About Our Conferences

Challenge Success offers dynamic conferences for schools, parents, and youth to come together to address issues of student health, school engagement, and academic integrity. All conferences take place at Stanford University, where school teams comprised of principals, teachers, parents, counselors, students, and other community members work together to create site-specific plans for school reform. 

Our Challenge Success Annual Fall Conference takes place October 15th and 16th this year, 2010, and includes a Friday night plenary session that is free and open to the public. Keynote speakers are experts in child development, medicine, psychology, public health, college admissions, and/or education. These experts are joined by a panel of student speakers who offer personal viewpoints on academic stress and coping strategies.

All Challenge Success Member Schools are invited to the Annual Fall Conference. Member Schools bring a team of administrators, teachers, parents, students, and counselors to attend the Friday night plenary and a full day on Saturday to engage in hands-on workshops and planning time to create strategies for school change. Local member schools also receive a Stanford "coach" who offers guidance for several months following the conference as the team develops a plan to improve school policies and practices. View the Saturday 2010 workshop schedule.

Schools interested in becoming Challenge Success Members and joining our conferences should complete our application.

Challenge Success Spring Conference: This is a required component for Challenge Success Member Schools that attend our Annual Fall Conference in October. This one-day follow-up conference takes place each Spring at Stanford University. School teams reconvene to assess current strategies and to work with other Challenge Success schools to solve problems and plan for the future. View a sample Spring Conference schedule.

Testimonials from Fall and Spring Conference participants:

“This has been a life-force of an experience, invigorating, refreshing, and motivating. Our team has a commitment to our students not as visible before this conference.” -- middle school counselor

“Every time we return, we learn more and more. Making new contacts is especially useful. We continue to gain insight, new ideas, and continued enthusiasm.” -- high school assistant principal

“This conference helps to keep that valuable work front burner and it helps you re-think what you’ve done so you can continue to improve.” -- high school teacher

“Amazing. Powerful. I will effect change.” -- high school student