Research Into Practice

What is the

Winston Innovation Lab?
The Winston Innovation Lab is not a building where we come to meet or a research lab. Really, it's a set of ideas and projects that are injected into the collaboration and work of our teachers, staff, strategic partners, students, and families at every campus. These ideas and projects then come alive and take shape at every campus, every classroom, and in every Focus Program space.
 
Our team of expert researchers continuously develops and expands initiatives to advance teacher excellence and professional development, the field of teaching students with learning disabilities, teaching applications, student impact, and wellness.

What We Do

The core work of the Winston Innovation Lab happens when the research and initiatives translate into each Focus session, every partnership opportunity, and every time your child feels understood. We regularly collaborate with Winston Prep leaders and teachers to implement these initiatives so that your child's experience is continuously evolving and rooted in the science of learning.

At Winston Prep, we’re invested in the science of learning.

Everyone in our community is part of a transformative movement that is becoming a powerful voice for young people everywhere who learn differently. This movement demonstrates that neurodivergent students are able to learn and work, that there is a different way that schools can educate all students, and that schools should be driven by the science of learning.

List of 3 items.

  • What Our Research Focuses On

    • NVLD
    • Executive Functioning
    • Dyslexia
    • Qualities of a Sustainable & Independent Learner (SEL)
    • Cognitive Processes Impact on Learning and Learning Disorders
    • What Leads to Success After High School
    • Professional Development/Adult Learning

  • Ways We Put Research into Practice

    • Classroom Learning and Teaching Strategies
    • Skill Remediation
    • Social-Emotional Development
    • Giving Feedback and Assessment
    • Digital Literacy and Technology Use In The Classroom
    • Student, Teacher,  & Leadership Wellness
    • PD Opportunities & Retention

  • Ways We Commit to an Open Science Framework

    The Winston Innovation Lab (WIL) is committed to an open science framework for all research. We believe that making scientific work transparent and accessible strengthens both our impact and our integrity. To achieve this, WIL has adopted the following open science practices:
    • Open Access: All WIL research is published as open access, ensuring that families, practitioners, and community members can freely read about our work without barriers (e.g., journal subscriptions).
    • Open Data: We share de-identified research data upon reasonable request, supporting reproducibility and allowing others to further build on our findings.
    • Open Materials: WIL provides educational and research materials freely to interested researchers, also available upon reasonable request.
    • Open Analysis: Our statistical procedures and coding are shared to promote transparency, enabling others to scrutinize, replicate, or learn from our data analysis.
    • Preregistration: We preregister our research hypotheses and methods with the Open Science Framework (OSF), demonstrating our research ethics and reducing the potential for bias.
    WIL welcomes collaboration and inquiry into any aspect of our open science initiatives, helping ensure our research benefits the widest possible audience.


Ready to Learn More?

Current Initiatives

Foundations that Guide our Work

What are our Lab Principles?

List of 6 items.

  • Designing Education Through the Science of Learning

    School design should be informed by an in-depth and scientific understanding of how each individual learns.

  • Evolving Understanding

    This understanding should include and address a student’s strengths and weaknesses and is always based on an evolving understanding of cognition and learning.

  • Responsive Education

    In keeping with the Continuous Feedback Process of Winston Prep, the Winston Innovation Lab seeks to help our schools (and the field) become even more responsive to the ever-changing needs of each individual student.

  • Fostering Independence and Wellness

    The Winston Innovation Lab seeks to foster independence and wellness through the development of the Qualities of a Sustainable and Independent Learner. This means we seek to develop ways to improve students’ resilience, communication/social skills, self-advocacy, self-regulation, self-reflection, problem-solving, social responsibility and management and organization, in addition to academic skills.

  • Advancing Precision in Assessment and Diagnosis

    Winston Innovation Lab believes in the power of the increased refinement of educationally related assessment and diagnosis, and seeks to do work to increasingly differentiate different types of learners from each other.

  • The Power of Collaboration in Education Innovation

    Winston Innovation Lab believes in the power of partnerships with like-minded organizations, such as Child Mind Institute, NVLD Project, Landmark College, NAIS, NYSAIS, and NEASC.

Support the Winston Innovation Lab

Your donation to Winston Prep's Annual Fund makes these initiatives possible. Support the Winston Innovation Lab by making a gift today.
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.