February 27 2026
Doing School or Loving School? Belonging, Engagement & Well-Being Insights from 30,000 NAIS Students
What can over 30,000 student voices tell us about how students are experiencing NAIS schools? This interactive session explores key findings from the Challenge Success–Stanford Survey of School Experiences, drawing on responses from students at more than 100 independent schools. Commissioned by NAIS, this is the first large-scale analysis of well-being, engagement, and belonging across […] ...
Understanding the Student Experience: Insights from Student Voice Data
Facilitated by Jennifer Butterfoss – School Partnership Coach, Challenge Success Drawing on national survey data from more than 350,000 students, this session explores what young people report about their well-being, engagement, and sense of belonging across middle and high school. Participants will examine key patterns across grade levels and identities and discuss implications for better […] ...
How We Grow Up: What We Get Wrong About Adolescents Today—and How to Help
Adolescent well-being is often misunderstood—shaped by fear, assumptions, and outdated narratives rather than what research and young people themselves tell us they need. Join Matt Richtel, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of How We Grow Up, for a conversation with Denise Pope, co-founder of Challenge Success, alongside a member of the Challenge Success Student Advisory […] ...
A Healthier Approach to College Admissions: Finding the Right Fit
Join us for our most popular workshop on March 25th! The college admissions process can be a source of stress and anxiety for students and parents alike. This research-based workshop addresses many of the important questions we hear from families. What do college rankings really measure? Are students who attend more selective colleges better off […] ...
April 01 2026
Rethinking Stress to Nurture Thriving Learners
What does it really mean to “cope”? This session explores coping as a dynamic, system-wide process that shapes how individuals and communities adapt and thrive. Whether you’re a parent/caregiver, educator, or student this session will offer fresh insights and strategies to help navigate stress, foster well-being, and enhance engagement. Learning Objectives: Build a shared understanding […] ...
April 12 2026
Virtuous or Viceful? How K-12 and Undergraduate Students Use and Perceive Generative AI
This study uses survey data to examine how high school students’ self-reported usage patterns of AI chatbots relate to their levels of engagement, sense of belonging, perceptions of homework, and selected character strengths. Using factor analysis, we found their usage patterns differ from their perceptions of acceptable use for most academic tasks, with two exceptions: […] ...
April 17 2026
Navigating Stress: Fostering Student Well-Being Through Adaptive Coping Strategies
What does it really mean to “cope”? This interactive session explores coping as a dynamic, system-wide process that influences how individuals and communities adapt and thrive. Drawing on thousands of student responses to the Challenge Success–Stanford Survey of Student Experiences, we will share data that highlights the critical link between students’ coping skills, their engagement […] ...
Engaged Learning in an AI World
With AI reshaping the landscape of teaching and learning, how can educators keep student engagement, creativity, and dialogue at the center? In this session, held April 22 at 4 p.m. PT | 7 p.m. ET, we’ll examine current research on AI and student engagement, then dive into hands-on activities that demonstrate how AI can be […] ...
September 27 2026
2026 Challenge Success Annual Conference
Join Us at the Challenge Success Annual Conference We’re gathering educators, school and district leaders, counselors, families, and students at Stanford University on September 26-27, 2026, to reimagine what student success can look like. Over two powerful days, you’ll learn from leading researchers and practitioners, hear directly from student voices, and leave with practical strategies […] ...