Top Ten Whitest Public Law School
Based on Excess Whiteness
State LSAC Applications**
|
| Rank |
School |
State |
Excess
Whiteness |
| 1 |
Texas
Tech University |
TX |
26.2% |
| 2 |
University
of Baltimore |
MD |
25.5% |
| 3 |
University
of Maryland |
MD |
23.2% |
| 4 |
University
of California (Los Angeles) |
CA |
23.2% |
| 5 |
Southern
Illinois University-Carbondale |
IL |
22.6% |
| 6 |
Georgia
State University |
GA |
22.2% |
| 7 |
Golden
Gate University |
CA |
22.1% |
| 8 |
University
of Georgia |
GA |
21.9% |
| 9 |
University
of Houston |
TX |
21.4% |
| 10 |
University
at Buffalo |
NY |
21.1% |
| 10 |
University
of Mississippi |
MS |
21.1% |
| Discussion
|
 | Public law schools are supported by the taxes of
the citizens of their state. They have a responsibility to serve all the
citizens. |
|
| This listing ranks the public law schools on
whether they are serving white citizens better than the rest of their
state population. |
|
|
Specifically, excess whiteness in law school was
calculated using two different base populations. |
|
| First,
using the population of the state 21-39 years old. Second, using
the law school applications as a basis. |
|
| This page report is based on LSAC Applications from
the state. Specifically, excess whiteness was calculated by taking the based
LSAC state applications and calculated % of the applications that
were from white applicants and subtracting the "%whiteness in the law school"
from it.
 | LSAC State Applications does not represent the application
pool to a particular institution but the number of applicants in
the general pool who listed the state as their home. The
actual applicant pool to a particular state could be significant
different. (note added: 04/16/04) |
|
|
| The greater the
disparity the higher the rank. Ranking is based on excess
whiteness not actual percentage of white students. That is the disparity
between the percentage of whites in the law school from the percentage of whites
in the LSAC state applications. |
|
| So, for example, Texas Tech has 85.7%
white students. In 2002 there was 6797 LSAC applications from the state
of Texas. Of those applications, 4043 or 59.5% were from white
applicants . Consequently, the disparity (excess whiteness)
between whiteness in the student body and in the state application pool is
26.2 percentage points. That is, based on the LSAC applications from the state, only
59.5% of Texas Tech Student body should be white. |
|
| While there are a
number of reasons why the disparity exist, where the difference is significant,
a state has to be concern about whether its public institutions
are preparing a group of lawyers to match the racial
diversity of its population. |
|
| Descriptive
Statistics (Historically White Law Schools): |
| For the seventy-four public law schools, the
average excess whiteness based on LSAC State Applications is 9.86 percentage points; half of the schools
have excess
whiteness below 9.55 percentage points. In fact, 9 (12.2%)
have no excess
whiteness and another 15 (20.3%) have less than 5.00
percentage points excess
whiteness. For example, if a LSAC State Applications was 50% white, the average law school would have whiteness
59.86 % (9.86 Excess Whiteness Percentage Points) |
|
| On the other hand 24 (31.4%) have significant excess
whiteness with excesses over 15.00 percentage points. (See
Table) For 12 schools, the disparity between the whiteness of
the applications from the state and the whiteness of the law school is over 20 percentage
points. |
| No schools had Excess whiteness percentage points
over 30.0. |
|
| Based on percentage of whites in the law school, some schools in
the Top Ten have remarkably low percentage of whites in the
student body. For instance, the Golden Gate has
70.2%
whiteness and the University of California (Los Angeles)
has 71.3% whiteness. However, when compared
to the percentage of whites in LSAC State applications in their
respective states, these schools still have a unusually high
percentage of whiteness in the law school. Only 48.1% of the
LSAC applications from California were from white applicants. |
|
| There are a number of factors that can affect why such
disparities exist , i.e. interest in law school, preparedness for law
school, etc., however as state schools such large
disparities may also represent a failure of the law school
to adequately serve the needs of the state by assuring access to
legal education to all citizens of their state. |
|
|
|
| Descriptive Statistics
(Top Ten): |
|
The Top Ten Whitest Public Law School
based on LSAC Application all
have
excess whiteness of 20 percentage points or more. For example,
if a LSAC State Applications was 50% white, the law
school would have whiteness over 70% (20 percentage points
excess whiteness) |
|
|
Half The Top Ten Whitest Public Law School
have excesses
over 22.4 percentage points and the average is 22.8 percentage
points ; the minimum is 21.10 and the maximum is 26.20. |
|
|
|
| States: |
| With the attack on affirmative
action it is probably of no surprise that Texas with Hopwood
has two schools on
the Top Ten Whitest Public Law School list and California with Proposition
209 has two schools. |
|
| However, the disparities is
striking and one wonders if the difference can all be accounted for
by demise of affirmative action. |
|
|
|
| Regions: |
|
|
| Midsouth has the lowest minimum excess
percentage points (-17.20); South Central has the highest (26.20);
Southeast has the highest mean (19.31) and Midwest has the lowest
mean (2.27); Southcentral also has the highest median (20.60) and
Mountain West has the lowest median (3.56). |
|
|
Five (5) of The
Top Ten Whitest Public Law School are from the south. |
|
| Only two public law schools have disparities in
percentage points greater than 25. |
|
| None of the schools in the southeast have excess
whiteness below 15.00 points; all of the schools in New England have
excess whiteness points below 15.00 points; Six regions have some schools with no excess whiteness. |
|
| Of the 8 schools with no excess whiteness, 77.7% are in the Midwest/Great Lakes/Mountain
West region |
|
| The difference among region is statistically
significant (p=.03). That is, there is less than 3%
probability that the difference occurred by chance alone. Given that
the highest medians occurred in three regions (South central,
Southeast and Far west) provides some indication that attacks on
affirmative action is making the legal profession more white. |
|
|
|
| Tier : |
| Tier designation is based on the 2003-2004 US News
& World Report rankings. |
|
|
3 of the Top Ten Whitest
Public Law
Schools are 1st tier schools and 4 are 2nd tier |
|
| 68.9% (51) of Historically White Public Law School are
1st tier or 2nd tier schools. In fact, only 9.5% (7) are 4th tier law schools. |
|
| The 1st tier has the lowest minimum excess whiteness
percentage points (-5.20); the 4th tier has the highest maximum excess
whiteness percentage points (26.20); the 3rd tier has the lowest mean
(7.14) and the 4th tier has the highest mean (12.09); the 4th tier has
the
lowest median (6.90) and the 1st tier has the highest median (12.00) |
|
| The 4th tier law schools is the only tier to have
schools with excess white percentage points over 25.00. |
|
| The difference among tiers is not
statistically significant. |
|
|
|
|
|
Top Ten Whitest Public Law Schools
(LSAC State Applications)
|
Historically White Public Law Schools (n=74)
|
|
|
Descriptive Statistics for
Top Ten Public Law Schools
Based on LSAC Applications from State
|
|
N |
10 |
|
Mean |
22.8400 |
|
Median |
22.4000 |
|
Minimum |
21.10 |
|
Maximum |
26.20 |
|
|
Descriptive
Statistics for
Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Applications |
|
N |
74 |
|
Mean |
9.8568 |
|
Median |
9.5500 |
|
Minimum |
-17.20 |
|
Maximum |
26.20 |
|
| |
|
Excess Whiteness Grouping
of
Top Ten Whitest Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Applications
|
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
15.00 to 24.99 |
8 |
80.0 |
|
25.00 to 39.99 |
2 |
20.0 |
|
Total |
10 |
100 |
|
|
Excess
Whiteness Grouping of
Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Applications
|
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
No excess |
9 |
12.2 |
|
.01 to 4.99 |
15 |
20.3 |
|
5.00 to 14.99 |
26 |
35.1 |
|
15.00 to 24.99 |
22 |
29.7 |
|
25.00 to 39.99 |
2 |
2.7 |
|
|
|
Tier
of Top Ten
Whitest Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Applications
|
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
1st Tier (USNews) |
3 |
30.0 |
|
2nd Tier (USNews) |
4 |
40.0 |
|
3rd Tier (USNews) |
1 |
10.0 |
|
4th Tier (USNews) |
2 |
20.0 |
|
Tier
of Whitest Public Law Schools
Based on
State LSAC Applications
|
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
1st Tier (USNews) |
25 |
33.8 |
|
2nd Tier (USNews) |
26 |
35.1 |
|
3rd Tier (USNews) |
14 |
18.9 |
|
4th Tier (USNews) |
7 |
9.5 |
|
No US News Ranking |
2 |
2.7 |
|
|
Tier |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Mean |
Median |
N |
|
1st Tier (USNews) |
-5.20 |
23.20 |
10.6760 |
12.0000 |
25 |
|
2nd Tier (USNews) |
-3.60 |
22.20 |
10.8308 |
10.5000 |
26 |
|
3rd Tier (USNews) |
-2.70 |
22.60 |
7.1357 |
6.9000 |
14 |
|
4th Tier (USNews) |
-2.30 |
26.20 |
12.0857 |
9.1000 |
7 |
|
No US News Ranking |
-17.20 |
13.60 |
-1.8000 |
-1.8000 |
2 |
|
Total |
-17.20 |
26.20 |
9.8568 |
9.5500 |
7 |
|
|
Sum of Squares |
df |
Mean Square |
F |
Sig. |
|
451.640 |
4 |
112.910 |
1.499 |
.212 |
|
|
Excess
Whiteness by Tier
Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Populations
(Percentage in rows read across) |
|
|
No excess |
.01 to 4.99 |
5.00 to 14.99 |
15.00 to 24.99 |
25.00 to 39.99 |
|
1st Tier (USNews) |
16.0% |
24.0% |
12.0% |
48.0% |
|
|
2nd Tier (USNews) |
3.8% |
23.1% |
38.5% |
34.6% |
|
|
3rd Tier (USNews) |
14.3% |
21.4% |
57.1% |
7.1% |
|
|
4th Tier (USNews) |
14.3% |
|
57.1% |
|
28.6% |
|
No US News Ranking |
50.0% |
|
50.0% |
|
|
|
|
12.2% |
20.3% |
35.1% |
29.7% |
2.7% |
|
|
|
Value |
Asymp. Std. Error |
Approx. T |
Approx. Sig. |
|
Spearman Correlation |
-.093 |
.129 |
-.793 |
.431 |
|
|
Excess
Whiteness by Tier
Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Populations
(Percentage in columns read down) |
|
|
No excess |
.01 to 4.99 |
5.00 to
14.99 |
15.00 to
24.99 |
25.00 to
39.99 |
|
1st Tier (USNews) |
44.4% |
40.0% |
11.5% |
54.5% |
|
|
2nd Tier (USNews) |
11.1% |
40.0% |
38.5% |
40.9% |
|
|
3rd Tier
(US Nres) |
22.2% |
20.0% |
30.8% |
4.5% |
|
|
4th Tier
(US News) |
11.1% |
|
15.4% |
|
100.0% |
|
No US News
Ranking |
11.1% |
|
3.8% |
|
|
|
Symmetric Measures
|
|
Value |
Asymp. Std. Error |
Approx. T |
Approx. Sig. |
|
Spearman
Correlation |
-.137 |
.114 |
-1.173 |
.245 |
|
|
|
|
Region of Top Ten Whitest Public Law Schools
Based on State LSAC Applications
|
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
Northeast |
1 |
10.0 |
|
Southcentral |
2 |
20.0 |
|
Southeast |
3 |
30.0 |
|
Midsouth |
2 |
20.0 |
|
Great Lakes |
1 |
10.0 |
|
Far West |
1 |
10.0 |
|
Total |
10 |
100.0 |
|
|
Regions where
Whitest Public Law Schools are Located |
|
|
Frequency |
Percent |
|
Northeast |
7 |
9.5 |
|
New England |
2 |
2.7 |
|
Southcentral |
7 |
9.5 |
|
Southeast |
7 |
9.5 |
|
Midsouth |
13 |
17.6 |
|
Midwest |
8 |
10.8 |
|
Great Lakes |
14 |
18.9 |
|
Mountain West |
8 |
10.8 |
|
Northwest |
2 |
2.7 |
|
Far West |
6 |
8.1 |
|
|
Region |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Mean |
Median |
N |
|
Northeast |
-2.30 |
21.10 |
9.0000 |
10.8000 |
7 |
|
New England |
7.50 |
12.00 |
9.7500 |
9.7500 |
2 |
|
Southcentral |
.90 |
26.20 |
15.8429 |
19.6000 |
7 |
|
Southeast |
15.80 |
22.20 |
19.3143 |
20.6000 |
7 |
|
Midsouth |
-17.20 |
25.50 |
10.9385 |
12.5000 |
13 |
|
Midwest |
-3.90 |
10.70 |
2.2750 |
.8500 |
8 |
|
Great Lakes |
-5.20 |
22.60 |
7.0571 |
6.7000 |
14 |
|
Mountain West |
-3.60 |
10.30 | | |
