Knowing the School: Sheridan Elementary

Sheridan Elementary School is located at 1139 Hillsboro Road, Orangeburg,

South Carolina 29115. Surrounding the school are neighborhoods and a church
which were neat and very well kept. I found this to be interesting because all of the
other elementary schools in Orangeburg are in rural or low socioeconomic areas. I
believe the neighborhood contributes to the up keeping of the school. From my
observations I could see that the demographics of the neighborhood were slightly
mixed. The neighborhood is composed of Caucasians and African Americans, but
Caucasians look to be the majority. Teachers could use the surrounding area to take
children on a nature walk, to observe clouds, etc. The principal of Sheridan is Teresa
D. Reid. Mr. Jamaal Robinson serves as Assistant Principal, and Dr. Thomasena
Adams serves as the Guidance Counselor. Sheridan Elementary School is one of the
eight elementary schools in Orangeburg 5 School District. Orangeburg, South
Carolina is an urban area with an average of low incomes. Last year, Sheridan
Elementary School received an Average rating and has an Average Growth rating,
which means that the school performance meets the standards for progress towards
the 2020 SC Performance Vision. The rating remained the same this year which
shows little to no progress or decline. To improve the overall performance of the
school and in science, Sheridan has implemented Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI).
EDI helps teachers deliver effective lessons that can significantly improve
achievement for all learners. Additionally, have maintained our partnership with the
Twenty-First Century Afterschool Program which incorporated STEM lessons
(Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) for students. Sheridan
contains 528 students in grades PK through 5 th grade. With 34 full time teachers in
the school, this makes the student to teacher ratio about 15:1. According to

Sheridans yearly report card in 2014, the school enrolled 54% females and 46%
males. Sheridan Elementary student economic level was slightly lower than the
South Carolina average. The student ethnicity at Sheridan breaks down to 95%
Black, 4% White, and 1% Hispanic. Sheridan Elementary School contains 82% of
students eligible for free or reduced price lunch programs, compared to the South
Carolina average of 52% of students eligible for free or reduced price lunch
programs. Sheridan Elementary School is a Title 1 school, means improving the
academic achievement of the disadvantaged. The purpose of a Title 1 school is for
the school and staff to ensure that all children have a fair, equal, and significant
opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach, at a minimum, proficiency
on challenging State academic achievement standards and state academic
assessments.