Cover Story, August 2007

Story by:  Diane Wingerter, Editor
Photography by:  Shannon Taylor

As we all know from our own circle of friends, about half of today’s families have a single parent at the helm; while numerous families have children that are experiencing a shared-parenting arrangement. These shifts and trends from the ‘traditional family unit’ have not been reflected in the ‘traditional school system’ according to Dr. Coletta Musick, Founder & President of eSchool Consultants. “The breakdown of the family unit has occurred over the last 10-15 years and the traditional schools have not changed to meet the need of the students. What we have built through on-line schools is a learning environment that is designed to meet the needs of the students.”

Dr. Musick speaks from a wealth of first-hand experience in the traditional school system. She has extensive background in education, commencing as a teacher then moving into education administration. She has served as principal, assistant superintendent and superintendent in Ohio’s school system. What she decided and bestowed upon herself in 2002 was to start an on-line school program to educate students statewide and fulfill a desperate need to improve the drop-out rate of students statewide. Dr. Musick achieved this first milestone and was the superintendent of the nation’s first statewide K-12 online school system. (more…)