Volume 5 Winter 2011 Number 2 - Charleston Law Review

SCHULZE FINAL.doc1/20/2011 6:14PM2011] Law School Academic Supportacademic support classes show higher levels of perceivedautonomy support, a greater degree of perceived selfdetermination,and a higher likelihood of perceiving our lawschool as humane. This is despite the fact that many of ourprograms focus on students who have underperformed in lawschool—a group one would expect to show lower degrees of theclassifications above.In the meantime, I conclude with the following: “Legaleducators, it seems, are quite willing to assume that traditionalSocratic classes are cost-effective, but they want tangibleevidence to justify academic support.” 269 This double-standard isall the more vexing given the studies showing that traditionallaw school methods—including the Socratic Method—are weakerin pedagogical value; harmful to women and minorities; andprobably the source of unlimited stress, mental health problems,alcohol and drug dependence, and unhappiness. 270 Nonetheless,the double-standard exists, and although reform efforts aregaining momentum, the status quo continues to persist. Despitethis, ASPs can serve as a vital source for offsetting the negativeaspects of law school, helping to foster a more efficacious learningenvironment, and leading to healthier, happier graduates.269. See Knaplund & Sander, supra note 27, at 162.270. See Morrison Torrey, You Call That Education?, 19 WIS. WOMEN’S L.J.93, 104–08 (2004) (criticizing the Socratic Method).331