Transforming School Culture Through Listening and Action
At Shanghai American School, student success has never been just about GPAs and college acceptances. Equally important is student well-being: ensuring students are getting enough sleep, helping them manage stress in healthy ways, and ensuring they feel a strong sense of belonging in the places where they spend most of their day.
Over the past three school years, SAS has deepened that commitment through its partnership with Challenge Success, a nonprofit organization based at Stanford University that studies what school actually feels like from a student’s point of view.
“Challenge Success is focused on helping schools better understand the lived experience of their students,” said Dr. Wiley. “When students feel a strong sense of wellbeing, engagement, and belonging, they are more likely to be academically successful and personally successful as well.”
Insights from the Challenge Success data have already led to tangible changes across divisions, including more opportunities to support student engagement and cognitive load. At the high school level, student-led initiatives have also focused on raising awareness about the importance of sleep and a healthy life balance.
Each division now has a Challenge Success coached faculty Liaison who leads a cross-community member team focused on designing initiatives based on student input and survey findings. This approach is designed to build internal capacity so that the work of better supporting students continues as an ongoing part of school life.
Through its work with Challenge Success, SAS is strengthening its culture of collaboration among students, parents, and educators. The conversations that began during these sessions are helping shape a more connected school community, one where student perspectives are not only heard but used to guide meaningful action.
