By Arianna Prothero
Education Week
February 6, 2015
North Carolina’s first online charter schools have gotten the final go-ahead to open.
The board of education’s approval of the two virtual schools this week was pretty much preordained: There were only two applications for schools and the board was required by the state legislature to approve two virtual charter schools as part a four-year pilot program, according to the Raleigh-based News Observer.
“While it’s true that North Carolina already has a digital option with the North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), these new virtual charter schools will expand access to digital learning opportunities, allowing students who aren’t qualified to take classes at NCVPS an alternative,” said Kara Kerwin, president of the Washington-based Center for Education Reform in a statement. “There are over four million students nationwide currently taking advantage of virtual learning opportunities.”