A Focus on Business and Economics Yields Results in Milwaukee
BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS
ACADEMY OF MILWAUKEE (BEAM)
MILWAUKEE, WI
Principal Barbara Fisher
Established in 2001
804 students, serving grades PreK–7
Students: 99% African American; 1% Hispanic
Teachers: 47% African American; 44% Caucasian;
3% Hispanic; 6% Other
ABOUT THE ACADEMY
BEAM is a public charter school opened in the fall of 2001 as a K–5 institution. It has grown since that time to include two state-of-the-art facilities serving 800 students in K–8. The school is chartered by the state of Wisconsin and managed by the BEAM Board of Directors and Edison Schools.
Special features include a longer school day and year to provide more time for learning, a technology-rich environment that includes laptops for teachers and a computer lab, Spanish beginning in kindergarten, and student-teacher mentoring programs.
A Partnership with the Milwaukee Urban League
The Milwaukee Urban League (MUL) was interested in creating a charter school that would feature business and economics prominently in the curriculum. This interest led to the creation of BEAM. BEAM and MUL share the joint goal of improving the lives of local students and their families through academic and business achievement.
ABOUT THE ACADEMIC PROGRAM
In addition to its rigorous core curriculum, BEAM places a special emphasis on teaching business and economics. Highlights include:
• a full-time Business and Economics Coordinator;
• an in-school bank for student savings account;
• an in-school for-profit school supply store;
• an after-school Millionaire’s Club program;
• annual economics and personal finance student testing;
• special economic and financial education training for all teachers and staff; and
• lesson plans published by the National Council on Economic Education.
Students at BEAM are making consistent academic gains, most recently improving their average in Reading and Math on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam by 8 points from 2002–03 to 2004–05.
ABOUT CHARACTER EDUCATION
Concepts surrounding Edison eight core values are woven into instruction and the learning environment at BEAM on a daily basis: Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Compassion, Hope, Respect, Responsibility, and Integrity.