Still Betting on the Hare

"Puzzle Rush" and "The Tortoise and the Hare" from Revisionist History by Malcolm Gladwell
June 1, 2019

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In the first two episodes of season four of the Revisionist History podcast, Malcolm Gladwell looks closely at the ways that American educational meritocracy is skewed to favor speed over deliberation. Gladwell describes the weighting that top law schools give the LSAT, in combination with other factors like grades, as they consider applicants. The result is that prospective law students who read and process quickly are deeply advantaged by the LSAT and those who are wired to be slower readers are effectively shut out. Ironically, the kinds of minds most prized in, for example, supreme court law clerkships, are actually those people who read slowly and who are deeply attentive to nuance, detail, and complexity – and commas. Gladwell contrasts the American system with the Canadian system; Canada does not rely on standardized tests and additionally does not artificially limit access to prestigious law schools or colleges. Through his outsider lens, Gladwell underscores both the arbitrary nature of our system and the way that it is inherently and unnecessarily biased against students who are more deliberative thinkers. These podcasts are important for educators at any level because the inherent unfairness Gladwell underscores in the legal education space is equally true at every level of schooling. Additionally, standardized tests, including admission tests independent schools administer to young applicants, highlight our pervasive cultural bias against the "tortoise" and for the "hare." Considering the ways in which we participate in this bias is a fruitful endeavor in any educational setting.