Published by B.E.A.M. Education | DFW, Texas

If you have a child between the ages of 5 and 10, and you have questions — real, deep, legitimate questions — about whether public school is the right place for your child, you are not alone. Across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Black families are asking those same questions louder and with more urgency than ever before. The good news? Texas just changed the game, and there are people right here in your community who are already building the alternatives.

This isn't about being anti-school. It's about being pro-child. And the options available to Black families in North Texas right now are more powerful, more accessible, and more culturally grounded than they have ever been.

Why Families Are Looking Beyond Public School

The frustrations are not new. Overcrowded classrooms. Curriculum that doesn't reflect our children's history or identity. Discipline policies that push Black boys and girls out of learning environments. A one-size-fits-all model that wasn't designed with every child in mind.

But for families with children in that critical 5 to 10 age window — the years when a child's relationship with learning is formed — the stakes are especially high. These are the years that shape curiosity, confidence, and character. These are the years that matter most.

The question is no longer whether there are alternatives. The question is: which one is right for your family?

Option 1: Microschools — Small by Design, Powerful by Purpose

A microschool is a small, intentional learning community — typically serving fewer than 15 students — where instruction is personalized, the environment is safe and nurturing, and families are active partners in their child's education. Think of it as the best of homeschooling and private school combined, without the institutional rigidity of either.

In Texas, microschools are completely legal. They operate under the state's flexible homeschool statutes, which means no state curriculum mandates, no one-size-fits-all testing requirements, and no bureaucratic barriers to building a learning environment that actually works for Black children. Teachers and guides do not need state certification to operate one.

For K-5 learners especially, microschools offer something public schools rarely can — the time and space to develop self-advocacy skills, leadership instincts, and cross-age relationships in a setting where every adult in the room actually knows your child's name.

Option 2: B.E.A.M. Education & The B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy

Right here in Dallas, B.E.A.M. Education — Building Excellence Academically & Mindfully — is doing exactly what the name says. Founded on the belief that the educational landscape must reflect the world our children will inherit, B.E.A.M. brings together dreamers, creators, innovators, and educational entrepreneurs committed to making a difference now.

B.E.A.M.'s vision — "Unlocking the Best Possibilities for Humanity" — isn't corporate language. It's a covenant. And it is backed by the scholarship and leadership of Dr. Andrea Long-Nelson, whose doctoral research identified the four pillars of high-performing learning communities: culture, instruction, data practices, and team effectiveness.

Dr. Long-Nelson's approach, which she calls Synergy, is built on a simple but powerful truth: education works best when it is rooted in community, driven by equity, and designed to adapt. For Black families with children in elementary school, that means a learning environment where your child's identity is not a footnote — it is the foundation.

The B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy is the operational arm of this vision — a 21st-century education model for 21st-century scholars. Families interested in enrolling their K-5 child or educators interested in operating a B.E.A.M.-aligned microschool can connect through beameducation.org or beammicroschool.org.

Option 3: A Historic Partnership — B.E.A.M. Education, B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy & New Covenant Christian Fellowship

The Black church has always been the backbone of Black education in America. From the Freedmen's Bureau schools of Reconstruction to the Rosenwald Schools of the early 20th century, our communities have always known that when the system fails our children, we build our own.

That tradition is not history. It is happening right now — right here in Dallas.

B.E.A.M. Education has officially partnered with New Covenant Christian Fellowship Church — led by Pastor André Byrd Sr. at 2025 W. Wheatland Rd. in Dallas — to open the B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy in September 2026. This is not a pilot program. This is not a concept. This is a community-rooted, faith-anchored, academically serious learning environment for children in Pre-K through 5th Grade, opening its doors to DFW families less than eighteen months from now.

The partnership brings together the educational research and leadership frameworks of Dr. Andrea Long-Nelson with the community trust and physical infrastructure of one of Dallas's active faith communities. The result is a school where culture is not a side conversation — it is the curriculum. Where faith, family, and academic excellence are not in tension with each other — they are inseparable.

The B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy will offer two school day schedule options to fit working families:

•Option 1: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM (with early care from 7:00 AM available)

•Option 2: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM (with extended care until 7:00 PM available)

•Extended care is available for an additional $100.00 per month

Enrollment grades at opening will include Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Grade — the exact window of childhood where intentional education makes its deepest mark.

SEATS ARE LIMITED — GET ON THE REGISTRATION LIST TODAY

The B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy opens September 2026. Don't wait — families are registering now.

Register at: beammicroschool.org | Call/Text: 888-433-1278 | Email: [email protected]

Across North Texas, the Texas MicroSchools Collective (TXM) is also actively organizing Black-led microschools inside churches and community spaces. Drawing direct inspiration from the Rosenwald School model, TXM's "Circle of Churches Collective" provides a ready-made infrastructure for faith communities who want to host or operate a microschool. The B.E.A.M. and New Covenant partnership is exactly the kind of model TXM was built to multiply.

The Money Is Real: Texas Education Freedom Accounts (TEFA)

Here is something every Black family in Texas needs to hear right now: the state of Texas is putting real money on the table for families who choose alternatives to public school.

Senate Bill 2, signed into law in May 2025, created the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program — $1 billion in first-year funding designed to give families access to approximately $10,800 per student per year. That money can be used for private school tuition, microschool enrollment, tutoring, educational materials, and more. For students with disabilities, families can receive up to $30,000 annually.

The application window for the 2026-2027 school year is open now and closes March 17, 2026. Families who miss this window will need to wait for the next cycle. Families with lower incomes and children with disabilities are prioritized in the selection process.

A recent survey by Rice University, the University of Houston, and Texas Southern University found that nearly 70% of Black Texans support universal school choice including vouchers — a number that reflects a long-standing recognition in our community that educational self-determination is not just a political idea. It's a survival strategy.

What You Can Do Right Now

The path forward doesn't have to be complicated. Here's where to start:

•Apply for TEFA before March 17, 2026 at comptroller.texas.gov — do not wait.

•Register your child for the B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy (opening September 2026) — seats are limited and families are signing up now.

•Visit beameducation.org to learn more about the B.E.A.M. movement and Dr. Long-Nelson's educational framework.

•Connect with New Covenant Christian Fellowship at thenewc.org — the church co-hosting the B.E.A.M. Microschool Academy in Dallas.

•Book a consultation with Dr. Andrea Long-Nelson at drandrealong-nelson.com to explore what the right educational path looks like for your family.

•Talk to your church, your neighbor, and your child's current teacher. The more informed our community is, the stronger our options become.

The movement to build excellent, equitable, culturally-grounded education for Black children in DFW is not a future aspiration. It is happening right now, at 2025 W. Wheatland Rd. in Dallas, in churches across Fort Worth, and in the hearts of parents who refuse to accept that their child's best years of learning must be spent in a system not built for them.

John Lewis said it best: "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"

You have options. Use them.

B.E.A.M. Education|2025 W. Wheatland Rd., Dallas, TX 75232 | 214-254-4645 | [email protected]

beameducation.org | beammicroschool.org | drandrealong-nelson.com | thenewc.org