Posted by Orin Kerr:
Brian Leiter on new U.S. News Ranking:
Over at the [1]Leiter Reports, Brian Leiter offers some commentary on
the new U.S. News law school ranking:
The most worrisome aspect of the new US News data (which should be
on-line by Friday) is that it is now clear that the academic
reputation survey component of the ranking is completely unhinged
from any actual change in either faculty or student quality at the
law schools in question. (A stunning example: UCLA, which made
several significant faculty appointments last year, saw no change
in its academic reputation score. Other schools in similar
situations even saw their academic reputation scores decline! In
general, the pattern is clear: the "peer reputation" scores among
academics are basically gravitating towards the typical overall US
News rank of the school, i.e., the "reputation" is being determined
by the typical US News ranking which, itself, purports to be based
in significant part (25%) on reputation. Talk about an echo
chamber!)
References
1. http://leiterreports.typepad.com/blog/2005/03/updating_the_20.html
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