Sherman Elementary School

This school is very disappointing. The principal as previously mentioned lacks training and doesn't address students issues. Kids are being bullied on the playground and there is no proper supervision. The curriculums and field trips haven't change in years..Not challenging environment at all. Oh! and the cherry on the pudding, the math book for example is full of errors but it will still be used and 1 month prior to testing kids will switch to another book. There are so many nonsense in this school, it's hard to keep track! And the principal, don't even get me started, the only voice she can hear is her own.
—Submitted by a parent

Sending my son to Sherman is the biggest mistakes. By living in San Francisco you'd think it would be diverse.My son was picked on his first year. The principal is insensitive to the needs of the kids,she also lacks knowledge of dealing with different ethnic backgrounds. Black history month,Chinese new year etc. isn't celbrated and that's sad! African American Honor roll isn't recognized. My son went from a warm,loving kindergarten teacher to a militant first grade teacher. This teacher also yells at certain kids.The 1st grade teacher kept my son in for recess almost everyday because she thought he needed tutoring. My son is vey advanced,not because of Sherman. Nor was I properly notified of him being kept in by his teacher. No I.e.p was done by the district stating he needed tutoring. If he was lucky enough to go out he was benched the entire recess.By law he's only supposed to be benched 6 minutes. Money rules Sherman.If you dont write checks than you're child doesn't have a fair chance an is looked down upon. 90% of he teachers aren't friendly and lack proper training. Test scores count more than the kids feelings. #everything that glitter isn't gold #i am my sons keeper!
—Submitted by a parent

Sherman is great! What a wonderful place for my children to learn and thrive. We have a strong parent community to help "fill in the gaps", a seasoned teaching staff, a strong after-school program and a dedicated Principal. Sherman is a school that is highly focused on academics (using the Columbia University, Reading & Writing Workshop program) with plenty of enrichment and a large outdoor garden used to help support the kids learning. Leadership is key to getting this mix correct, and the Principal works hard to meet the needs of all the students. Pros: beautiful school, love the differentiated reading program, wonderful enrichment staff, amazing garden and seasoned teaching staff; Cons: start time (7:50 ugh), keeping up the garden takes a lot of parent volunteer work, also parent fundraising is heavy but it is necessary to keep the school running. You won't go wrong picking Sherman!
—Submitted by a parent

My child does not like Sherman because of the boring classroom experience and the frequent substitute-teacher situation. The after school program is good and my child likes it. However, the classroom teaching is weak. My child barely learns anything there. No penmanship requirement and no individual attention. The principal does not care about the quality of the school. The STAR test results put the school in further lower ranking. The office staff are nice. However, at least some of the teachers lack passion and motivation. The school has a weird "culture", which sets it apart from most other schools. You can feel something wrong here.
—Submitted by a parent

We left private school because we were dissatisfied with the level of education our child was receiving. We felt many kids in good public schools were running circles around many of the privates. While it was scary to leave private for Sherman, we were right. Our child's teacher is top notch. Our child is ahead in many areas and has been really challenged academically here. They emphasize reading, writing, math and spelling, which are the foundation of what is needed to succeed in the future grades. No loosely goosey curriculum here. Some people have said some negative things about the Principal. They are totally off base. She cares about the students and know every child's name. She wants them to do well so they can succeed in the future. Since when is it bad to worry about test scores? The world is a competitive place and if your child does not have the foundation to succeed then they will trail behind. She went to Harvard, so I think she knows what it takes and it all starts in elementary school. There is great diversity here but it seems a lot of kids from the neighborhood go here. Many kids walk to school and have sibs in privates. A great school.
—Submitted by a parent

Sending my child to Sherman is a big mistake. The school does not possess a healthy culture. In this school, studying is not important. Instead, the teacher constantly picks on childrens' clothing, like the fashion police. The curriculum is weak compared to other schools we have experienced. The Principal does not have the necessary leadership. She does not respect parents and their opinion. Once you report anything that should be improved, your child or family may even get retaliated from the school. While most parents hoped that the Principal could solve the problems, it never happened here. While some of the staff are nice and friendly, under the current Principal, most things fall apart in this school. The priority of the school is so different compared to normal schools to the extent that you would not feel that it is like a school. For example, the book fair should be a learning event. Instead, it became an event to take little kids' money. More things that disappointed us. Too bad to mention here. As a parent with positive experience in most of my childrens' schools, I advise fellow parents to think twice before considering this school for your child/children.
—Submitted by a parent

Sherman is a fantastic school. The parent community is amazing, the teachers are great, the student body is diverse, the facility is fantastic. It feels like private school. We love it!
—Submitted by a parent

Sherman used to be a great school. Under the current principal's leadership, the school went downhill. Not only did the standardized test results decrease, but also the educational quality.The principal does not really care about the students and the educational quality. She does not respect her staff and parents. Some teachers take sick leaves as often as two days a week, leaving totally unfamiliar subs to babysit (not teach) the children. The students barely have any homework and do not learn much at school. This school also has an odd schedule, 7:50am-1:50pm, very inconvenient for working parents. Hope Sherman can revert to its old, good reputation.
—Submitted by a parent

This is a great school - the very definition of a high caliber public school. Great parent community, fantastic facility, a high quality faculty of committed teachers, and a great principal who is committed to her school. My child is very happy there and loves the afterschool GLO program as well.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with most of the reviews about the principal. She will put on a face in front of the parents and make you think that she cares about issues brought to her, but that about it...she never follows through... She completely got rid off the pledge of allegiance during morning assembly. But what unsettled me the most is the fact that kids are left unsupervised during recesses .Security is also not on her priority !.Teachers offer the same curriculum every year....every year kids go on the same field trips..over and over....
—Submitted by a parent

The principal at Sherman needs to be sensitive to her special needs students. I saw her provoking an already upset special needs student and she had no sympathy for him. I was shocked at this treatment! No teacher should be allowed to behave this way, much less the principal of the school! I wonder if she would act this way in front of that boy's parents? Probably not, because she shows a different face in public.
—Submitted by a teacher

Sherman is the best you can do in a SF public school. The teachers really care and the community is very strong. However, the principal is the real winner. She cares very much about the kids and fights tirelessly against the union bureaucrats, bad teachers, and parents who care only about their kids. The city needs more Sherman's
—Submitted by a parent

I am so thankful that my children are at Sherman. They have had excellent teachers that teach to them at their individual level. They also LOVE the enrichment programs such as art, library, garden, PE, computers, etc... Its a very positive and happy environment and my kids mostly look forward to going to school and doing well academically. I'm surprised by negative reviews, but I guess its because no school is perfect (particularly public schools) and each experience is individual.
—Submitted by a parent

The young and inexperienced principal certainly has brought the school down. She has an unbelievable dictatorial nature. She often violates the SFUSD's guidelines and no one seems able to curb her. Maybe someone in the administration will wake up and see that her abuses are hurting the school and certainly irritating a large number of parents/taxpayers. I pity the teachers who have to work under her rule. Great that she is a Harvard grad but it was NOT in education. On a positive note the garden is awesome, a number of teachers are superior although many are quite young, the facilities are quite adequate; AND one of the greatest strengths is the parents who actively contribute their time and money to the school. There seems to be a great tradition of parent involvement that has carried through over the years.
—Submitted by a parent

I like this is school. It is the one of the best of best. My two children are in this is school. And Everything is the best. Keep it up! I love Sherman Shark!!!
—Submitted by a parent

The entire Sherman community collaborates to ensure my son has a positive education. I respect the principal, the librarian, the speech teacher, the art teacher, the garden teacher, the fellow parents and the amazing PTA. I feel fortunate that my son can enjoy this lovely school. There is an expectation for parents to contribute time, talent and/or money, but I think this is a positive approach to counter he recession. Sherman Elementary PTA raises funds to support many "extras" and I think all families should do what they can.
—Submitted by a parent

My son is starting his third year at Sherman (now is second grade) and has continued to thrive here. So far, we've been very happy with each of his teachers and have felt embraced by and have become a part of the community. I attended California public schools years ago during their pre-prop 13 heyday and can honestly say that none of the schools I attended had as much going for them as Sherman. I love the green schoolyard, the library, music and arts enrichment, and friendly and involvement group of parents. The principal is a rock star. My son cherishes his friends here and is thriving socially and academically. I feel so lucky that he's part of this community.
—Submitted by a parent

It was Open House at Sherman this late afternoon. I was shocked to see the class schedule that was posted on the whiteboard. My son spends most of the instructional day on reading and language arts. The remaining minutes are relegated to "enrichment" programs. Do the teachers teach at this school? When I asked when Science or Social Studies are taught, the teacher just smiled and said, "That's how we do things at Sherman." As it is, my son is not getting any reading instruction. He's not getting proper Science and Social Studies education. There's really no point to being here.
—Submitted by a parent

I am quite surprised with most of the reviews here. I thought I was the only parent who is unhappy with Sherman. Glad my negative sentiments are shared by others. Let's just see if there will be visible improvements in their academic programs. With the economy that we're in, expect more zealous and aggressive letters for donations 2x to 3x a week. The principal is really good at this. Her motto of "be a friend" is one of her pet projects.
—Submitted by a parent

Sherman ES is a high quality school. Its strong academic program, nurturing environment and excellent teaching has more than prepared our kids to be successful in middle school. The teachers are the best and the school provided our kids with a solid curriculum and a variety of experiences that has made them well-rounded. We would recommend this school to anyone!
—Submitted by a parent