NCTIES2023

Over the past several years, districts throughout North Carolina have opened virtual schools to provide educational options for students and their families. Various models have emerged, based on the needs of each unique community. In some cases, virtual schools provide diverse course offerings in districts with limited in-person courses because of lost enrollment. In other areas, these virtual schools are the direct result of students and parents preferring a highly-personalized, flexible environment over traditional schooling. While some of these schools are primarily asynchronous, others are a mix of synchronous and asynchronous virtual instruction, while still more are blended online and face-to-face experiences. To add another layer of variation between districts, these virtual schools differ in terms of their curriculum; they are creating their own, partnering with external organizations to use theirs, or relying primarily on NC Virtual Public School (NCVirtual).

In August 2022, the Friday Institute for Educational Innovation and NCVirtual launched the Virtual School Network (VSN) as a means to connect and support the myriad virtual schools in the state, using seed funding from the Friday Institute. The network is being designed in a responsive, innovative, and sustainable manner to ensure the needs of stakeholders are paramount.

During our poster session, we will engage interested participants with a few short protocols that will capture their leading questions about virtual learning and how the current research coming out of our partnerships across the VSN can provide immediate support services and resources to enhance teaching and learning.