Research Into Practice

Developing Skills That Matter

Equipping Students for Life

At Winston Prep, we understand that developing a solid base of transferable skills is essential for long-term success, both in life and learning. Based on our own Lives Over Time research, along with leading studies in the field of education, we’ve identified eight key skill sets that correlate with postsecondary success. We call these the Qualities of a Sustainable and Independent Learner. Research and experience demonstrate that these skills are not exclusively inherent qualities, but rather skills to be taught, developed, and applied throughout a student’s education and beyond.

How do we know which skills matter most?

There is a lot of research in the field that demonstrates the relationship between social emotional learning and academic growth, but little has been known about this causal relationship for students with learning disabilities. So, we looked into it!





Defining the Skills that Matter

List of 8 items.

  • Resilience

    The student is able to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change by becoming strong and healthy in response to such experiences. Not only does a resilient student bounce back, but they emerge from the struggle retaining their positive self-image and view of the world, as well as having learned something from the situation that will help them in the future.

  • Social Responsibility

    The student is a consistently effective, understanding, participatory, and helpful member of the community: whether that community is in the classroom, school halls, neighborhood or world. A socially responsible student displays empathy for others and acts as a role model among peers. A socially responsible student understands the importance of diversity and equity and the voluntarily assumed obligation toward the good of society at large as opposed to the self alone. They are aware of how their behavior impacts others within their immediate or broader community.

  • Self-Advocacy

    The student consistently represents himself/herself by appropriately asking for assistance inside and outside of the classroom. This may include requesting clarification of assignments and expectations, specific materials, or accommodations. The student is able to identify the appropriate person to assist with his/her needs.

  • Self-Regulation

    The student is able to remain goal-directed across time, even in the face of difficult academic and social situations, and emotions such as boredom, annoyance, or frustration. The student displays impulse control in his/her decisions to either stop or initiate action. 

  • Self-Reflection

    The student is reflective and self-aware. The student has conscious knowledge of his/her own character, strengths, weaknesses, feelings, motives, and desires, and is thoughtful about how these influence his/her actions. The student is able to look back at actions, decisions, and creations, assess effectiveness, recognize areas in need of change, and apply this knowledge to similar situations in the future.

  • Social & Communication Skills

    The student consistently responds and adapts to diverse situations, and understands how to communicate his/her needs and ideas to others without external structures of support. The student possesses the necessary tools to make choices that will strengthen his/her interpersonal relationships, success in school and within the community. The student identifies and utilizes problem-solving, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills.

  • Problem-Solving

    The student is an adaptive, creative and effective problem-solver. When faced with an academic or social challenge, the student is able to step back, analyze the problem, and come up with a creative solution appropriate to the situation. If the first solution is unsuccessful, the student is able to devise and implement a different one.

  • Management & Organization

    The student is able to prioritize, organize, and complete tasks efficiently while understanding the big picture of effectively managing and organizing their overall responsibilities. The student arrives on time to school, classes, and other appointments and obligations, and is ready to participate. Assignments are handed in on the due date and meet the requirements specified. The student’s materials (such as notes, homework, class work, books, binder) and belongings are organized and easily accessible at all times. 

Dive Deeper

A Window Into Our Research
Winston Prep had been using its QSIL scale to assess the socio-emotional progress of students for over a decade but formalized this project in 2012.  In 2022 the scale’s title was revised in order to highlight the scale as an assessment tool of the specific social-emotional skills included in the QSIL framework. This assessment tool is now known as the Winston Essential Skills Survey (WESS).

List of 3 items.

  • Phase 1

    Winston Prep teamed up with the National School Climate Center (NSCC) to:
    • Identify and solidify the qualities that lead to independence in later life
    • Establish the WESS scales as reliable and valid surveys that can be used to understand a student’s social-emotional strengths and needs and be a reliable and valid indicator of social-emotional learning capacity

  • Phase 2

    This phase of the project included:
    1.  All students and faculty members completing the WESS survey twice a year at all campuses
    2. The completion of a reporting module to allow for immediate results of the survey to be available to all Winston Prep faculty members
    3. The distribution and discussion of WESS results to families at our NY, CT, NJ, and Winston Transitions NY campuses
    4. The ongoing development of guidelines for educators when working with students to encourage the development of the QSIL qualities

  • Phase 3

    The currently ongoing phase, led by Winston Innovation Leaders and the in-house research team includes:
    1. Using the WESS Survey with a variety of mainstream schools to establish reliability
    2. The continuation of the development of guidelines for educators
    3. Advanced professional development and case study analysis for Winston Prep teachers and leaders
    4. Establishing the relationship between WESS scores and student outcomes
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.