By Elly P. ’21

While a fantasy of many students may be school just ceasing to exist, the reality of that eventuality would be deeply upsetting. To avoid this sorry fate, Winsor is currently undergoing a reaccreditation process, which is, according to Mr. Josh Constant and Ms. Dana Martin, the faculty running the reaccreditation process, “essentially a ‘stamp of approval’. It is a procedure  whereby schools reassess key aspects of their institutions that make it function for the betterment of the students and the school community. It also [helps the school to answer] the question, ‘Are we staying true to the school’s mission?’”.

 While not required, reaccreditation is done in order to prove the quality of Winsor. According to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), “The greatest benefit of accreditation for students is in the strengthening of their school. Accreditation is an assurance of quality that other schools and colleges may rely upon in granting transfer credit for courses and/or for interpreting transcripts”. 

From an outside perspective, accreditation can also assure prospective families that the education received at Winsor is as top-notch as the school advertises. Right now, Winsor is actually involved in a pilot accreditation program for NEASC that aims to make the process more accessible. The faculty and staff of Winsor will write a report over the course of the year detailing how Winsor is fulfilling its core values, and how they expect Winsor to grow moving forward. Once the report is sent to NEASC and a group of teachers at other New England schools, a visiting committee will come to Winsor to observe school life and conduct interviews. After the committee has finished their visit, it too will write a report with suggestions based off of what they saw and what was written in the self-study report. 

Although students probably should not expect major changes to occur as a result of reaccreditation, Mr. Constant and Ms. Martin say that, “in all likelihood, any areas of potential growth that we identify could turn into new programs or initiatives to enhance the student experience down the road.” No matter what happens, it should be interesting to watch as the process unfolds! At the very least, readers can (and probably will) thank reaccreditation for the much appreciated late start time on October 3, along with the ones occurring on December 12 and April 23.