Choosing between the Latins

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would lean toward 2nd Street if you have the option of both because it has been around for longer. I think Cooper is still adding classes, or at any rate, they don't have many years under their belt with a full middle school. Adding new things (grades, sites) can be tough and I would opt for stability any day. Cooper will get there, but you have the choice now.

Most people don’t even have the option at all. There were only 37 no preference seats at Cooper and 52 at 2nd street. Cooper waitlist movement might be less with the move to the new building and more stability.

[Anonymous]

It looks like neither campus attracts Hispanic families. Any thoughts on why that is?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It looks like neither campus attracts Hispanic families. Any thoughts on why that is?

Maybe 2nd Street did not, because they do not offer Spanish, but that's not true for Cooper. There is a fairly decent number of kids who self-identify as such.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The location of Cooper is terrible. We love between 2nd and Cooper so very familiar with the area and only lotteried for 2nd

Just because it is terrible for you does not mean it is terrible for others. We only listed Cooper because of the location but understand that not everyone has our commute so 2nd st would be better for them.

I am talking about the actual location. Not the commute. The lot and the intersection. They are objectively awful. If it’s the best option you have, then by all means go for it. But the location IS terrible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like neither campus attracts Hispanic families. Any thoughts on why that is?

Maybe 2nd Street did not, because they do not offer Spanish, but that's not true for Cooper. There is a fairly decent number of kids who self-identify as such.

The MySchool DC page says Cooper is only 8% Hispanic. Is that off somehow?

Does Cooper plan to offer anything for the native Spanish speakers in the school like Latin American history in Spanish?

[Anonymous]

For the Cooper families, what is the general feedback on the teachers? Has there been much turnover?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the Cooper families, what is the general feedback on the teachers? Has there been much turnover?

Cooper family here and we have been at Cooper since it opened, with an 8th grader now. I would say that my DD has “mostly” had consistent teachers in most subjects. Math teachers have changed midway through the year in 6th grade and also midway through the year in 7th grade. This year in Algebra 1, she has had the same wonderful teacher, who happens to have taught some of the teachers that teach at Cooper currently, so no issues there this year! And she is the absolute best! A few teachers have come from the 2nd street location to help out and it has worked out great. The history/civics teacher is superb, going to Latin themselves as a kid. He definitely understands and relates to the kids that way. He’s the “coolest” teacher, so I’ve heard! Overall feedback on teachers would be very positive. At first, I had reservations about not having a consistent Math teacher for the kids but it taught them resilience and got them ready for having different teachers that teach different etc….Although we will be moving onto a different high school, if we weren’t leaving then we would definitely choose to stay at Cooper. We will absolutely do the lottery for our younger son to attend Latin in two years for 5th grade. No preference but fingers crossed!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It looks like neither campus attracts Hispanic families. Any thoughts on why that is?

Maybe 2nd Street did not, because they do not offer Spanish, but that's not true for Cooper. There is a fairly decent number of kids who self-identify as such.

The MySchool DC page says Cooper is only 8% Hispanic. Is that off somehow?

Does Cooper plan to offer anything for the native Spanish speakers in the school like Latin American history in Spanish?

No, there isn't anything for native Spanish speakers, at least not now. (In high school, they do occasionally offer small classes based on students' interests, so it's possible it might happen in the future.)

See if you can find the most recent data for Cooper. I know recently in DCUM someone posted links to newly released data and they included the demographic breakdowns. I want to say Cooper was around 20%, but it's possible I'm misremembering.

[Anonymous]

Don’t do it. Enroll somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t do it. Enroll somewhere else.

Why? Please say more!

[Anonymous]

They want your spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the Cooper families, what is the general feedback on the teachers? Has there been much turnover?

I don't understand the point of this question. There has been a ton of turnover in the teaching profession over the last 5-6 years. Only on DCUM is this used as an indictment of specific schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the Cooper families, what is the general feedback on the teachers? Has there been much turnover?

I don't understand the point of this question. There has been a ton of turnover in the teaching profession over the last 5-6 years. Only on DCUM is this used as an indictment of specific schools.

You don’t understand the point of asking about feedback on teachers? They are kind of important for a school?

[Anonymous]

Current Cooper family, since the first year it opened. Overall, happy with teachers. The one type you won't find here is the burned-out teacher who's been teaching for decades and is cynical/tired.

IMHO, teachers tend to be either young and idealistic/full of energy or more experienced and very very good/on the strict side. There is some teacher turnover (including a beloved teacher who fell seriously ill), but it's generally well handled.

Strongest teachers have been in the social sciences and math.

There is some struggle in 7th and 8th grade with discipline, but I think that's everywhere, and I don't think it's much different between the two campuses.

In years past, the Cooper kids were known to 2nd Street kids as Cooper Troopers, and I think there was some feeling of less-than, but now 2nd street is looking at the new campus in envy.

If I had to pick, I'd go based on where friends are going (if you know your kid's friend's sibling goes to one school or the other, you'll know the pathway, for example), the commute, etc.

Especially if your kid is starting 5th, by the time they get older, they'll probably end up cross-pollinating with the other campus in some way, either through sports or high school classes. There is a plan for that in the medium term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Current Cooper family, since the first year it opened. Overall, happy with teachers. The one type you won't find here is the burned-out teacher who's been teaching for decades and is cynical/tired.

IMHO, teachers tend to be either young and idealistic/full of energy or more experienced and very very good/on the strict side. There is some teacher turnover (including a beloved teacher who fell seriously ill), but it's generally well handled.

Strongest teachers have been in the social sciences and math.

There is some struggle in 7th and 8th grade with discipline, but I think that's everywhere, and I don't think it's much different between the two campuses.

In years past, the Cooper kids were known to 2nd Street kids as Cooper Troopers, and I think there was some feeling of less-than, but now 2nd street is looking at the new campus in envy.

If I had to pick, I'd go based on where friends are going (if you know your kid's friend's sibling goes to one school or the other, you'll know the pathway, for example), the commute, etc.

Especially if your kid is starting 5th, by the time they get older, they'll probably end up cross-pollinating with the other campus in some way, either through sports or high school classes. There is a plan for that in the medium term.

Thank you! Very helpful.