Below are excerpts from a report dated November, 2003 that was prepared at the request of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) by a committee commissioned by the NCRA known as the Future Group. You may read the report in its entirety on the NCRA website. This report contains information regarding the difficulty of NCRA-approved court reporting schools to adequately train court reporting students, stating the Future Group acknowledges, "a brutal fact - NCRA is supporting a model of recruitment and education that has never experienced a significant success rate."

The excerpt beginning at Page 10 addresses the Future Group's concerns regarding the methods currently utilized by schools to educate court reporting students. On Page 12, you will note the excerpt refers to the fact that due to the improvements in our court reporting CAT (Computer Aided Transcription) software, it is no longer necessary to have complex theories. This report cites outdated, complex theories taught in schools as an area of concern that needs to be addressed. The report states, "The advancement in software capabilities:

1. Simplifies the transition to realtime for current professionals who have not yet upgraded their skills.
   
   
2. Creates the potential to eliminate the complexity of realtime theories taught in schools."

The CRAH theory is the only SIMPLIFIED realtime theory that was developed specifically for home study, self-training students. Even home study schools utilize the same complex theories that were developed to be taught in formal school settings requiring an instructor in the classroom with the students. Having previously owned an accredited, NCRA-approved school, I knew that most students drop out of court reporting training either in theory or at about the 120 wpm speed level. I could have simply taken the easy route and chosen one of the complex theories developed to be taught in the classroom, but I knew most home study students would not be successful attempting to learn them. Therefore, I obtained the NCRA's guidelines for approved theories and incorporated the concepts they deemed necessary to be included in a realtime theory and simplified them. If you can't remember your theory because it is so complex, it will make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to build your speed.

A portion of the report suggests the NCRA look for new avenues and new ways to train reporting students, and we at CRAH, of course, wholeheartedly agree. With the attrition rate at many schools in the 80 - 85% range, that, in itself, corroborates the Future Group's finding that theories need to be simplified, regardless of whether the student is in a formal school or a home study program.

We invite you to read in particular the information in red on Pages 10-12. The information was highlighted in red by CRAH.

Sincerely,

Linda Bland

Linda Bland, RMR, RPR, CSR, CPE

SSD Enterprises, Inc.

Court Reporting at Home

The full Future Group report may be obtained on the NCRA's website at www.ncraonline.org. Then choose News & Information and click on News Archives which is found at the bottom of the box entitled NCRA News Flash. You will be prompted to choose the year index of the archived article which is 2003, and then click on 11-24-03 where you will find third on the list the article entitled "Future Group reports to Board." If you have any difficulty, you may contact CRAH for assistance or for a copy of the full report.

The following excerpts were taken directly from the NCRA's website.

The red highlights were added by CRAH.

"Summary Report of the NCRA Future Group"

November 2003

Table of Contents

Introduction	......................	3
The Future Group Process	......................	4
March 2003 Interim Report	......................	5
August 2003 Interim Report	......................	6
October meeting process	......................	6
Strategic Issue Statements by Category	......................	7
Future Technology Issue Statements	......................	7
Professional Recruitment/Education - Fix It Issue Statements	......................	10
NCRA - The Organization Strategic Issue Statements	......................	11
Other Recommendations	......................	13
Closing	......................	13
Appendix 1 - Members of the Future Group	......................	14
Appendix 2 - Research Documents	......................	15
Appendix 3 - Schedule of Meetings and Conference Calls	......................	17

"Introduction

......................

3

The 1999 NCRA strategic plan established "professional identity" as the first of the association's long-range goals. The goal was to create an accurate, progressive, and positive identity for the profession and communicate it both internally and externally. In assessing progress on the strategic plan in 2001, the NCRA Board of Directors agreed to retain outside experts to work with a group of NCRA members on the Future Group project in order to address this matter. Appendix 1 provides a

list of individuals involved in the Future Group project.

The project did not begin with any preconceived outcomes in mind other than committing to engage in a process of discovery and communication and to employing a rigorous, research-based approach with decision making based on objective, verifiable data. Broadly, the project explored possible futures for the profession and the Association and sought to" "describe a vision that would enable NCRA to communicate clearly and accurately who we are, who we represent, and what we do."

"The Future Group Process

......................

4

Beginning in May 2002, the Future Group worked on a variety of fronts. "The challenge," according to Future Group Chairman Ed Johnson, "came when the Board gave us absolutely no parameters for outcomes. Rather, they asked us to explore all possible futures for the profession and the association. That energized the Future Group, because it allowed us to explore all avenues to see where the road to the future is leading without being directed as to conclusions."

Professional Recruitment/Education -- Fix It Strategic Issue

......................

10

Statements Rationale

Research conducted led the Future Group to identify and acknowledge a brutal fact - NCRA is supporting a model of recruitment and education that has never experienced a significant success rate.

Continuing modest numbers for admission, graduation, and successful transition to the profession suggest the need to fast-track new approaches and, perhaps, radical changes.

The Strategic Issue Statements in the category of "Recruitment/Education -- Fix It" are drawn from the Future Group's belief that NCRA needs to take a fresh, objective look at the traditional educational model, as well as alternative approaches. This does not necessarily suggest abandoning the current educational structure, but rather to consider other educational models and to build on and complement what is currently working in reporting programs.

Strategic Issues

• The inability of the current recruitment and education models to identify sufficient qualified candidates and prepare them for the rigors of the profession has resulted in too few students successfully completing their"

"education and transitioning from novice to competent professional.

Therefore, NCRA must:

1. Present an image of the profession that is attractive to the public.
   
   
2. Increase the quality of students entering the profession.
   
   
3. Explore radical, new training models to 1) increase graduation rates and 2) ensure students are successfully assimilated into the workforce.
   
   
4. Address retraining of reporters who need to upgrade their skills.

Reference Research Appendix Items # 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 16, 17

• "Economic pressure on some schools leaves them ill-prepared to make the kinds of changes they need to make to remain relevant to a changing profession"

"The advancement in software capabilities:

......................

12

1. Simplifies the transition to realtime for current professionals who have not yet upgraded their skills.
   
   
2. Creates the potential to eliminate the complexity of realtime theories taught in schools.
   
   
3. Requires NCRA to be flexible in all the standards it imposes through its school approval and certification programs."

The CRAH program was developed over a six-year period of time and implemented a simplified theory as recommended by the Future Group. CRAH is setting the standard for court reporting education.