Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

8-2001

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Education

Major Professor

Russell L. French

Committee Members

William Snyder, Thomas Turner, Judith Boser

Abstract

The problem investigated in this study was the retention of first-year law students, with emphasis on the retention of African American students. Since law student attrition varies significantly from school to school, this study compared retention practices at selected public law schools in an effort to explain the varying attrition rates. The purpose of this study was to discover differences in retention practices at selected law schools in order to investigate why some law schools retain their first-year law students generally, and their African American students specifically, at a higher rate than other law schools. Three research questions related to the above problem were designed as the foundation of this study.

The population used for this study was the 39 public law schools in 18 of the 19 states that previously maintained de Jure ("by law") segregated higher education systems. (One of the 19 states does not have a public law school.)

A survey instrument was used to collect law school retention practice data from the 39 schools. The survey response was 100% (39 of 39). Law student attrition data were provided for the study by the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA attrition data was divided by ethnic category for the 39 law schools over a five-year period, beginning with 1994-1995.

The study yielded the following conclusions;

1. There were substantial differences in the attrition rates of first-year law students (all students and African American students) within and among the 39 law schools studied.

Over the five years studied (1994-1995 through 1998-1999) attrition rates ranged from low attrition and small annual variation in some schools to high attrition and great year-to-year variation in others for all students and for African American students. None of the 39 schools studied showed continuously decreasing attrition for either all students or for African American students for each of the five years. Two schools showed continuously increasing attrition for all students for each of the five years. For 20 of the 39 schools, the five-year mean attrition rate for African American students exceeded the five-year mean attrition rate for all students by five percentage points or more.

2. In the law schools studied, a number and variety of special efforts in the form of academic support programs (ASPs) were being used in 1998-1999 to try to increase retention of first-year law students.

Thirty-four different academic support programs (ASPs) were in use in the 39 law schools. All 39 law schools provided ASPs for all first-year students, while 13 schools provided ASPs specifically for African American first-year students. The mandatory ASPs required most often for all students were Legal Writing Instruction and Summer Orientation (required in 26 schools), with Summer Orientation also the top mandatory ASP for African American students (3 schools). Examination Preparation (30 schools). Academic Advising, and Mentoring (29 schools each) were available most often as voluntary ASPs for all students, while a voluntary Pre-Matriculation Program (5 schools) was available most often specifically for African American students.

3. There were no substantive relationships between attrition rates and the number or kind of retention programs for either population studied (all students and African American students). Additionally, the number and types of academic support programs (ASPs) provided in the 39 law schools studied appear to have little impact on the attrition rates of first-year law students.

The two schools showing the highest attrition rates for all students (26.3% and 39.3%) in 1998-1999 also showed the greatest if\SP use of the 39 schools. The five schools reporting the least ASP use showed attrition rates ranging from 2.5% to 15.0% in 1998-1999 for all students. The 13 schools maintaining ASP programs (one to nine ASPs) specifically for African American students showed 1998-1999 attrition rates from 0.0% to 66.7%. The 26 (67%) schools providing no ASPs specifically for African American students in 1998-1999 reported attrition rates ranging from 0.0% to 44.4% in 1998-1999.

The study's findings and conclusions yielded the following recommendations for future research:

• There is a need for research investigating factors in addition to academic difficulties that contribute to the retention of first-year students (e.g. law school selectivity, ethnic and/or gender issues).

• Studies of student retention and persistence after the first year in law school are needed.

• Additional studies of law school use of academic support programs (ASPs) would be useful (e.g. the effects of an academic support administrator presence, the use of comprehensive ASP programs, impact of ASPs on individual students).

• Case studies offer valuable research possibilities (e.g. law schools reporting low attrition rates for all students and/or African American students).

• Comparisons of academic support program use and attrition rates in selected law schools and medical schools are suggested.

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