Latest Posts

May 03

Utah Courts Create Academies to Enhance Employees’ Career Advancement

In State Court systems around the country there are many positions that have a definitive career ladder but there are many that don’t. The Utah State courts Education Department has launched academies to help a wide range of employees prepare for advancement. Two academies were designed to prepare non-supervisory and middle-management employees for future higher level management and leadership opportunities. Even in their infancy, these academies have measurably enhanced the academy graduates’ management and leadership skills.

May 03

Access Info now available for June 27 “Rethinking Learning Styles” Webinar

Visual, auditory, kinesthetic. Diverger, Converger, Assimilator, Accommodator. Which learning style best describes you? How do you know? As an educator, were you taught to adapt your teaching to the learning styles of your audience? Have you actually done so? Do you know if it was effective? Recent research purports to debunk the “myth” of learning styles. Researchers claim that the learning style-teaching style link is unproven and that instruments to measure learning styles are inaccurate. In this session, we’ll review the social science research about learning styles and discuss what we as educators should rethink — if anything — because of it.

Life Balance Wheel
May 03

Article Club Callinar on Thursday, May 11

Vicarious trauma. Compassion fatigue. Second-hand shock. Burnout. The populations that judicial educators serve are at great risk for these overwhelming professional challenges. How could and should our programming combat the effects of working with and around traumatic events? Join NASJE’s latest Article Club Callinar, where you will have the opportunity to discuss the article about vicarious trauma experienced by court employees. We have also two self-care inventories examples that you can take prior to the callinar or whenever you like.

Mar 10

Hidden Treasures on the NASJE Website

The Education and Curriculum Committee hosted its first “Article Club” call-inar for 2017 on February 23. The call-inar, Hidden Treasures on the NASJE Website, focused on the hidden gems within the website. The “explorers” led 17 participants through the many “caverns” to discover the treasures that comprise the website as the participants followed along on their computers.

law day 2017
Mar 08

Law Day 2017

Law Day is held every year on May 1 for the purpose of celebrating the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession. This year’s theme is “The 14th Amendment: Transforming American Democracy.” ABA President Linda Klein’s videotaped message is a good way to begin learning about this year’s theme.

Karen Thorson
Feb 17

Karen Thorson Award Nominations Due March 31

Karen Thorson Award nominations are now being accepted by the NASJE Board. If you know a career judicial educator who has made significant contributions to the profession and to NASJE, consider nominating him or her for this award. Nominations are due by Friday, March 31, 2017. You will find a link to the nomination form in the NASJE Member Area.

Jan 20

Judging Science in the Courthouse

This expanding universe of scientific knowledge has engendered many discussions about the perceived need to increase the amount of science based education judges receive. Some argue that judges should be educated like scientists. The problem intrinsic this idea is that judges are specialists in the law, and generalists in everything else. Moreover, the vast majority of judges turned away from a scientific education, at least by the time they were in college and certainly by the time they were in law school. Law school teaches a different manner of seeking the truth than the scientific method.

Jan 12

Report of the Education and Curriculum Committee

The Education and Curriculum Committee is hard at work on a number of initiatives designed to enhance the professional lives of judicial educators. The fifteen-member committee, co-chaired by Judith Anderson of Washington and Anthony Simones of Missouri, made the decision to split into three subcommittees in order to effectively achieve the goals of the group.

Phil Schopick
Dec 27

Phil Schopick Retires at Year End

After more than 25 years in Judicial Branch education, Phil Schopick of the Supreme Court of Ohio Judicial College is retiring. Phil was editor of NASJE News (the predecessor of our news and information website) for about 10 years and was active in NASJE on the international committee and communications committee.

Dec 21

Tax-deductible contributions to NASJE

Dear NASJE Colleagues, As I receive solicitations from other associations and organizations, I am reminded of my duties as NASJE’s President to … promote the growth of NASJE and the strengthening of its position within the court community and ensure NASJE’s Read more

Dec 09

Rethinking Learning Styles: Judicial Educators as Restless Learners

Judicial Branch Educators are restless learners. As such, they continually investigate new research on teaching and learning and on topics of interest to courts. They also need to be critical thinkers, constantly evaluating what they know and what they need to learn. Rethinking learning styles is just such a topic. There is much to know about learning styles, but well-tested and documented research goes against the widely accepted view that teachers should alter their teaching styles according to their learners’ learning styles in order to maximize learning. In addition, research casts doubt on the reliability of assessments designed to determine individual learning styles.

James Drennan
Nov 04

VIDEO: Jim Drennan receives Thorson Award

James “Jim” Drennan echoes the qualities honored by the Karen Thorson Award through his forty-year University of North Carolina School of Government career that started in 1974, and through his contributions to NASJE. Current NASJE communications committee chair Lynne Alexander sat down with the Jim for a short discussion about judicial education.