Cooper Middle School

The principal herself must have sent the last three reviews. I had my child at the school last year and I found he principal to be a micro managing bully. As a parent I saw her unprofessionally treat members of her staff badly( talking down at them). My child and many of his friends did not like the principal and the way she treated them. As the school year went on, the school behavior problems got worse and worse. There were some good people at the school but they were over shadowed by the over all group of staff members that did not have the patience, nor care genuinely for the concerns of the students. It was one of the worst situations I ever saw as a parent. The principal seemed concerned with her own self image and tried to be a tough talker to the students. Like tough love. Just without the the love part. What was said and what was done around the school were 2 different things. What you saw on the surface was not the true about the school. Kids now days can tell a fake when they see one. If you want to really know about the school, ask the kids in the neighborhood who attend there. When my child was there, they had an excellent PTA president. The Principal got rid of her.
—Submitted by a parent

Cooper Middle School is devoted to students. The teachers are very passionate about what they do and most volunteer their time to help students expand their knowledge and interests. The Fine Arts department which comprises of Band, Chorus, Orchestra, and Visual Art is one of the best and students regularly place in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd positions when in competition. The school also offers FREE busing for students interested in one of the 30 clubs that are volunteered by faculty members. Over 12% of the school population is involved in clubs. The number of faculty members at CMS with at least a Master s degree surpasses that of both the district and the state of Georgia. Cooper Middle School has met AYP for the past three years and is on track to meet AYP for this school year. The school recognizes student achievement by hosting quarterly academic assemblies, and monthly student breakfasts. Overall, this is a phenomenal place to learn and the faculty is happy and excited to be here. The school leadership of new principal Dr. Watkins is amazing and she widely respected and admired by the faculty, students, and the community.
—Submitted by a teacher

At Cooper Middle School the word "change" is evident. The new principal - Dr. Watkins exemplifies transformational leadership. There are excellent teachers throughout the school - from academics to orchestra. Let me say also the band and orchestra programs are one of the best in the county! Parent involvement is directly related to student success - Cooper's PTSA, Student Council and Cooper Foundation are some of the vehicles driving parent engagement. Great things are happening at Cooper. Dr. Watkins is passionate about students having equal access to a quality education. She has raised the expectation bar for all.
—Submitted by a parent

Even though Cooper is looked upon as a bad school to those who havn't even step foot in the school i think now that uniforms have been placed and the excellent new principle Dr. Watkins and the very surprising turn over of the PTSA, Cooper is on its way to a school of excellence. I think all Cooper needs is a chance and mor parent invovle ment i look forward to my daughters last 2 years here .
—Submitted by a parent

Cooper Middle suffers from weak leadership, many teachers who aren't passionate about their jobs and poor quality teaching. If you have other school options, consider those options before going to Cooper. I wish I would have. Thank goodness my child has a few more weeks before we're done with Cooper Middle.
—Submitted by a parent

I feel that it takes everyone being involved in order to make any school truly successful, but there are teachers who don't care not doing their jobs and not being held accountable. If there are discipline problems there need to policies set in place and enforced to handle it so that it doesn't continue. I do my job as a parent and the teachers needs to do their job and as long as we act like it don't exist and there is nothing being done about it they are sitting there in these classes basically collecting a paycheck. There are kids who want to learn and teachers who are not controlling the classes and the kids that are causing problems needs to be disciplined they do it in other schools and it works.
—Submitted by a parent

I think that Cooper is a good school because I understand all the material given to me and always get A's and B's. Even though there are some kids who act dumb, it doesn't mean it's a bad school. I also feel safe there, sure there are some fights but I feel that it is a safe environment where I can state my opinion.
—Submitted by a student

I have had 2 children attend Cooper. I have found that the administration is lacking and this has been the same with both principals. Most of the teachers tend to be uninvolved and when certain occasions have arisen, meeting with the principal or other administration have been very difficult. No one is available when you need them. Voicemails go unanswered. Only a small handfull of teachers use the blogs and keeping up with IParent is inconsistent. Communication with teachers is mostly parent-initiated. I feel this school could improve on many fronts. We have been very unhappy. One good thing I can comment on is the music program is very good.
—Submitted by a parent

My son has attended Copper for two yrs (6-8), the teachers in his sections for the past two yrs have been helpful toward his education and communicate whenever there is a concern or problem. There are monthly meetings at the school to keep parents educated about the curriculum and tools they can use to help their son/daughter. There are fights at Copper just like with any school but my son doesn't get involved. In the future I wish to see more extracurricular activities. Remember, with any school it takes parent involvement to make it the best it can be.
—Submitted by a parent

BTW, The school hadn't passed AYP a few times. I know at least two in the last three/four years were due to low testing results in Special Education. The school passed in flying colors in all other areas. In fact reading and math scores have been on the rise since the new leadership. The Lesson: look at the whole, not the parts before you assume!

The fresh, new principal that the Feb. 16, 2008 refers to knows little about what goes on in Cooper. The principal before her held a docorate and must have kept up with teachers such as Feb. 16th post who was not doing her job. The disipline there is not applied evenly. The administration and staff are either catering to or are afraid of some of the students and their parents. The teachrs who were there 6 years ago were good, but the newer ones are pathetic. This school has not passed AYP since the fresh, new principal has been in charge. I could say a lot more, but will not. I recommend that you send your child somewhere else. I am happy that mine will no longer have to attend Cooper.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a parent of a rising 7th grader at Cooper Middle School. I am very pleased with the school and with the staff. I also volunteer weekly in the front office. I think that the school would be a better place if there was more parent involement. We tend to have a lot of parents who think that the teachers are there to raise their kids along with teach them. My son is doing better in his classes thanks to the communication that I have with the teachers. My son is in a program call project hope which is a looping program where he will have the same teachers throughout middle school, which is something that I am loving.
—Submitted by a parent

I am in my fifth year of employment at CMS. While it is true the first two years were under a rigid and often times unforgiving administration, a fresh, new principal brought a much needed sense of community to both students and staff in 2005. I am in a position to observe students daily and the amount of progress I have seen in areas such as scholarship, morale, and determination to succeed from students, teachers and parents has increased two fold. Administrators, teachers and support staff constantly collaberate to improve instruction with a sincere desire to offer each student an opportunity to be his/her best regardless of circumstance. I have witnessed a complete shift in focus from one boarding on superficial imagery to a sincere and dedicated loyalty to educate our children - our future.

We are now moving, I have to take my child out of Cooper Middle, But while my child attended the school, she was very happy and I have never had any problems from any one there, everyone has always been very helpful
—Submitted by a parent

I think that Cooper is a great school. The teachers and administration work very hard but their efforts seem to go unnoticed.
—Submitted by a parent

My son attended Cooper Middle School for the 06-'07 school year. It was the worst experience I can think of. They have issues with gangs, as well as other important situations that they refuse to deal with it. The teachers are just ok, until you get one who only follows the 'book given by Cobb county' to teach our children. Then I would have to say the teachers are not teachers, they are machines that only know 1 program and are afraid to do what is necessary to help children succed. They refuse to go outside the box, and do any thing extra that might help our children if it is needed. I would not recommend this school!
—Submitted by a parent

I am not very impressed with Cooper Middle School. Some of the teachers are very condescending and the adminstration runs the place with a prison mentality. Children get in trouble for the least little thing. It seems that the adminstration singles out certain children for continued punishment. I think that the administration feels that if they are harder on children, the children will 'fall in line'. I guess they do not realize that the damage that they inflict skewers the relationship between the child and the school. Teachers and administrators oftentimes have a confrontational stance that is totally uncalled for. They are supposed to be professionals, they should act like it.
—Submitted by a parent

i think cooper is not a great school. Some of the teachers are very good. But just a couple teachers ruin it for the rest of them. Also they worry more about the rules then they do teaching. Also cooper is very sad for not havin any sport activitys. Sure they have a step team but what happens to the people that dont make it. What do they get to do? Also they have those morning intamerials but not many kids parents can take them in the morning.
—Submitted by a student

My son is currently at student at Cooper Middle School and I am very glad this will be his last year. The teaching and adminstrative staff are horrible. I don't feel my son is getting what he needs in order to be successful in high school. There is definite favoritism and students are often labeled.
—Submitted by a parent

I used to go to Cooper Middle School. It wasn't a good learning envirorment. There was always over 30 students in each classroom. The teachers wouldn't tell very much about the assignments. The property is damaged and we didn't have much freedom.
—Submitted by Sameena Farrar, a former student