YOUNGSTOWN Electronic-school chief visits area pupils, teachers

Jeff Forster stopped at the homes of various pupils and had lunch with teachers.
YOUNGSTOWN -- This month the Mahoning Valley area was the first major urban destination in 2004 for the "traveling superintendent" of the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, Ohio's first statewide Internet school.
Jeff Forster of Columbus, ECOT superintendent, is traveling around the state to meet with ECOT pupils and their families. At least 158 pupils and several teachers are learning and teaching online in their homes in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.
"Hundreds of students, parents and teachers in the Youngstown area are helping ECOT to lead an unprecedented advancement of online education in Ohio and the nation," Forster said. "I want them and the people of this community to realize that."
Now in its fourth school year, ECOT has about 300 alumni throughout Ohio. It is Ohio's first and largest e-school, with 5,000 pupils and 200 teachers across the state.
Local visit
During his Youngstown visit, Forster, who served as an administrator and educator for 35 years in Columbus public schools, answered questions and described new curricula and technology.
He stopped at the homes of various pupils and had a luncheon meeting with teachers.
The interactions were part of ECOT's effort to establish face-to-face relationships with pupils, who may not be able to travel to ECOT's administrative offices in Columbus or attend the school's regional pupil-teacher conferences. A new state law requires e-schools to provide opportunities for pupils to meet face-to-face with their teacher or teachers.
"Being a traditional school administrator for over 35 years, I realize how important it is for students and parents to meet school officials and teachers," Forster said. "Even though I interact with students and parents on the phone and through e-mail every day, I'm always excited to see them in person."
Free and open to all Ohio pupils, ECOT is a nonprofit public school with a board of community leaders accountable to ECOT's sponsor, the publicly elected Board of the Lucas County Educational Service Center. Despite first-year start up problems, ECOT is moving into 2004 financially stable and educating pupils for about 62 percent of the amount spent in traditional big city school systems.