2009 Law School Survey of Student Engagement

The latest Law School Survey of Student Engagement is getting press for its finding that more law-school students (even those with high debt loads) are responding to the economic situation by seeking more lower-paying public interest jobs.  Since the higher-paying jobs are becoming more scarce, that's hardly a surprising finding.  But it's certainly something that ought to be in the forefront of our minds, as law professors, when we think about the sorts of things Rob raises concerning tuition increases, student debt loads, and the "mission" of Catholic law schools.

And some of the other findings ought to present personal challenges to all of us, whether at Catholic law schools or not, committed to living our faith commitments in our professional lives.  As summarized in today's Chronicle of Higher Education":

Among the report's other findings:

• Students who are not involved in extracurricular activities study less than their peers and more frequently come to class unprepared.
• More than one-third of all law students say that their legal education places little emphasis on acting with integrity in personal and professional settings.
• Only about half of all law students frequently receive feedback from their professors that is helpful to their academic development.
• One in 10 law students say they never receive feedback from professors that stimulates their interest in the study or practice of law.
• Male students are more likely than female students to receive oral feedback from professors, both during class and outside of class.