Weilenmann School partners with Stanford program to boost student engagement

Discovering. Photo: courtesy of Weilenmann School of Discovery

PARK CITY, Utah — The Weilenmann School of Discovery (WSD) has become the first Utah school to partner with Challenge Success, a research-based nonprofit at the Stanford Graduate School of Education that has worked with schools worldwide for over 20 years to build more engaging and supportive educational communities.

The partnership was made possible through the Utah State Charter School Board’s Innovation Grant. Over the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years, WSD will collaborate with Challenge Success to transform how students, parents, faculty, and administrators work together to create an optimal learning environment.

“We want to build things from the ground up and first find out what students need and want, then create an environment that allows them to feel comfortable and happy,” said Scott Stewart, Executive Director and English Language Arts teacher at WSD. “That’s going to allow them to learn more effectively and put them in a position to be engaged as much as possible.”

What sets this initiative apart is its commitment to genuine student involvement in decision-making. The school has assembled a 10-person implementation team that includes two administrators, two faculty members, two parents, two board members and two seventh-grade students.

The next step, was to attend the Challenge Success Annual Conference in Palo Alto on Sept. 12-13. Stewart was joined by faculty members Larali Miller and Karla Willis as well as a WSD board member Gina Cox.

“I was blown away at the conference by how insightful the students were when asked about what they need,” said Stewart, who has been in education for 26 years. “It made me want to find even more ways to have students’ voices be part of what we do. That’s something we may have missed for a long time not just at Weilenmann, but at all schools.”

The conference demonstrated this global commitment to student engagement, with schools from around the world — including Canada, Taiwan, California, Nevada, Texas, Maine, Washington, D.C., and Miami — bringing students as active participants in the learning process. Stewart plans to bring students to next year’s conference.

The partnership extends beyond student voice to encompass comprehensive community building. Parents are positioned as collaborative partners in shaping school activities and operations, while faculty and staff receive training in research-based strategies for both effective teaching and culture building.

“We wanted to avoid the tension that can exist between parents and schools,” Stewart said. “We want our community to be somewhere where parents, teachers and students are working together to create the best school and best environment we can.”

Unlike cookie-cutter programs, Challenge Success works collaboratively with each school to develop customized solutions. Weilenmann will work with their assigned coach, Margaret Dunlop, throughout the two-year partnership to navigate implementation and ensure sustainability.

Currently serving about 350 students, Weilenmann aims to grow to approximately 450 students — a goal they believe is achievable through the enhanced community engagement this partnership will foster. WSD’s strong liberal arts curriculum, emphasis on outdoor experiences and commitment to ensuring every student feels they belong aligns with Challenge Success’s mission.

“At the end of the day, we want all our students to feel like they have a place, like they belong, and that they’re provided an environment that will help them be successful,” Stewart said. “That’s something that’s missing in a lot of schools for a lot of students — actual thought put into caring for their needs and providing situations where they can be most successful.”

As the first Utah school to embark on this partnership, Weilenmann School of Discovery is pioneering a new approach to education that prioritizes student voice, community collaboration and research-based practices. The success of this initiative may pave the way for other Utah schools to follow suit, bringing Stanford’s innovative educational research to benefit students across the state.

To learn more about Weilenmann School of Discovery curriculum, enrollment, and community visit, https://wsdpc.org.