Events - Fall Conference 2024 - Call for Proposals

Call for Proposals

Proposal submissions are no longer being accepted. Thank you for your interest.

We invite you to submit a proposal to present at the 2024 Challenge Success Fall Conference in either Stanford, CA on Sept. 13-14th or in Waltham, MA on Sept. 27-28th. In your proposal application, you’ll be able to specify your choice of location. You can choose to propose either a 75 minute Workshop or a 35 minute Short (described below). Presenters will be responsible for their own travel and expenses.

WHAT TO EXPECT

We strive to create an engaging environment for our attendees. If your proposal is accepted, you will be invited to attend a peer-to-peer tuning session with fellow presenters. A Challenge Success team member will also work closely with you to ensure your session is a success.
Accepted presenters will receive free registration for up to two facilitators. If you are part of a 2023-24 School Program Team, your team would receive two additional registrations to the conference.

Accepted submissions will be announced before the end of April, 2024.

Read more about the conference here

Choose a Proposal Type

Participants range from educators to students, caregivers, and administrators. If your content is better suited to certain groups, you will be able to select whom in the submission form.

1. WORKSHOPS

Workshops should share research-based strategies that improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement as well as expand the capacity and knowledge of the teachers, administrators, counselors, and students in our school network.

Workshops are:

75 minutes long
Answering a need: Each workshop should have a clear focus, be scoped appropriately (not too large a topic nor too small to be handled well in 75 minutes), and incorporate either recent research or share insights based on how you’ve implemented it in your own classroom/school.
Connected to Strategies: See our SPACE Framework for more ideas of the strategies schools have used to improve student well-being, belonging, and engagement. Participants should understand how to take action following your workshop.
Interactive: the audience is given opportunities to process (individually or with others) and engage with the content in a meaningful way.

SUBMIT A WORKSHOP PROPOSAL

Potential Workshop Topics (not comprehensive)

– Sleep
– Social media, screen time, and technology use
– Creating a balanced schedule (when considering extracurriculars, student well-being, etc.)
– Curriculum development that prioritizes rigor over load
– Growth mindset in the classroom
– Engaging disengaged students – curriculum practices
– Culturally relevant teaching
– UDL for lesson design, to lessen stress, and meet all learners where they are
– Mastery-based learning
– Equitable grading practices
– Authentic assessment
– Mental health and coping strategies (anxiety, stress)
– Restorative justice practices
– Developing positive teacher/student relationships
– Teen brain development
– Interpreting and using student data to make actual change
– A.I. and tech use in schools
– Family/caregiver engagement and education

2. SHORTS: School Strategy Spotlight

Shorts are an opportunity for school members to share a specific strategy they implemented with success. These short sessions briefly cover the nuts and bolts of one strategy, what was learned and adjusted over time, share important artifacts attendees could adjust for their own community to implement the strategy, and leave 10-15 minutes for Q&A.

Shorts are:

30 minutes long (expect 10-15 minutes at the end to be for Q&A or discussion)
Tactical & Specific: See our SPACE Framework for some examples of specific strategies that you could expand on during your share. Share one specific strategy you have tried, adjusted over time, and that made a positive impact. You’ll only have 20 minutes to share, so choose an impactful but bite-sized topic that other educators, students, and caregivers could try in their own context.
Whole Picture: Every change comes with highs and lows. Sometimes the most meaningful advice is what went wrong and how you dealt with common setbacks or difficulties. Artifacts and visuals are also required to share the strategy.

SUBMIT A SHORTS PROPOSAL

Potential Shorts Topics (not comprehensive)

We have seen schools across the country use amazing strategies and initiatives. We often see helpful strategies in the following categories:

– School schedule (later start, block schedule, test/project calendars, etc)
– Strategy to maximize the power of affinity groups, strategies for relevant and meaningful learning
– Supporting/mentoring new teachers
– Advisory & Mentor Programs
– AP and Honors Courses
– College Admissions discussions
– Create a culture of care
– Developing positive teacher/student relationships
– Homework
– Increasing student voice & agency
– Strategies to shift unhealthy focus on grades
– Community-driven change that includes all voices
– Navigating dissent in the community-driven process
– Engaging and educating parent/caregiver community
– Finals & Finals schedule
– Tech & school
– How to lead and support school change work

Have questions about which session to apply to or anything regarding the conference? Reach out to Kristen here.