NDAA Begins Distance Learning
Seven years ago, NDAA, along with the Department of Justice, celebrated the dedication and opening of the National Advocacy Center (NAC).
On May 9, 1998, the first class convened to prepare faculty for the center, and a new era of national training for America’s prosecutors was born. Since that initial course, almost 20,000 state and local prosecutors have obtained valuable education at the NAC in such areas as trial advocacy, DNA, child abuse prosecution, juvenile justice issues, gun violence prosecution and traffic law training, to name a few.
Our organization has provided this training at no cost to the participants and, therefore, thousands of dedicated public servants have been able to take advantage of cutting edge knowledge to help them do their important jobs better. Many of these attendees would not have been able to receive this valuable training without the NAC.
Unfortunately, the center can only accommodate about 3,000 prosecutors each year. Whether it is because of the limited class space available, time constraints or office location, many more thousands of our prosecutors have been unable to take advantage of the opportunity to spend a week at the NAC to experience the unique learning environment and receive badly needed training.
Since our association’s inception, it has always been the mission of NDAA to provide educational opportunities. The establishment of the National College of District Attorneys in 1970, annual training at NDAA’s summer conferences, the creation of the American Prosecutors Research Institute in 1984 and partnering with the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators to provide state and regional training initiatives, are all excellent examples of our commitment to train America’s prosecutors.
It is therefore truly exciting to announce our newest and perhaps most comprehensive strategy in providing training and education. Beginning June 1, 2005, I am proud to announce the formation of the NDAA Distance Learning and Information Network.
The NDAA television network will initially broadcast pre-recorded training tracts and informational programs to 50 pilot sites comprised of metropolitan, suburban and rural prosecutors’ offices throughout the United States. Network programming will be available to the prosecution staff at these pilot sites and the staff members will report back to us about the value of this medium for training and information. I hope that this form of delivering vital education and criminal justice issue-oriented information will bring the classroom to the prosecutor and serve as a valuable supplement to our prosecutors’ continuing education.
We are hopeful that this initial effort will be the first in what will become a comprehensive package of distance learning and information sharing that will expand into live up-to-date programming, an interactive course and discussion format, and video streaming.
NDAA has truly entered the 21st century in responding to the needs of America’s prosecutors. Our mission “to be the voice of America’s prosecutors . . . ” has taken on a literal meaning with the birth of the NDAA television network.
Stay tuned—much more is to come.
