tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post115516390356668018..comments2024-01-28T00:20:40.933-08:00Comments on Agoraphilia: Reforming the USN&WR Law School RankingsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155488738386232422006-08-13T10:05:00.000-07:002006-08-13T10:05:00.000-07:00I like your suggestion that schools publish (at le...I like your suggestion that schools publish (at least some of) their rresponses to the USN&WR questionnaire, Anon. I say "at least some of" because USN&WR asks for a lot of data that it does not (yet) use in the rankings. There's no need to repost that data, so far as reforming the rankings goes.<BR/><BR/>I'm not so sure I'd want the ABA to mandate republication of the data, though. The ABA already asks too much of law schools. And the new mandate you propose would require a bit of work, since USN&WR has schools fill out web-based forms. But, granted, it's just a question of re-entering the data.Tom W. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790351458154066358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155477681518287542006-08-13T07:01:00.000-07:002006-08-13T07:01:00.000-07:00I agree with the previous comment that U.S. News h...I agree with the previous comment that U.S. News has very little motivation to do business differently. However, if U.S. News doesn't have the motivation to make these reforms, the ABA could reform U.S. News by policing the consumer information that law schools provide to commercial rankings and ratings companies.<BR/><BR/>The ABA should require all schools to publish (via Internet) the complete response to any commercial ranking and review publication request for information. Schools must ALWAYS provide consumers accurate information, not just in the annual survey. If you want to play the U.S. News game, you should be willing to do this. If you don't want to make your submission public, then you can't play.<BR/><BR/>We should expect more from the ABA, since we can't expect more from U.S. News. The results might be similar.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155265777197907732006-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:002006-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:00Good question, David B. I've worried about that r...Good question, David B. I've worried about that rhetorical effect, too. It arises from my attempt to simultaneously persuade two different audiences, which have varying interests: USN&WR and those who dislike the influence of its rankings.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps I undertook a fool's errand. I think, though, that USN&WR would on net have an interest in adopting (most of) the three reforms I suggested if the ABA would only adopt the fourth. In other words, USN&WR would have little choice but to pre-commit to correcting its rankings and disclosing the data it uses therein if it knew the ABA was going to release almost all the same data, anyhow.Tom W. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790351458154066358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155231506166770062006-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:002006-08-10T10:38:00.000-07:00Why would U.S. News undertake the reforms you sugg...Why would U.S. News undertake the reforms you suggest if, as you suggest it's likely to lead to an increase in popularity of alternative rankings?David Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12672281130425786127noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155228269377153562006-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:002006-08-10T09:44:00.000-07:00Agreed, Anonymous, that some schools use transfers...Agreed, Anonymous, that some schools use transfers strategically. But the blame, if such there be, lies not with the ABA. USN&WR simply follows the ABA's lead in terms of deciding which LSATs and GPAs to count.<BR/><BR/>So, should the ABA ask each school to report an aggregate LSAT and (undergrad) GPA for all its students? I'm not so sure. LSATs mean a lot more for 1Ls, after all, given that they are the best predictors of subsequent law school success. But transfers come with still better predictors: 1L grades. So we arguably *should* discount the importance of LSATs after the first year of law school.Tom W. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02790351458154066358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3829599.post-1155223365357157042006-08-10T08:22:00.000-07:002006-08-10T08:22:00.000-07:00What about the dubious exclusion of 2L transfers? ...What about the dubious exclusion of 2L transfers? This skews the reality and encourages some schools (ie Georgetown) to artificially constrict their 1L class and then open the floodgates to 2L transfers. It is unfair and unhealthy for the system. It would also likely stop in heartbeat if those transfer seeking schools had to report the LSAT numbers of the transfers as part of that year's entering class.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com