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WASC Feedback
In the coming weeks, we will be sharing feedback from our WASC Committee. Each week we will share a summary of each major section from the report, the feedback from the team, our action plan, and opportunities/ways to support moving forward. Please feel free to share any feedback or questions you have here.
The WASC accreditation process is a valuable tool to help us learn and grow as a school. We were fortunate this year to have a WASC visiting team who are experts in the learning differences field and provided the school with exceptional feedback. They truly understood our school and the programs and were able to see how we involve staff, students, and families in our program and the self study process.
In this week’s newsletter, we are focusing on WASC feedback to Section A: Organization for Student Learning: Vision and Purpose, Governance, Leadership, Staff, School Continuous Improvement Process, and Resources
Here’s an excerpt from their report:
The self-study process at The Winston School included meaningful collaboration among faculty, staff, parents, and Board members, leading to an accurate reflection of the school’s strengths and areas for growth. While stakeholder engagement was evident, ensuring continued opportunities for broad community input in future planning will further strengthen schoolwide improvement efforts.
The Winston School demonstrates a strong commitment to supporting student progress through individualized instruction, differentiation, and executive functioning support. Faculty implement evidence-based teaching strategies, and students receive personalized academic interventions to meet their learning goals. The schoolwide learner outcomes (SLOs) are aligned with academic standards and student needs, though further refinement in data collection and progress monitoring would provide a clearer measure of student achievement over time.
Winston School’s Areas of Strength
● A clearly articulated mission, vision, and commitments that align with the needs of students with learning differences. The school’s commitment to individualized instruction and student-centered learning is well-integrated into its culture, ensuring students feel valued and supported in their academic growth.
● A governance structure that provides effective oversight and strategic planning. The Board of Trustees demonstrates a strong commitment to the school’s financial sustainability and long-term success. Their work in ensuring financial stability and supporting key institutional priorities has positioned the school for continued growth.
● A leadership team that fosters role specialization and collaborative decision-making. The transition to a multi-role leadership model has helped distribute responsibilities effectively across academic and operational areas, ensuring that decision-making remains strategic and student-centered.
● A qualified and dedicated faculty committed to professional growth. Winston’s educators engage in ongoing professional development, ensuring that they implement best practices in differentiation, executive functioning support, and UDL to support student success.
● A strong culture of continuous improvement supported by data-informed decision-making. The school uses student learning data, faculty feedback, and structured planning processes to refine instructional practices and enhance student support programs.
● Financial stability through long-term planning and a successful capital campaign. Winston’s financial planning, including securing long-term lease agreements and ensuring sustainable funding, supports future institutional growth and program expansion.
● An effective Board that is seeking to diversify its membership. While already providing strong governance and financial oversight, the Board’s intentional efforts to expand its composition will strengthen institutional leadership and strategic planning.
Areas of Growth
● Diversifying Board membership to enhance long-term strategic capacity. While the Board is effective in its governance role, there is an opportunity to broaden membership to include additional perspectives and expertise. This will strengthen institutional leadership, long-term planning, and community engagement.
● Implementing structured self-evaluation of the new leadership model. The transition to a multi-role leadership team has been positive, but establishing clear benchmarks for assessing its effectiveness will help ensure that roles and responsibilities remain well-defined, decision-making processes remain streamlined, and adjustments can be made as needed for sustainability and success.
● Enhancing accountability in professional development to ensure measurable impact. Faculty engage in high-quality training opportunities, but a structured follow-up process to evaluate the application of professional development in instructional practices would provide valuable insights into its effectiveness and areas for further growth.
● Refining action plan priorities to ensure that initiatives are manageable and aligned with student learning needs. The school has developed a comprehensive and ambitious action plan, but prioritizing key areas for phased implementation will help maintain sustainable growth and focus on the highest-impact initiatives.
● Developing a strategic enrollment plan to clarify financial sustainability goals. As the school continues to refine its long-term financial planning, further clarity regarding the balance of publicly funded vs. privately funded students will help ensure the school remains financially sustainable while staying true to its mission.
We are pleased that our work to create a positive, impactful program was celebrated while the targeted, actionable feedback reinforces and guides the Winston School as we refine goals developed over the past year and target changes moving forward.
Your participation and input as we move forward towards positive change is crucial. We encourage you to apply for membership on the Board of Directors, provide feedback through active engagement in the Parent Group, volunteer opportunities, and surveys, as well as stay connected through our many means such as Friday Communications, Class Dojo and staff outreach. Importantly, don’t hesitate to contact us directly with feedback and ideas!
Kim Kanetis
Executive Director
Kelsey Garrison
Principal
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