Boston--A five-member team from the Massachusetts Trial Court participated in the Leadership Institute in Judicial Education 2003 held at the University of Memphis from June 10 through June 15, 2003.  Suffolk Juvenile Court Clerk-Magistrate Donna M. Ciampoli of South Boston; Probate and Family Court Judge Edward F. Donnelly, Jr. of Maynard; Franklin/Hampshire Counties Juvenile Court Chief Probation Officer Edward A. Driscoll of Florence; Superior Court Judge Robert J. Kane of South Dartmouth; and Director of Judicial Education Ellen M. O’Connor of Shrewsbury attended the program.

            The Leadership Institute in Judicial Education introduces learning styles and the use of the experiential learning cycle into the designing of judicial branch education programs and into the teaching methods used in individual courses, and explores an assortment of models of development, including learning styles, life cycle, and cognitive development.  The Institute also facilitates the understanding of the role of learning in these areas of development, and promotes an appreciation of the need for court personnel who are highly developed, both professionally and personally, in judicial branch education, in the judiciary, in the courts, and in society.

            Tuition and travel expenses for judges and court personnel were fully funded by the State Justice Institute (SJI), a non-profit organization established by Federal law to award grants to improve the quality of justice in State courts nationwide, facilitate better coordination between State and Federal courts, and foster innovative, efficient solutions to common problems faced by all courts.  More information about the State Justice Institute is available on the SJI web site (http://www.statejustice.org).