Business & Economics Academy of Milwaukee - (BEAM)

You have to consider the population who this school services before making snap judgments on BEAM. It's not so much the supposed poor quality of the staff that leads to poor ratings (the staff is fantastic, although every school has some who just should not be educators), but the obstacles that the staff has to overcome in connecting with its students. The school is located in inner city Milwaukee and the vast majority of the students at BEAM are inner-city, minority, often poor children, who typically do not have the basic foundations going in to school that other children may have. Unfortunately, these children also may lack educational enrichment or reinforcement of academics at home. This is not to say that the students do not have potential; these are bright, capable children, who, no matter how hard the teachers work, how involved with their students they get, and how much they care, can only do so much without support from the children's families. There is sadly insufficient parental involvement; many parents don't even go to parent-teacher conferences, though this is not only due to indifference but also due to circumstances such as employment and transportation.
--Submitted by a parent

BEAM has excellent teachers, strong leadership and challenging academic programs. I love coming here to work every day!!
--Submitted by a teacher

BEAM is definitely a school on the rise. There has been tremendous changes over the course of the past two years that have been very exciting. An experienced and caring staff, and a strict but fair principal along with innovative programs is sure to help BEAM continue to rise! I have 3 children attending BEAM and am very satisfied with their programs.
--Submitted by a parent

I am a participating parent of BEAM with two students in attendance. I am very excited about the continued progress BEAM is making in academia and other areas of education. I applaud the leadership of Mr. Willie Jude and support him and the direction he is taking our children in.
--Submitted by a parent

I am the parent of a student at BEAM and I can tell you first hand that the school has come a long way, however it has an even further way to go. The classes are large, some of the staff are very unprofessional and even rude to some extent, and the standards for the students are very low. If
--Submitted by a parent

As a student at beam I can tell most people that beams expectations are very high for each and every students........Beam is a good choice for a child that is wanting to get educated
--Submitted by a student

BEAM is a wonderful school for my children. My son has ADHD and is excelling in the warm and caring envirionment of BEAM.
--Submitted by a parent

The statistics show that there has been academic success over the past three years. Some of the teachers and administrative staff are very professional,however, overall there is a very low level of professionalism and maturity among the staff. Many of the teachers are not certified. The atmosphere in the school is very negative and lacking the necessary suppport. Class sizes are much too large, 25-30 Students in each class (grades K-5)with virtually no teacher assistants. Students have various levels of ability and their needs cannot be met with a 1:30 teacher/student ratio. In addition, there is very little parent involvement. I would not recommend this school to anyone.
--Submitted by a teacher