Although generally students with learning differences are at greater risk of dropping out of high school, not attending college, and unemployment, Winston Prep students lead successful lives.
So, what factors contribute to this? In 2013, the Winston Innovation Lab team began ongoing research, called Lives Over Time, to explore the experiences of high school graduates with learning disabilities to understand what helps them be successful. Every day, we work to uncover what factors support our students in defying the odds and achieving success and life satisfaction.
A Closer Look
The Impact of Learning at Winston Prep
The Winston Prep approach to social-emotional learning (SEL) and essential skill development leads to clear improvements in a student’s academic achievement. While this approach may feel new, we have years of evidence-based research and practice to back it up.
Although there may be many facets of this learning environment helping students to improve academically, study findings indicate that the Winston Prep approach to SEL leads to success in students’ lives after high school. Participants indicated that Winston taught them skills and strategies that were helpful post-graduation.
Winston Preparatory School is invested in learning more about our alumni and their journey. Alumni participation continues to help us better understand and address our students’ needs. Here's a look into how we've conducted this study below.
List of 4 items.
Phase 1
36 alumni participated in in-depth interviews to start. Qualitative analysis revealed that social support, mental health, seeking out help for academics and/or employment, optimism, and self-awareness were characteristics present in successful individuals.
Phase 2
Winston Prep leaders worked to integrate the findings of this study into Winston Prep professional development, and directly link the factors that contributed to graduate success to the Qualities of a Sustainable and Independent Learner.
Phase 3
This next phase of the Lives Over Time Study was completed in 2018 via the electronic distribution of a short-form survey to all Winston Prep graduates from 2000-2016 to assess their level of success and deepen findings from Phase One.
Phase 4
We are currently in this ongoing phase, focused on the longitudinal components. Winston Prep alumni are encouraged to participate in the Lives Over Time study. More detailed information about how to participate is included below. We hope you join us!
Calling All Winston Prep Alumni
Join the Lives Over Time Study
We are recruiting Winston Preparatory School Alumni (18 years old or older) to participate in our online, longitudinal Lives Over Time Study. We want to better understand your life journey from Winston Preparatory School and beyond. To do this, we will contact you annually to respond to an online survey with questions to assess your life progress (with an approximately 30-minute online survey each year- if you participated as a student, the survey took approximately 20-25 minutes to complete the survey). As a Winston alum, you will receive a $50 gift card each year that you participate in our study.
This is a minimal-risk study, which means the harms or discomforts that you may experience are not greater than you would ordinarily encounter in daily life while taking routine physical or psychological examinations or tests.
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.