In a recent letter to the Department of Education's Inspector General, U.S. Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) ask for an examination of American law schools against six key metrics in light of serious concerns raised by recent media reports.

Citing stories appearing in the New York Times, Inside Higher Ed and the Baltimore Sun which explore, among other things, increasing enrollment in law schools when the legal profession is foundering, the letter questions the claims made by some law schools to lure prospective students. Additionally, the Senators voice their concern that law school tuition and fees are being diverted for non-law school purposes.

We guess teacher prep isn't the only field in need of a little transparency.


Susan Douglas