Download and complete survey in MS Word format here.
View 2008 survey responses here.
“Prospective students need more comparative data, and schools need more incentives to compete across a broader range of characteristics than current ratings address. So, for example, applicants might benefit from approaches adapted from undergraduate education that evaluate schools by reference to “good practices” on teaching. Such approaches can provide comparative information on students’ experiences on matters such as faculty contact, effective feedback, skills instruction, and collaborative projects.”
Deborah Rhode, professor of law, Stanford; former president of the AALS
This Fall 2008 survey [survey responses available here] is designed to identify those law schools that make particular use of best practices in legal education, as identified by the Carnegie report, “Best Practices in Legal Education” study, and other sources. This information will then be used, in conjunction with information on bar passage rates relative to entering credentials, and student satisfaction, to compile a list of law schools that provide exceptional “value added” for students.
We will then deliver the information to U.S. News survey respondents, and encourage them to use it in filling out the survey in November. One possibility is that the value-added data will show that certain schools that have not historically received high ratings ought to receive a “4″ or “5″ from both law professors and lawyers. Given the current lack of information about the relative quality of law schools, and the weight given to the survey responses in U.S. News’s methodology (40%) we believe that this additional information will have a significant — and positive — effect on the U.S. News rankings for those schools that we highlight.
In addition to the questions below, we will look at the ABA data for each school on the number of clinical and simulation course slots filled per 100 students, and class size in the first year and upper-level courses. If you would like to provide us any updated or additional quantitative or qualitative information on such matters, please do so by emailing your survey response and any attachments to us at rtttlaw@gmail.com by Friday, October 17, 2008.
Finally, we know that schools are frequently asked for various kinds of information. We hope that you are able to complete the survey mostly from information you have compiled already, and appreciate your time and cooperation. Our hope is that this effort can help focus the U.S. News rankings on information of real value to consumers: which schools are providing a superior education for future lawyers.
If you have any questions about our survey or the uses to which your responses may be put, please contact Jason Solomon or Dave Fagundes at rtttlaw@gmail.com, or visit our website at www.racetothetoplaw.com. Thanks again.