Yale Law School Withdraws From the U.S. News Rankings
New York TimesNov 17, 2022
The Facts
Yale Law School and Harvard Law School each revealed Wednesday that they would withdraw from US News & World Report’s annual law school rankings. Each school criticized the rankings for conflicting with their commitments to student diversity and affordability.
Heather Gerkin, dean of Yale Law School, wrote in a statement, “We have reached a point where the rankings process is undermining the core commitments of the legal profession.” Yale Law School has been ranked in the top spot since the magazine began publishing the list in 1990.
The Spin
Left narrative
This could be a start of a reckoning for the higher learning ranking system, which for too long has worked in opposition to diversity and equity. The rankings had already been under fire after the Columbia situation showed how the data could be manipulated. Now the clout of Yale and Harvard could inspire other schools to join their protest and create necessary change.
Right narrative
It’s hypocritical that these left-leaning institutions are citing inclusivity for their decision to no longer cooperate with US News — especially when you consider the unfriendly environment they regularly create for conservative opinions and speakers on their campuses. Now, these institutions are just trying to look woke by criticizing the rankings’ emphasis on grades. There’s no reason these schools can’t diversify while still holding their students to a high academic standard.