Building Human Skills Through Feedback: RISE + Second Step High School
When Dr. Jodie Donner first encountered the RISE Model, she was searching for something better. As a lead technology strategist co-creating a technology literacy course at Arizona State University, Dr. Donner and her team prioritized peer review as a way for students to develop feedback skills that would fuel growth. But existing strategies—like the familiar “feedback sandwich”—fell short. She wanted a process that felt more meaningful, more structured, and more human.
Her search led her to the RISE Model and Dr. Donner integrated it into her course, guiding students through four peer feedback cycles each semester. The result? Students improved their projects through thoughtful revision, while building relationships and communication skills in the process.
Today, Dr. Donner applies the RISE Model to her work at Committee for Children, where she designs content for the Second Step® High School program—a curriculum focused on building the human skills students need to thrive in complex, real-world situations.
“RISE gives students the opportunity to practice communication, empathy, strategic thinking, collaboration, and reflection—all at once.”
She notes “It’s an exemplary way for them to apply a wide range of essential skills for college and the workforce.”
In this latest implementation, RISE is embedded into a new Peer Feedback practice within the Second Step® High School curriculum. Teachers are introduced to the model and given resources to apply it in any subject area—along with student handouts, implementation tips, and access to video resources from the RISE library. While the practice is newly released, the vision is clear: educators will use RISE to create regular peer feedback loops that help students become more reflective, more confident, and more capable of giving and receiving feedback with purpose.
Dr. Donner is excited about what this means for students.
“If they have multiple opportunities to experience feedback loops,” she says, “they’ll become experts. They’ll listen, adapt, collaborate, and grow—in class and beyond.”
As part of the program rollout, Dr. Donner and her team have created a template for students to document their peer conversations and strategize next steps. While they’ve stayed close to the original structure of the model, they plan to gather educator feedback and refine the practice based on what teachers and students need most.
Her advice for anyone looking to bring RISE into their work?
“Do a little research, then try it where it feels most natural. That might be in a high school classroom or a team meeting.”
Dr. Donner is also curious about adapting RISE for self-reflection and for professional feedback conversations among staff, underscoring the versatility of the model.
Through her thoughtful integration of RISE into both higher education and K–12 programming, Dr. Jodie Donner demonstrates how structured feedback improves performance and builds the skills and relationships that set learners up for lifelong success.
