Offering Exceptional Holistic Education

The Cooper School is a private, independent, non-sectarian school that values the participation of families from diverse backgrounds. Founded in 2007, The Cooper School is a 501(c) 3 non-profit institution providing education for children grades K-8.

Why Progressive?

We believe that Progressive Education is the most powerful and successful way to teach and learn. Progressive schools have a focus on: the whole child, community, collaboration, social justice, intrinsic motivation, deep understanding, democracy, constructivism (children making their own meaning from the world around them), excellent teaching, and taking children seriously.

In a Progressive school, teachers work with a child’s natural inquisitiveness and desire to do, to experiment and to be involved. Progressive education asks students to truly understand a topic and to demonstrate and to defend their understanding. It asks them to think beyond the page, beyond the boundaries, beyond the walls of their classroom. 

There has never been a more critical time for critical thinkers. Today, answers to questions like “When did Columbus sail” or “What’s the Pythagorean theorem”  can be discovered with a tap of the finger on a smartphone. In our ever-changing world, being able to think creatively, to synthesize loads of information, to innovate and collaborate with others, and to present work with poise and ease is what counts. 

Progressive schooling also deeply invests in the social-emotional lives of students. We believe that long-lasting academic and personal success requires strong social-emotional skills. In fact, research tells us that higher levels of social-emotional capacity in Kindergarten are related to higher outcomes in academic and career success at 25. These skills matter and progressive schools invest in teaching them to and practicing them with students during this most foundational developmental period. 

Our progressive program equips students with the confidence and the ability to contribute to society in a meaningful way.