Brooklyn Law School has been reportedly charged by unnamed rival schools of cooking the books in the figures that it gave to U.S. News and World Report. The schools called the principal to say that they believe the school was cheating and now the magazine is investigating whether Brooklyn manipulated its figures relating to part-time students.
This is the first year that schools were asked to supply data on part-time students, including undergraduate grade point averages and LSAT scores, and used in a new, separate part-time program ranking. Many schools took a hit with the inclusion of the figures but rivals charged that Brooklyn Law School excluded the part-timers. The school was No. 61 among 184 law schools.
When confronted, the school responded with three arguments. First, it acknowledged withholding data because it does not agree with the new methodology (a curious stance since it agreed to participate in the rankings). The school insisted: “For many years, we have engaged U.S. News editors in debate over what we regard as flaws in its rankings methodology. An important aspect of this debate has been our position that it is inappropriate to consider the numerical credentials (LSAT and GPA) of part-time students on the same basis as full-time students.”
Second, it suggested that there may have been an inadvertent error. Finally, it argued that the missing numbers would not have made a big difference. The school stated in part:
Accordingly, when we completed the 2009 questionnaire, we reported the LSAT/GPA information about our full-time students. Consistent with prior practice, we left blank the questions about LSAT/GPA of part-time students. Following these two questions was a question that sought combined LSAT/GPA information for all entering students – full-time and part-time. In prior years, we had left that line blank. This year, however, we mistakenly inserted only the information provided for the previous two questions – the LSAT/GPA information for our full-time students. This error was completely inadvertent. There was no intention to hide the existence of our part-time program, as evidenced by substantial other information we provided about our part-time program elsewhere in the questionnaire. Moreover, given the one point difference between the LSAT median of 163 for our full-time students and the LSAT median of 162 for our entire class, we do not know what effect, if any, the omission of data about our part- time students would have had on our U.S. News ranking.
The magazine will decide if this is a new version of buying the Brooklyn Bridge or just a misunderstanding.
What is striking is how this rankings has grown to such importance that it now has competitors policing the ranks, which is a good deterrent to gaming the system.
For the statement on the controversy from the school, click here.
For the full story, click here.
MikeS:
“To underline Gyges’ point about the mediocrity of here writing. Is it really plausible that a major newspaper’s architectural writer causes a public strike against the publisher, to which he has to cave in? Not in anyone’s lifetime was that plausible and that is the problem with her as a novelist, besides bad dialogue ineptly trying to hide rhetoric, her plots are unbelievable. Yet Ragnar’s submarine was cool.”
It’s romantic fiction but art does imitate life and vice versa. I will never forget the first time I really figured that out and it was a shock. I lead a rather sheltered life as a child and so I read a good deal and had heard that trite quip, but man is it true.
It is always amazing to actually come to the point where knowledge is internalized and fully integrated and understood.
I remember 2 instances:
1. Sitting on a crane spinning around on an oil rig being towed in the middle of the ocean.
2. stepping on a 4×4 with a split slightly above the neutral axis and turning it 180 degrees and stepping again.
Dynamics and strength of materials were mine, I owned them and 4 years of engineering made sense in those 2 moments. I actually must have had lousy teachers come to think of it. weren’t they supposed to lead me to the come to Jesus moment? I want my money back!
Gyges:
“Man is the point of “Creation.”
I may be in over my head on this but here goes. However you look at it fortunately or unfortunately man is the center of our known universe, we are superior to all of the other animals for the simple reason that we are rational beings (most of us anyway) that are able to dramatically alter our environment. We are superior to every other species on the planet because of this simple fact.
We humans have a right to exist just as much as a Tufted Titmouse or a snail darter. Do you think a Titmouse would give us second look if the tables were reversed? Birds are some mean little sobs. We “create” our environment by building, in my mind if that gets in the way of another species too bad, biological history is one big extinction.
Do I like clean air and water? Most assuredly because it is healthy for humans. Do I like a clean environment again yes. Do I like animals, I do. But I don’t think that an animal has a right to exist up and above a human being. DDT comes to mind as an issue that has caused untold suffering because Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring”. I personally think banning DDT because you are worried about birds and not humans is rather ……, you can fill that in, however you like.
Anyway just some random thoughts. I don’t think Ayn Rand is right about everything and some practitioners of her philosophy are or can be very dogmatic and as you say almost with a religious fervor. However I think she is often right and when you really start thinking about what she has to say and really analyze it, it makes quite a good deal of sense. With that being said she was human and did have her feet of clay as we all do.
One must have a philosophy of life/in life to function well and hers has served me to that end.
Mike,
Actually, I don’t really hold her failings as a writer against Rand that much. She was mainly interested in getting her philosophy out there, and fiction is usually a more effective media than works of straight philosophy for the spreading of ideas. So the literary quality of the work is secondary to the message in the story.
However, the “artist” in me is always evaluating things on that sort of level. Also, it’s sort of fun to critique Rand. It’s because I have this impulse to mock anyone that takes themselves to seriously.
Bron,
To underline Gyges’ point about the mediocrity of here writing. Is it really plausible that a major newspaper’s architectural writer causes a public strike against the publisher, to which he has to cave in? Not in anyone’s lifetime was that plausible and that is the problem with her as a novelist, besides bad dialogue ineptly trying to hide rhetoric, her plots are unbelievable. Yet Ragnar’s submarine was cool.
Bron,
“The Science of Good and Evil” does a fantastic job separating morality from religion.
My main problem with Rand is that she holds tight to the biggest tenant of western religion (spoken or unspoken): Man is the point of “Creation.” Just read the scene in Atlas Shrugged where Hank Rearden’s wife throws the party on a dark and stormy night. From that basis the flaws in her philosophy just grow. Also, she’s at best a mediocre writer (if you need to have what is essentially the same 6 page sermon 3 times in the same book, you’re not stating your point well).
Mespo:
“Academic excellence lies more in the will of the student than the knowledge of the teacher.”
great line, actually as good or better than those you quote.
although it sounds vaguely familiar, maybe Plato, Socrates, Descartes, Voltaire?
please don’t let that company go to your head!
These rankings of almost anything by popular magazines have always been spurious. The data gathered is never complete and subject to questions of its relevance. It has been a bone of contention for years when Hospitals are rated in terms of Cardiology Treatment outcomes, simply because certain hospitals, by their nature treat more difficult cases, or have more difficult procedures performed there. It’s also a bit like the ratings of the ranking of party Universities. Does anyone truly believe that individual reporters are snet to each school rated and if they were the evidence would still be predominantly anecdotal.
As a for instance I got my Masters from what was considered at the time to be the best Social Work Program in the country, Columbia University. I had friends who were simultaneously in other SW schools like Hunter and Fordham. When we compared notes on the range of courses offered, I found myself jealous of them for having course options I didn’t and programs I would have liked to work with. Yet when I graduated, I was helped by the name of the School I went to in a career sense. This had little to do with the quality of my Social Work education, which at Columbia was less than adequate.
For a rollicking story of the ups and downs of a law school, go and read this story on wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Justice_School_of_Law
Thanks for the lead, 2L. Here is the link to the full story in the GW Hatchet:
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2009/04/27/News/Law-School.Ranking.Drops-3727362.shtml
Academic excellence lies more in the will of the student than the knowledge of the teacher.
–My own observation this time.
They will rank LEGAL THEORY AND LAW PROFESSOR BLOGS OF THE TOP 100 LEGAL BLOGS (TM)(C)
This is more to the extreme of a sad trend in academia where USNews has become the be all and end all for university administrators.
But the publication is terrible. The results are stupid (how can you say, objectively and definitively, that one school is ‘better’ than another for all students no matter what their circumstances) and the methodology arbitrary.
On the other hand, it was a great business move for USNews to establish these rankings. One wonders, in an effort to bolster sales, what they’ll rank next… they even rank high schools now.
GW didnt take a hit because of the part time program. the campus paper ran a piece on it. they took a hit because of employment numbers, faculty student ratios, and others. many programs, like georgetown, american, and GMU, w/ part time programs stayed exactly the same. The dean scapegoated the part time program in an email to incoming freshman. as a part time student, I thought it was a classless move from a dean that has been cool up until now.
How could GW Law take a hit with the inclusion of part-time numbers. The part-time program was rated second in the nation. There must be a problem with the program that processes the numbers.
Buddha:
Thats ok because I think the Simpsons glorify mediocrity. Maybe some people that watch the Simpsons will go out and buy the Fountainhead and actually read it, as we like to say “changing the society one mind at a time”. That comment will probably induce “riht” wingers to read it.
The only problem is that most right wingers actually dont like her. If you really read her work she is actually, removing the capitalism and strictly looking at social issues, closer on the philosophical continuum to you and others on this site than she is to right wingers. Had I been a true right wing Neo-Con I would never have even listened to your arguments.
Did you know for instance that she was adamently against the Viet Nam war or that she thought Reagan a nit wit, or that she thought religion was a bunch of superstitious nonsense?
She was for free market capitalism because it was consistent with her belief in individual freedom.
I dont know if you have read “the virtue of selfishness” or “Capitalism the Unknown Ideal” but if you havent I would recommend them. Also there is a new book out by a Dr. Tara Smith “Ayn Rands Normative Ethics” it addresses the issue of ethics purely from a standpoint of rationality and does not bring religion into the mix. If it makes you feel any better it was panned by Notre Dames’ philosophy department.
as always you are thougth provoking and an excellent “teacher/profeesor” it has and is a pleasure to read your posts and follow the strings you place before us. They tease the intellect and expand the mind.
A gift to lovers of The Simpson’s and Ayn Rand.
I warn you now, Bron, they call “The Fountainhead” “that handbook for right wing losers” but it’s worth the watch . . . especially since Maggie speaks.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/11/maggie-speaks-the-littles_n_201595.html
The US News ratings of everything are a joke, esp. the contrived drama from year to year changes and the endeless creation of new categories to make also-ran institutions look good. Given that the actual magazine is in the toilet, maybe this can help lead to a more speedy exit.
“George Washington Law School has been charged by unnamed rival school of freezing the books in the figures that it gave to U.S. News and World Report.” /fixed
“Brooklyn Law School has been charged by unnamed rival school of cooking the books in the figures that it gave to U.S. News and World Report.”
***************
“Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low.”
–Wallace Sayre
Wonder how many angels can we get on the head of a pin?
A Law School that Cheats, Bybee maybe looking for employment soon. Do you think he could teach ethics?