School is much more than just academics; it is where children spend most of their days, shaping not only what they know, but also how they feel about themselves and the world. Yet it is not uncommon for today’s students to feel overwhelmed or disconnected by the pressure and pace of school life.
Denise Pope, Stanford education scholar and Challenge Success co-founder, has spent years listening to students and studying how to design schools that young people genuinely want to attend. Based on extensive student feedback, she and her team offer the following recommendations.
Key Takeaways:
- Let Students Be Heard: Real change starts when schools truly listen to what students are saying: their worries, hopes and everyday experiences. Understanding student voices helps schools create changes that matter.
- Make Assignments Count: It is not about piling on homework, but about giving assignments with real purpose. Projects that spark curiosity and foster deeper thinking are more valuable than simply repeating the same tasks.
- Rethink Testing and Exams: Traditional big exams can ramp up anxiety and do not always measure what really matters. More meaningful options — such as student projects, debates, or exhibitions — mirror the real world and help students show what they have learned in richer ways.
- Prioritise Sleep and Wellbeing: Research shows that teenagers average only 6.6 hours of sleep each night, significantly less than the eight to ten hours recommended for their age group. Parents and schools alike play a role in protecting sleep by addressing schedules and managing workload.
- Build Authentic Connection: Simple but intentional practices, such as advisory periods, check-ins, or icebreakers, strengthen pupils’ sense of belonging. Giving learners voice and choice — for example, by selecting project topics or readings — can also increase motivation and engagement.
- Bring Learning to Life Through Real-World Projects: Learning becomes more engaging when it connects to real-world applications. Projects that link different subjects — whether building skateboards or tackling community issues — get students excited about what they are doing and show why it matters beyond the classroom.
As Pope highlights, creating schools that young people genuinely want to attend requires more than academic rigour. It calls for purposeful assignments, fair and varied assessments, routines that protect rest and wellbeing, and opportunities for authentic connection and choice.
For educators, the role is not simply to implement policy but to advocate within their classrooms and school community: asking thoughtful questions about homework, assessments, and schedules, while fostering practices that help pupils feel valued and engaged. When teachers and school staff work together in this way, school becomes not only a place of learning but also a community where students can thrive.
For a comprehensive discussion, see ‘This is how school comes to be a place where you want to be’.
