AccessLex Institute Research
Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Date
11-2025
Keywords
Value-added modeling, legal education, law school outcomes, institutional outcomes, bar passage, student outcomes, educational equity, accreditation
Abstract
Bar passage and employment rates are widely used to evaluate law school performance, yet these raw outcomes often reflect student selection rather than institutional performance. This study applies a value-added modeling (VAM) framework to assess the contributions of law schools to student success, controlling for prior achievement and contextual factors. Using a 10-year panel dataset of 189 ABA-accredited law schools, we estimate fixed-effects models to isolate the impact of the law school learning environment on first-time bar passage and law-related employment. Our findings reveal that schools traditionally viewed as underperforming often exceed expectations when student background is accounted for, challenging the validity of prevailing rankings. These results have implications for accreditation, accountability, and equity in legal education, particularly for mission-driven institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. By centering institutional contributions rather than student inputs, this study advances the use of VAM in postsecondary evaluation and offers a more equitable framework for assessing educational quality.
