UPCOMING EVENTS + PRESENTATIONS

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 […] ...

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: […] ...

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 […] ...

From Insight to Impact: How Schools Are Turning Challenge Success-Stanford Research Into Real Change

Across the country, schools are facing rising student stress, disengagement, and pressure from families and communities to “get it right.” But what does effective, research-backed school change actually look like in practice? Join Challenge Success co-founder Denise Pope for a dynamic and honest conversation with leaders from three different Challenge Success schools that have partnered […] ...

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 […] ...

Stories from the Front Lines of College Admissions: A Conversation with Beth Heller Gelles & Dr. Denise Pope

College admissions has become overwhelming and emotionally exhausting for families. Parents feel anxious, students feel pressured, and everyone is swimming in mixed messages. This conversation is designed to bring perspective and reassurance to a process that has grown increasingly stressful. Drawing from fourteen years of working with families, Beth Heller Gelles shares real stories from […] ...

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 […] ...