Type fast? Court reporting schools to get federal support
Some of the nation’s schools that train the fast and furious fingers of court reporters and other real-time writers are getting a fiscal shot in the arm by the Department of Education. The federal agency awarded $1 million in grants to assist four institutions that have court reporting and captioning programs.
“These grants will fill a void in training and job placement for realtime writers,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a press release. “Whether it's court reporting or closed captioning for television, these grants will help train and employ people who provide essential services to all of us, especially to those who may have a disability.”
The funds will be geared toward the recruitment and training of students at schools in four states: Indiana, Illinois, Texas and Washington. The College of Court Reporting in Hobart, Ind., is set to receive $300,000, while the MacCormac College in Chicago will see $295,850. Texas’ San Antonio College will be granted $214,878 in funds and Green River Community College in Washington will net $298,141 from the federal Training for Realtime Writers program.
Each institution has a specific stated goal for the grant funds. For example, the College of Court Reporting plans to use the money to improve mentoring and coaching services. The school also plans to use student feedback and analyze performance data on those in the college’s Professional Mentor Program to improve services. The school also plans to use “competitive scholarships” to increase accessibility to the college, so as to make the institution’s educational opportunities more available to interested parties despite financial status.
