2. The Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT) is a community charter
school based in Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is sponsored by the Lucas
County Educational Service Center (LCESC) in Toledo, Ohio.
ECOT was founded in 2000 by William Lager, under an agreement with
the Lucas County Educational Service Center and it is managed by his
company, Altair Learning Management aka IQity.
Mr. Lager had a disabled child in the public schools. The brick and mortar
schools were unable to assist his child academically. Therefore, Mr.
Lager decided to establish an online cyber school where all children had
an opportunity to learn in Ohio.
history mission culture inclusion resistance analysis
history
3. ECOT offers an effective alternative to provide students with the academic
skills and experiences to be successful in the 21st century.
Goals:
1.To improve the academic achievement of all students in all areas with
focus on math and reading
2.To improve engagement with a 20% increase in passing core courses
history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
4. ECOT is organized in a hierarchy five layers of vertical managerial
administration followed by a layer of teaching professionals. Initial form of
communication is informal; Elluminate live whiteboard meetings, phone
conversations, and emails are generally addressed on first names basis.
Beyond immediate supervision, communication is formal.
Teachers operate within their homes and communicate professionally with
students and parents through the following: virtual Elluminate live white
board classroom sessions, classroom announcements, phone contacts,
chats, postings, drop box, and threaded discussion.
Teaching staff and all levels of management meet six times a year for
professional development .
history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
5. history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
EXTERNAL FORCE
Ohio Department of
Education (ODE)
Individual Education Plan (IEP)
Least Restrictive
Environment (LRE)
STAKEHOLDERS
External and internal
RESTRUCTURING PLAN
Inclusion, reading, writing and
math interventions
Reassigned positions for
associate principals and
teaching teams
Tim Schmid is Special Education
Associate Principal for ECOT.
(personal communication, September 27, 2010)
6. history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
CULTURAL IMPACT
Productivity
Absenteeism
Moral
Frustration
Danielle Hier is English
Associate Principal for ECOT.
(personal communication, September 28, 2010)
ADDITIONAL TEACHER
RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Co-teaching
2. Teacher/student ratio
50% increase
3. Progress monitoring
4. Mandatory overtime
7. history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
STUDENT FOCUS
Poor communication for
students and parents
LEADERSHIP STYLE
Transactional leadership
INTERNAL FOCUS
Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA)
Inclusion i professional development
Weekly team meetings
Evaluation review per month
Short cycle assessments
Rewards and bonuses
Dr. Bert Wiser is Director
of Accountability for ECOT.
(personal communication, October 11, 2010)
8. history structure vision mission culturemission culturevision mission culturestructure vision mission culturemissionvision culturestructure vision culturehistory structure vision culturehistory culture inclusion resistance analysismission
RESPONSE TO INNOVATION AND CHANGE
1. Hire outside consultant
2. Teachers on Special Assignments (TOSAs)
3. Additional professional development training
4. Weekly team meetings with principals and co-teachers
5. Efficient job analysis and evaluations per month
MaryAnn Latimer is Director of
Special Education and Intervention for ECOT.
(personal communication, October 20, 2010)
9. Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow
Anderson. D.L. (2010) Organization Development: The Process of Leading Organizational Change
Sustaining Change, Evaluating, and Ending an Engagement, Chapter 13 (pp 304-309) Sage Publications, Inc.
reproduced with permission of Sage Publications, Inc. in the format electronic usage via Sage Publications, Inc.
Beach, L. R. (2006). Leadership and the art of change: A practical guide to organizational transformation. Thousand
Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. Assessment: Chapter 4, "Plans: Mapping Change" (pp. 69–90) Chapter 6,
"Follow-Through: Institutionalizing Change" (pp.113 - 131) Sage Publications LTd.,
Bligh, M. (2010). Leadership in organizations. [Podcast]. Retrieved September15, 2010 from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Bligh, M. (2010). Organizational Change. [Podcast]. Retrieved September 20, 2010 from
http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Rogers, E(1995). Diffusion of Innovation. Retrieved October 10, 2010 form
http://www/stanford.edu/class/symbsys205/Diffusion%20of%20Innovaitons.htm
Kotter, J. P. (2006). Leading change: Why transformation efforts fail (chap. 10, pp. 239–251). In Gallos, J. V. (Ed.),
Organization development: A Jossey-Bass reader. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Organization Development: A
Jossey-Bass Reader by Gallos, J. V. John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Schermerhorn, J. R., Hunt, J. G., & Osborn, R. N. (2008). Organizational behavior (10th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John
Wiley & Sons.
United States Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. (2007). Idea regulations: secondary
transition Retrieved October 1, 2010 from http://www.ode.state.oh.us/reportcardfiles/2009-
2010/BUILD/133413.pdf
