Is There Anything Law School Faculty Members Can Learn from Research on Evidence-Based STEM Instruction?

Since the 1990s, the National Science Foundation directed millions of dollars into research into how to increase participation rates and remove barriers to success in STEM education.  For scientists, it was always clear that, “No one would think of getting to the Moon or wiping out a disease without research.  Likewise, one cannot expect reform efforts in education to have significant effects without research-based knowledge to guide them.” (Shavelson and Towne, Scientific Research in Education, 2002) THe model of “evidence based STEM instruction” that has emerged from NSF-funded research is transforming science education in primary, secondary and higher education.  Can any of the results of decades into making scientific knowledge more accessible be applied in legal education?  This panel reviews some of the basic principles of evidence-based STEM instruction and considers how they might be applied to broaden participation and remove barriers to success in legal education.