WASHINGTON, April 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Statewide
virtual schools are experiencing historic growth as states invest
more in online education, even in a difficult economy. Many virtual
schools have selected Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) as their
technology partner, including Florida Virtual School, the nation's
largest, which announced a partnership with Blackboard in
January.
Twenty-seven states have established statewide virtual schools
in an effort to increase educational opportunity for students, and
together they saw 320,000 course enrollments in 2008-09 according
to Keeping Pace with K-12 Online Learning, a report from the
Evergreen Education Group. Many of those schools – 10 statewide
virtuals – have partnered with Blackboard to support their online
education programs.
The Idaho Digital Learning Academy (IDLA) has seen an average 50
percent growth year over year working with Blackboard, increasing
from 6,619 enrollments in 2008 to 14,500 this year. In addition to
saving schools and families money, the academy saves the state
nearly $4 million a year in teacher
salaries, district costs for student remediation, and out of pocket
costs families must pay for online classes from other providers,
according to estimates from IDLA CEO Donna
Hutchison.
"We don't have the ability to offer the depth and breadth of
course options that larger schools do," said Benjamin Merrill, Principal at Notus High School
in rural Notus, Idaho. "IDLA has
opened the doors for students throughout the state to have the same
opportunities to take classes they need to be successful, like
foreign languages and advanced math. It really has leveled the
playing field."
North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), another fast
growing Blackboard partner, has expanded by more than 50 percent
annually in recent years and now serves some 66,000 students, up
from just 5,000 three years ago.
"Blackboard has executed on our needs for classic, blended,
modular, and mobile virtual services," said Dr. Bryan Setser, Executive Director of the NCVPS.
"As state virtual schools continue to lead the online industry,
Blackboard will be a key solution partner as learning continues to
get more personal and portable."
Virtual schools have brought greater choice and flexibility to
students by providing greater access to a high quality curriculum
and highly qualified teachers. In many cases, students have enjoyed
access to advanced placement and dual credit opportunities that
have helped some students graduate from high school early while
preventing others from dropping out. As these options become more
popular, new expectations for online courses and professional
development opportunities are being set; research conducted by
Project Tomorrow supported by Blackboard shows increased demand for
online opportunities from students and teachers nationwide.
"Forward thinking states have realized that rather than having
every district create their own online learning program, a
statewide virtual school can accelerate the state's goals much more
effectively and for much less money," said Jessie Woolley-Wilson, President of Blackboard
K-12. "We are fortunate to partner with many of these states, many
of whom are looking to expand their virtual offerings over time by
leveraging the U.S. Department of Education's Race to the Top
program. Continued growth in virtual schools will enhance equity
and access, promote student progression and will help drive 21st
century learning experiences for students nationwide."
For more information about Blackboard, please visit
http://blackboard.com.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc. (Nasdaq: BBBB) is a global leader in enterprise
technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of
millions of students and learners around the world every day.
Blackboard's solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12,
professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend
teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and
security, and communicate more effectively with their communities.
Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia
and Australia.
Any statements in this press release about future
expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other
statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans,"
"expects," "will," and similar expressions, constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ
materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements
as a result of various important factors, including the factors
discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K filed
on February 17, 2010 with the SEC. In
addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press
release represent the Company's views as of April 20, 2010. The Company anticipates that
subsequent events and developments will cause the Company's views
to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These
forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as
representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to
April 20, 2010.
SOURCE Blackboard Inc.