Though North Carolina was once a largely rural state, the past 30 years have seen rapid urbanization in the area. The state is well-known for the nation's largest military base, Fort Bragg. Though North Carolina has been hit by job losses in the industries of textile and furniture production, employment in the information technology and biotechnology industries has been on a steady incline. Advancements in education have been at the forefront of legislative policy since the late 1990s. According to Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning (2009), North Carolina was the fifth largest state-led virtual school in the United States in enrollment, topping 20,000 in students in the fall of 2009.
Over the last few years the Department of Public Instruction has led innovative efforts with the New Schools Project in order to expand North Carolina's online schools. In addition, the State Board of Education, the e-learning commission, and Governor Bev Perdue have provided resources and legislation to offer two online schools: North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS) and Learn and Earn Online (LEO). NCVPS offers 86 core, Advanced Placement, Honors, and credit recovery courses for middle and high school levels. This school is currently developing elementary modules in writing, world languages, and core courses.
Students wishing to complete a credit recovery course must first take a pre-assessment in order to help teachers determine which assignments from that unit are required for the student to complete for mastery. Using this type of assessment maximizes time for the student and addresses specific learning deficits or gaps; a high score on the pre-assessment will allow the student to skip most or all of the unit assignments. Additionally, NCVPS's Modular Recovery pilot program allows students who are failing a unit of study in a course they are currently taking with a face-to-face teacher the chance to access supportive online interventions. By 2012, it is expected that NCVPS enrollments will exceed 50,000 students.
Through the Learn and Earn Online, qualified students in public high schools may take a variety of online college credit courses at no cost. In these North Carolina online schools, students earn both high school and college credit for completed courses. Qualified nonpublic students are eligible to enroll in courses for the low cost of fees and textbooks. Unlike other virtual schools in the nation, LEO offers courses year round.
North Carolina is devoted to postsecondary distance learning programs as well. The University of North Carolina Online is a diverse, multi-campus virtual university comprising sixteen learning institutions, including University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, and East Carolina University, among thirteen others. Some emphasize undergraduate education while others offer a range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional program options. Currently, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill boasts the most extensive online program among the institutions, offering a variety of courses in standard core subjects as well as specific elective courses in, for example, Classical Italian Archaeology, Russian Literature, and Spanish for Health Care Professionals. With the continued success of postsecondary online schools, North Carolina recently added a Self-Paced Courses program catered to part-time students whose schedule needs this added flexibility. Eight of the sixteen institutions now offer Self-Paced courses.
1247 Jimmie Kerr Road
Graham, NC 27253-8000
2945 South Miami Blvd Ste 114
Durham, NC 27703
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
5337 Highway 264 East
Washington, NC 27889
401 Medical Park Drive
Concord, NC 28025-3959
3505 Arendell St
Morehead City, NC 28557-2989
2550 Hwy 70 SE
Hickory, NC 28602-0699
1105 Kelly Dr
Sanford, NC 27330-9840
800 College Ct
New Bern, NC 28562-4900
297 Davidson Community College Rd
Thomasville, NC 27360-7385
2015 Ayrsley Town Blvd.- Suite 109
Charlotte, NC 28273-4068
103 Allen Bldg
Durham, NC 27708
1637 Lawson St
Durham, NC 27703-5023
East 5th Street
Greenville, NC 27858-4353
1200 Murchison Rd
Fayetteville, NC 28301-4298
2100 Silas Creek Pky
Winston Salem, NC 27103-5197
Main St
Boiling Springs, NC 28017-0997
201 Hwy 321 S
Dallas, NC 28034
601 High Point Rd
Jamestown, NC 27282
185 Freedlander Drive
Clyde, NC 28721-9901
10926 David Taylor Drive Ste 100
Charlotte, NC 28262
4135 Southstream Blvd.- Suite 200
Charlotte, NC 28217
4050 Piedmont Parkway- Ste 110
High Point, NC 27265
1215 Eastchester Drive
High Point, NC 27265-3115
231 Highway 58 South
Kinston, NC 28502-0188
2205 Walnut Street
Cary, NC 27518-7171
5000 Market Street
Wilmington, NC 28405
1011 Page St
Troy, NC 27371
1601 E Market St
Greensboro, NC 27411
1801 Fayetteville Street
Durham, NC 27707
2101 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC 27695-7001
48380 Hwy 52n
Misenheimer, NC 28109-0960
420 S. Broad St.
Winston Salem, NC 27101
1715 College Dr
Roxboro, NC 27573
1986 Pitt Tech Road
Winterville, NC 28590
629 Industrial Pk Ave
Asheboro, NC 27205
1042 W Hamlet Ave
Hamlet, NC 28345-1189
5160 Fayetteville Rd
Lumberton, NC 28360
1333 Jake Alexander Blvd
Salisbury, NC 28146-1595
601 S Church St
Winston Salem, NC 27101
3395 Airport Rd
Pinehurst, NC 28374
680 Highway 74 West
Polkton, NC 28135
447 College Dr
Sylva, NC 28779
1700 Dogwood Mile
Laurinburg, NC 28352
141 College Drive
Albemarle, NC 28001
630 S. Main St.
Dobson, NC 27017-8432
103 South Bldg Cb 9100
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
1000 Spring Garden St
Greensboro, NC 27402-6170
One University Drive
Pembroke, NC 28372-1510
601 South College Road
Wilmington, NC 28403-5963
3800 Arco Corporate Dr Ste 100
Charlotte, NC 28273-3409
5511 Capital Center Dr Ste 390
Raleigh, NC 27606-3380
9101 Fayetteville Road
Raleigh, NC 27603-5696
3000 Wayne Memorial Dr
Goldsboro, NC 27533-8002
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723-9646
1001 Burkemont Ave
Morganton, NC 28655-4511
902 Herring Ave
Wilson, NC 27893-3310
601 Martin Luther King Jr Dr
Winston-Salem, NC 27110-0001
