At N.C. Central University, a new pilot program will let high school students take courses online.

The ECHS Virtual High School Program will be managed by NCCU's Josephine Dobbs Clement Early College High School, which is on the university campus.

The program is designed to let "disadvantaged" youngsters complete their coursework at any time, day or night, and still work, while caring for younger siblings as they need to, according to an NCCU press release.

The hope: Improve on the dropout rate.

The program is subsidized by At&T, which recently donated $69,000 to pay for laptops for 25 students as well as other technological infrastructure.

The school board has hired Kendra O’Neal-Williams to be the new principal at the J.D. Clement Early College High School program based at N.C. Central University.

She replaces Nicholas King, who has accepted a position with Northampton County Schools.

O’Neal-Williams, who is a Durham native and graduate of Northern High School, most recently has served as assistant principal of Riverside High School for two years. Before that, she was a principal intern at W.G. Pearson Elementary School.