Our Vision
Cooke Elementary maintains high expectations for student achievement supported by rigorous, data driven instruction. These high expectations consider the cultural and academic diversity of our students' strengths and needs. Our students will be engaged in meaningful learning experiences connected to the real world, aiding them to become lifelong learners and productive citizens.
Our Mission
The mission of Cooke Elementary is to use student data and our resources effectively to improve student achievement. We strive to challenge each child to reach his or her potential. As we pursue these efforts, our children will be engaged in learning experiences that consider their diverse cultural and academic needs.
We hold a strong belief that there is a need to facilitate the needs of the whole child. The efforts to provide academic support and enrichment programs beyond the school day through securing grants for many years prior to school district initiatives are evidence that we have a vested interest in our children and the community.
Currently, we have been successful in securing and accommodating a Beacon Program that allows our school to be available to the children between 8:00 AM and 8:30 PM, five days a week and Saturdays from 8:30 AM 1:00 PM. There is a full-service health and mental healthcare center operated by Quality Health Care INC. The center offers services to our children, their parents, and the Logan community. Additionally, we enjoy partnerships with Villanova University (tutors mentors, and future engineers program) and Temple University, Professional Development School collaborative, (growing our own future teachers).
Our school climate and culture is rich, as a result of visual arts partnerships with the Philadelphia Art Museum's Inner Visions Program, The Mural Arts Program, and facilitating contracts with community artists to co-teach/collaborate with our resident art teacher completing special projects with our children. We have maintained a sense of smaller schools within a large school for the purpose of making sure students develop an attachment to their teachers and the school.
We have additionally facilitated an inclusive environment through our school rostering/scheduling arrangements. These efforts have resulted in a welcoming and accommodating environment for students of all cultural and needs levels. As a result, parents are welcome and often let it be known that they feel welcome. Cooke also has a very low serious incidence level for many years despite existing in a high poverty, elevated crime section of Philadelphia. THESE REFERENCES ARE MADE BECAUSE ALTHOUGH OUR ACADEMIC DATA MIGHT SUGGEST OTHERWISE, COOKE IS NOT A FAILING SCHOOL. We missed AYP by the smallest of margins in one subgroup category, African American. There were 31.7% of our children who achieved proficient/advanced levels in Reading and 35.9% of our children achieved proficient /advanced levels in Math. These levels of achievement were the highest gains for Cooke in the history of NCLB AYP standards.
Our staff as represented by our vision, mission and values, is dedicated towards the goal of improved student achievement.
