March 2023

Dear Winston Families, Colleagues and Friends,

The Innovation Lab recently facilitated a virtual panel event that connected a small group of WPS alumni and the 2023 and 2024 classes across all campuses. Our primary goal was to provide students with the opportunity to ask thoughtful questions around the transition to various aspects of post-secondary life and to give our alums a platform through which to share their experiences, advice, and insights with students who are approaching the milestone of graduation. While students inquired about a range of topics, the QSIL quickly became a cornerstone of the conversation, as alums consistently referred to the value of the social-emotional skills and strategies that they explicitly developed throughout their time at WPS. See some examples of how the alums highlighted the QSIL below:

Communication Skills & Self-Advocacy: One alum, currently a junior in college, shared that he has learned to integrate Communication Skills and relationship building into the process of Self-Advocating, as seeking support becomes more approachable with a professor with whom you have already built a comfortable rapport.

Self-Reflection & Problem Solving: Another alum, also a junior in college, highlighted the importance of Self-Reflection in assessing and evaluating what needs to be done to make academic progress. Specifically, she shared that she Self-Reflects after struggling on challenging assignments and creates a Problem-Solving plan to more strategically approach similar tasks in the future, effectively applying the Continuous Feedback System.

Social Skills & Social Responsibility: One panelist talked about the many communities of which he is a part in college: campus, majors, classes, extracurriculars. He described the process of engaging with each community while accepting that people move at different paces in social settings, reflecting his fluency with Social Skills and sense of Social Responsibility.

Management & Organization: A current college student described the importance of keeping his materials organized, a skill that he learned throughout his time at WPS. He largely attributed his ability to manage his various academic obligations to his learned organizational strategies.

Resilience & Self-Regulation: Finally, a panelist who is currently in the workforce highlighted how his Resilience motivates him to participate in tasks that he does not necessarily want to do or feel comfortable or confident doing. He connected his Resilience to his ability to remain goal directed and task oriented, thus supporting his Self-Regulation.

In addition to our copious research on long term outcomes of QSIL skill development, it is exciting to learn firsthand from our alums the ways in which the QSIL continues to enrich their lives and encourage their independence. The Innovation Lab looks forward to creating more opportunities to learn from our fantastic alumni network!

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Winston Preparatory School is a leading school for students with learning disabilities, including dyslexia, executive functioning difficulties (ADHD), and non-verbal learning disorders (NVLD).

WPS does not discriminate against applicants and students on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin. The Winston Preparatory School provides programs and services and equal opportunity in the administration of its educational and admissions policies, financial aid programs, employment, and the selection of its governing board without regard to gender, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability status, or any status recognized by federal, state and local civil rights and non-discrimination laws.