Law School Deans Balk At Course Uniformity Proposed By ABA In Learning Outcomes Accreditation Standard

Reuters, Law Deans Balk at Course Uniformity Proposed by American Bar Association:

More than a third of U.S. law school deans say they oppose an American Bar Association proposal that would require greater uniformity across courses, arguing that the ABA is unnecessarily tightening its grip on law schools and constraining legal educators' freedom in the classroom.

“It is unclear why the ABA needs to micromanage law school curricula to such a degree,” wrote 76 law deans in a public comment that warned the proposed changes to the ABA’s so-called student learning outcomes section of its accreditation standards “could harm legal education.”

Those 76 signatories from the nation's 197 ABA-accredited law schools included deans from the law schools at New York University, Georgetown, and the University of Michigan.

Supporters of the proposal countered in their comments to the ABA that more conformity among required classes and the adoption of learning goals for each course would benefit students by placing more oversight and focus on how individual classes fit into the larger curriculum. ...

With the comment period now closed, it appears the changes haven’t swayed many legal academics. Some wrote that the proposal violates the academic freedom of professors to design their own courses, while others said it places a hefty administrative burden on schools to review and revise their classes and academic program every five years. ...

In their public comment, the 76 law deans said the proposal is the latest in a recent ABA trend to "try and exercise greater regulatory control" over law schools. They urged the ABA to show restraint in adopting further regulations.