Georgia State a go-to law school for nation’s largest law firms

 In its annual list of the top 50 “Go-To” law schools, the National Law Journal ranks Georgia State University College of Law No. 32 for its percentage of graduates who were hired as first-year associates at the nation’s top firms.

The National Law Journal’s survey shows that 22 of 162 Georgia State Law graduates who earned Juris Doctor degrees in 2010 – 13.58 percent – are working as first-year associates at NLJ 250 firms, the nation’s largest law firms identified in its survey.

The Go-To Law School special report ranks the law schools that the nation's 250 largest firms recruited from most heavily to fill their first-year associate classes. Tuition amounts were based on data for full-time, non-resident students obtained from the 2010 ABA/LSAC guide.

The average annual tuition at the 50 Go-To Law Schools was $40,167. The most expensive law school was University of Cornell Law School, which charged $49,020 and was ranked No. 2 on the Go-To list. Annual tuition at Georgia State Law is currently $11,568 for Georgia residents and $32,592 for non-residents (fall and spring semesters). Georgia State Law also recently was named the No. 1 Best Value Law School by The National Jurist.

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GSU featured in Princeton Review’s Best Law Schools

Georgia State University College of Law is one of the nation’s most outstanding law schools in the latest Princeton Review 2010 edition of “The Best 172 Law Schools.”

There are 663 students enrolled at the College of Law, and the majority of those students are full time. Upon graduation, 95 percent pass the bar exam on the first try. Of the 2009 graduates, 93 percent were employed within six months of graduation.

“We are pleased to recommend Georgia State College of Law ... as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn a law school degree,” said Robert Franek, Princeton Review senior vice president of publishing. “We chose the 172 schools for this book based on our high opinion of their academic programs and offerings, as well as our review of institutional data we collect from the schools.”

Princeton Review also considers opinions of students who rate and report on their campus experiences at their schools, according to the survey.

“This accolade confirms what our students tell us – that we’re a law school of choice,” said College of Law Dean Steven J. Kaminshine. “We offer a great value, an unmatched faculty, and an experience that connects the classroom with the outside world.”

The College of Law, opened in 1982, offers an innovative curriculum and a variety of programs. Graduates of GSU’s law school have excellent placement rates, including many of the nation’s top law firms, though some choose public service. The average starting salary for graduates is $79,003 and many leave law school with minimal debt.

Quoting from students who responded to the questionnaire, the survey said, “The College of Law at Georgia State University offers a top-quality law school education. … GSU College of Law offers an incredible value to students, strong academic reputation with a low cost of attendance.”

It also said that professors are “amazing, diverse and open-minded.” One law student who responded to the survey said, “I am challenged every day by brilliant professors who make me think in ways I never thought possible.”

Others said that GSU’s location offers access to the Atlanta legal community with a prime spot in downtown Atlanta. Students can “walk to the 11th Circuit, Supreme Court and Northern District of Georgia courthouses,” the survey said.



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GSU College of Law no. 1 in U.S. and Georgia for value

Georgia State University College of Law was ranked No. 1 in the country for its value, according to National Jurist, a magazine geared to law students. GSU jumped to the top of the pack from fourth last year.

Its top ranking represents a new milestone for the law school, which has earned a national reputation for more than just value since its founding in 1982.

"This national recognition strongly indicates we are succeeding in our core mission: to provide an outstanding legal education that is accessible and affordable," said GSU College of Law Dean Steve Kaminshine.

Brigham Young University and the University of Louisville law schools placed 2nd and 3rd. The only other law school in the state to make the list is the University of Georgia, which ranked 15th.

National Jurist based its selection on criteria including bar passage rates, average student debt after graduation, post-graduation employment rates, and the overall cost to attend. Many of the schools selected for the list are public institutions.

The bar passage rate for first-time takers is above the 90th percentile for almost all the top 20 schools ranked in National Jurist. Georgia State University's law students' bar passage rate is slightly above the 94th percentile, the report said, using data from the American Bar Association.

"Our strong performance on the bar exam is a reflection primarily of the students that we admit," Kaminshine said. "Even though we have no special bar preparation courses, our students consistently perform at the top of the state. We give our students a solid foundation, and they have a strong work ethic."

GSU's lower tuition costs mean students graduate with fewer debts to repay. The rankings looked at schools with post-graduation student debts of below $100,000 and factored in the in-state tuition rates at the top ranked institutions.

The university's location in the heart of downtown Atlanta also aids GSU law students with proximity to jobs. Many go on to work in local offices of international law firms, as well as in federal and state courts, which are at the doorstep of the university.

To qualify for the rankings, GSU law students' employment rate nine months after graduation had to be at least 85 percent of the class or higher.

The National Jurist rankings will be available in the magazine's October issue, and were published in the Fall edition of sister publication, preLaw magazine: http://www.nationaljurist.com/content/prelaw-magazine.

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Another 5,000 Charters Needed: Parental Demand for Charter Schools Surges 21% in One Year

/PRNewswire/ -- As more low-income and minority parents seek to remove their children from traditional public schools that chronically underperform, waiting lists for America's public charter schools have grown dramatically, a report released today reveals. According to The Center for Education Reform (CER), an average of 239 children are waiting to enter each charter school in America, demonstrating a 21 percent surge in parental demand for charters over last year.

Because laws in most states either limit the number of students who can enter charters, prohibit multiple authorities from authorizing the creation of charters, or limit the number of schools themselves, demand for charter schools now dramatically outpaces supply, the Annual Survey of America's Charter Schools 2010 indicates. In fact, 65 percent of U.S. charter schools have waiting lists, up from 59 percent in 2008, and some schools' waiting lists are more than three times the size of the schools themselves. The average charter school size is 372 students and it is estimated that the number of students on waiting lists would fill another 5,000 charter schools.

In Texas alone, it is estimated that 40,000 children are on waiting lists for charters schools. In Boston, the number is 8,000. As state lawmakers finalize applications this week for a share of the federal government's $4.3 billion "Race to the Top" education fund, reformers are hoping that legislators will expand access to quality schools for families.

"We frequently talk about the problems plaguing America's education system," said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. "Charter schools and school choice demonstrate what's working in American education. When provided with good choices, parents make informed decisions and select the best schools for their children. Lawmakers should listen to their constituents and expand access to charter schools by allowing multiple authorities to create schools, ensuring fiscal equity, allowing schools to operate with more freedom, and lifting arbitrary caps on the number of schools permitted to open."

Data indicates that low-income and minority families make up the bulk of the parents seeking entrance into charters -- meaning that new charter schools would primarily benefit low-income children and children of color. Already, more than 54 percent of students in charters are classified as poor, half of America's charter schools serve student populations where 60+ percent of the children are poor, and children of color comprise 52 percent of charter school attendees.

Surprisingly, charter schools have achieved their popularity not through big budgets that let them spend lavishly (in fact, the average charter school receives $3,468 less in state and federal funds than the traditional public school), but by offering programs, services, and teaching formulas that parents want but can't find in traditional public schools.

For example, about 54 percent of charter schools allow for the possibility of performance pay programs for teachers, an incentive system that parents favor. Charter schools are also more likely to be smaller than traditional public schools and offer more instruction time -- other factors that increase demand. Interestingly, 76 percent of charter schools offer a specific instructional theme -- with more than a quarter of the schools specifically designed to prepare students for college.

"Good charter schools offer a refreshing lack of bureaucracy and red tape, allowing these schools to serve students, teachers, and the community in more effective ways," said Kevin P. Chavous, a distinguished fellow at CER.

In addition to demonstrating the demand for charters, the survey highlights both the operational and financial realities faced by the country's more than 5,000 charter schools. CER's Annual Survey of America's Charter Schools 2010 is the only national overview of the day-to-day operations of charters, as reported directly from the schools themselves. The survey is based on a comprehensive analysis from responses provided by nearly 1,000 out of America's 5,000 charter schools.

To read the survey or for more information, visit http://www.edreform.com/

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States Don't Make Grade With Charter School Laws, Report Shows

According to the report, Georgia has the 14th strongest of the nation's 40 charter laws, and was given a grade of "C".

/PRNewswire/ -- Of the 40 states (and the District of Columbia) that allow for charter schools, only 13 have strong laws that do not require significant revisions, according to a report released today by The Center for Education Reform.

The report, Charter Laws Across the States, answers key questions, including: who can approve and authorize charters in states, how these innovative schools are funded, and whether or not charter school administration and staff are free from the bureaucratic entanglements so prevalent in many traditional public schools. The report's analysis provides a roadmap for states to identify and model themselves after state laws that work and that allow for high-quality charter schools. The report highlights the key elements in education law that separate reform-minded states from the rest of the pack.

"Too many states have allowed their charter school laws to be watered down under pressure from special interests who feel their monopoly on the education of our children is threatened," said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform (CER).

According to CER, effective charter school legislation provides the opportunity for multiple entities -- such as universities, non-profits and even mayors -- to create and oversee the operation of charters. Effective charter legislation mandates that charter schools receive funding from the very same streams as their conventional public school counterparts.

Only three laws received an "A" grade in this year's analysis: The District of Columbia, Minnesota and California. The majority of state laws earned "Cs" and "Ds," with three states, Virginia, Iowa, and Kansas, failing entirely.

"After 18 years of charter school success, we know what works. If state leaders allow obstacles to autonomy and growth to remain in their laws, then they are turning their backs on incredible opportunities to provide all children with access to the highest-quality education," Allen said.

For more information and to see the results of CER's 2009 charter school law analysis, please visit http://www.charterschoolresearch.com/.

The Center for Education Reform drives the creation of better educational opportunities for all children. CER changes laws, minds and cultures to allow good schools to flourish.

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Georgia HB 251 Provides Public School Choices Within Local Systems

Excerpts from the Georgia Department of Education on the framework of HB 251:

Under a new law signed by Governor Perdue, parents of K-12 public school students in Georgia now have the option to enroll their child in any school within the local school district in which they now reside. The new law requires, among other things, that each school district establish a universal, streamlined process to manage such transfers by July 1, 2009.

This framework and the attached documents are provided to districts to help implement this process and to assist districts in determining whether current permissive school choice policies may satisfy the statutory requirements.

A. House Bill 251
The law itself has three distinct features:
-A parent/guardian can elect to send a child to another public school in the same school district as long as there is classroom space available at the school after its assigned students have been enrolled;
-If a parent elects to exercise this choice option, the parent assumes all costs associated with transporting the child to and from the selected school; and
-A student who transfers to another school pursuant to this law may, at his or her election, continue to attend such school until the student completes all grades of the school.
Note:
• Local school districts should create a prioritized list for student transfers consistent with Federal and State laws.

Students eligible for transfer under the unsafe school choice option (USCO) and students in Needs Improvement (NI) schools that must offer public school choice under No Child Left Behind, must get first priority for available seats at those schools in the district that are not in needs improvement.

If a parent requests a transfer to a school that does not have the services required by the current
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) or Individualized Accommodation Plan (IAP), nothing in this framework requires the school to develop those services as long as they are available within the local school district.

Existing Georgia law already creates certain enrollment preferences. For instance, twins are given a statutory right to be enrolled in schools with their siblings, consistent with local policies. HB 251 should be construed in light of this and other existing law. As a result, districts may determine enrollment priorities, provided they do so in accordance with the provision of the HB 251.

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