ADVERTISEMENT

Harvard & Yale: U.S. News & World Report's rankings "Profoundly flawed"

RaiderRoadTrip00

Red Raider
Gold Member
Nov 27, 2001
974
354
63
Many of you will applaud this, so it is worth sharing.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/harvar...us-news-and-world-report-law-school-rankings/

Article:
Officials at Yale's and Harvard's law schools said Wednesday the institutions will no longer participate in U.S. News & World Report's annual rankings of the top law schools. An official at Yale Law School called the methodology behind the influential listing "profoundly flawed."

Yale Law School Dean Heather K. Gerken, who made the announcement in a blog post, said the rankings discourage universities from admitting low-income students and supporting those who wish to pursue careers in public service. Tuition and housing at Yale Law School — whose alumni include former President Bill Clinton and four of the current Supreme Court justices — run nearly $97,000 per year. Tuition and living expenses for Harvard Law School are more than $107,000 annually.

"We have reached a point where the rankings process is undermining the core commitments of the legal profession," wrote Gerken, who noted that Yale Law School "has taken the top spot every year" since the rankings began. "As a result, we will no longer participate."

She added, "Its approach not only fails to advance the legal profession, but stands squarely in the way of progress."

In an email sent Wednesday to the Harvard Law School community that was shared with CBS MoneyWatch, Harvard Law School Dean John Manning said the institution was likewise dropping out of the rankings "because it has become impossible to reconcile our principles and commitments with the methodology and incentives the U.S. News rankings reflect."

He also acknowledged Yale Law School's announcement made earlier in the day. Harvard is ranked No. 4 in U.S News & World Report's annual list of top law schools.

College rankings are under fire. Is there a better way to rate the value of a degree?

The critiques from two of the nation's top law schools come amid renewed focus on the U.S. News & World Report and similar college rankings, with critics saying their approaches reinforce income inequality and effectively reduce diversity at elite schools. For instance, one measure in U.S. News & World Report's methodology for ranking universities is "reputation," or how college officials appraise rival schools — a quality that critics say has little to do with a college's ability to educate students.

U.S. News & World Report also came under fire earlier this year after Columbia University admitted that it had submitted inaccurate data in earlier years that had helped bolster its ranking to No. 2. As a result of those errors, Columbia said it wouldn't provide information to U.S. News while it reviewed its data collection.

Despite Columbia's decision against submitting data this year, U.S. News went ahead and ranked the university, with the result that the Ivy League school tumbled from No. 2 to No. 18.
 
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Member-Only Message Boards

  • Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series

  • Exclusive Highlights and Recruiting Interviews

  • Breaking Recruiting News

Log in or subscribe today