ETS Program Aims to Increase Diversity In Law School

The Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the University of Arizona are launching an online program in an effort to enhancing the quality, accessibility, and diversity of legal education.

The 2021 JD-Next Program is an eight-week online course designed by the University of Arizona to help aspiring lawyers understand and prepare for law school. At the end of the course, students take an exam, which is currently being tested as a potential law school admissions tool. The program, which was first introduced in 2019, reaches 24 participating law schools this year with nearly half of this year’s enrolled students coming from underrepresented backgrounds. Students can take the course, free of charge.

“ETS has long been committed to helping improve diversity in higher education, and specifically in law schools,” Alberto Acereda, Executive Director of Global Higher Ed at ETS, says in the press release. “As a mission-driven organization, we’re thrilled to sponsor the JD-Next Program and support this effort to provide a free online course designed to prepare law students who may not have had the same preparation or access as others.”

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Students in the JD-Next program gain relevant legal skills through reading cases, analyzing case law, spotting issues, and writing. The program also emphasizes modeling, coaching, and feedback for skill development. This year, students will also get a chance to learn about diverse perspectives in the legal profession.

Workshop sections for the course focus on legal writing, research, and critical reasoning skills in the context of predictive written communications to various audiences. The program emphasizes analytical skills that can be applied in law school and the legal profession.

“We created this program to help prepare students for success in JD programs in an accessible format, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds,” Marc L. Miller, Dean of the University of Arizona Law School, says in the press release. “As we enter our third cohort and expand the number of enrolled students, we’re reaching an unprecedented number of matriculating students as they embark on their law school journey and as we seek to better understand the reliability and validity of the course for admissions upon its conclusion.”

Sources: PR Newswire, JD-NEXT