PLEDGE Fellowship Cohorts and Capstones

Interested in applying for the next PLEDGE Fellowship cohort? Learn More. 
Questions? Contact PLEDGE@accesslex.org.

AccessLex Institute^® and the Southern Education Foundation (SEF) partnered in 2021 to create the Professionals in Legal Education Developing Greater Equity (PLEDGE) Fellowship with the aim of supporting law school professionals and a purpose to help foster diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments within law schools.

PLEDGE, a 14-month professional development program and program-based research project, targets law school administrators, faculty members, and other similarly experienced professionals. Teams of two Fellows per law school undertake program assessments called Capstones, using empirical research methods focusing on Admission and Access, Academic Performance, or Bar Exam Performance. Learn more about PLEDGE and how to apply.

Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Capstone: Assessing the impact of different teaching methods and assignment types in preparing students for bar exam success.

Saint Louis University School of Law

Capstone: Assessing the effectiveness of extracurricular programming in building social capital and legal profession knowledge among first-generation, first-year law students.

Wayne State University Law School

Capstone: Assessing the impact of cohort learning on the sense of belonging and academic performance of first-year law students.

American University Washington College of Law

• Fellows: Lisa Sonia Taylor and Joni Wiredu
• Capstone: Efficacy of a cohort- and coaching-based bar exam preparation program for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University College of Law

• Fellows: Eurilynne Anise Williams and Marlese Wells
• Capstone: Efficacy of two interventions designed to improve analysis, reading, and writing skills among students who experience academic difficulty. 

Seattle University School of Law

• Fellows: Isabel Freitas Peres and Lily Su
• Capstone: Efficacy of a bar exam intervention aimed at improving performance on multiple-choice problems among students who enter law school with low LSAT scores.