Weatherspoon Speaks on Capitol Hill on “Reinvesting in Education for School-Age Black Males”

Professor Floyd D. Weatherspoon joined congressional representatives and educators on April 24 at a conference on Capitol Hill to find ways to bolster education and social outcomes for African American males.

Invited by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Weatherspoon discussed how the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, which provides more than 50 billion dollars under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, could be used to enhance the academic achievement of African American male students in public schools. A major portion of the federal stimulus funds will be provided to states to “improve student achievement through school improvement and reform.”

Professor Weatherspoon, who has researched and written extensively on the plight of African American males in the justice and educational systems said, “it would be a travesty if billions of dollars are allocated for investment in our schools and African American male students fail to receive any benefits from this investment in public schools.” He encouraged school districts to develop specific programs to address the horrible education statistics on African American males’ graduation rate, dropout rate, suspension and expulsion rates, low test scores and lack of placement in advance courses.

Among his proposals were for school districts to develop a comprehensive tracking system to monitor the progress of students at risk and to develop an intervention plan to address educational deficiencies at every grade level. “Many schools are not keeping adequate track of these students’ performance,” Weatherspoon said. “Schools need staff specifically devoted to making sure that African American male students do not fall through the academic safety net.”

He also emphasized that teachers who teach in poor performing schools need more support by having smaller classes, more teacher assistance and expansive reading programs.

Weatherspoon joined the faculty at Capital University Law School in 1989. He teaches Labor Law, Labor Arbitration, Employment Discrimination, Alternative Dispute Resolution and a seminar on African-American Males and the Law. Weatherspoon has published in law journals and newspapers, is frequently quoted in the press in such publications as USA Today and The Columbus Dispatch, and travels to speak at national conferences and on panel discussions regularly.