OH public school turn to cyberschool pioneer

When it comes to virtual schooling, Cleveland public school administrators have done an about-face and are embracing cyber-schooling with zeal, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Traditional public schools that once had an adversarial relationship with virtual schools, mostly centered around funding, have seen the future and school administrators are turning to the very man who is cyberschools' biggest fan — Bill Lager, founder of Altair Learning Management of Columbus.

"We have got to quit fighting about the wrong things in education," Lager said. "Kids are not going to show up because we build them a brand-new building. But every kid in Ohio is a password away from taking part in a robust digital academy."

Lager's company started Ohio's first cyberschool, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow. ECOT now boasts 7,600 pupils statewide and graduated the nation's first high schoolers from an e-school.

Lager's cyberschool translates the traditional school model to the online environment. Students check into a "home room." There's a science lab. There's even a teachers lounge, where instructors can swap tips and strategies.

Lager's long-term vision is to have digital schooling blended into traditional schooling.

"If every child in Ohio took one e-learning class, you'd save $1 billion," Lager said. "My goal is to get this to every child in Ohio. If I can do that, ECOT won't exist."