disappear when it is used in excess.

OECD PISA 2022

Students distracted by other students' devices in math class scored 15 points lower on average. About two-thirds of U.S. students reported device distraction.

Reading research

A meta-analysis of 54 studies with more than 170,000 readers found comprehension is better on paper than on screens.

Sources: AFP (2025); Danish government (2025); The Local (2025); UNESCO GEM Report 2023; OECD PISA 2022 via Education Week; Delgado et al. (2018).

What changes when screens step back

Calmer bodies and minds. Screen-free stretches give students a chance to settle, regulate and focus.
Thinking you can watch. When a teacher writes on the board, students see ideas built step by step, at a human pace.
More eye contact and conversation. Teachers and students look at each other, not at a screen.
Practice with paper, pencils and hands: handwriting, sketching, building and real books.
Technology with a purpose. Devices come out when they add something, not by default.

How Rae helps schools

Look honestly at current use: where technology adds value, and where it has quietly become the default.
Set shared norms for when screens come out, so every classroom isn't deciding alone.
Support teachers in teaching from the board, with paper texts and hands-on work.
Build in tech-free time with Analog Hour, tied to skills like Emotional Regulation and Consuming & Creating.
Bring families along with Tech F.A.S.T., so the same message carries home.
Use resources well: one skills language and clear norms instead of another program.

Not anti-technology. Technology on purpose.

The goal isn't to remove technology from schools. It's to use it where it truly helps students learn, and to protect time for focus, conversation, handwriting, real books and teachers at the board.

Proven in Vermont

Rae Donovan, M.Ed., J.D.

MAUSD · 2019–22

As SEL Coordinator, led development of the district's transferable skills and built them into district systems.

Ferrisburgh · 2022–25

As principal, aligned PBIS, MTSS, universal instruction, PLPs, advisory, repair and family connection to one skills language.

MAUSD · 2025–27

SEL Systems Integration: continuing her work integrating skills-based teaching and learning across district systems, with PLPs at the center.

“She built a comprehensive student support system using PBIS principles, addressing both academic and behavioral needs.”
Jeanné Collins Deweese, Retired Superintendent, Burlington and Rutland School Districts, and Rae's principal mentor

Build one skills language across your systems

Systems alignment, tech-light classrooms and coaching, shaped around your school and the systems you already have.

Email Rae Tech F.A.S.T. for Schools