Lots of Americans these days are earning educational credits without the high cost of going to a brick-and-mortar institution. Recently, the University of North Carolina system announced what it is calling Project Kitty Hawk (PKH), which is meant to provide another option for North Carolinians.

In today’s Martin Center article, Ashlynn Warta writes about the progress of PKH.

She writes, “In 2021, the North Carolina General Assembly appropriated $97 million for the launching of an ed-tech startup known as Project Kitty Hawk (PKH). This non-profit is designed to partner with UNC-System universities to develop online programs for working adults. An estimated one million adult workers in North Carolina have some college but no degree, and PKH hopes to move many of those learners toward graduation. Since PKH’s budget is made up of Covid relief funds, the project is up against a deadline: The funds must be dispersed by 2024 and spent by 2026.”

Ah, so this is another of those projects funded by Washington’s vast Covid slush fund. Hurry up and spend the money.

But there are already many online-educational options, so what is the point? Warta continues: “North Carolina is currently experiencing major interest in adult online education, and enrollment in such programs in the Tar Heel State is higher than the national average. However, as PKH’s presentation states, over 63,000 North Carolinians have chosen out-of-state online programs. PKH is looking to reverse that trend, thus providing participating institutions with ‘flexible revenue streams.’”

Why does it matter whether a North Carolinian studies online with an institution located in another state or here? I can’t see that it does, but the people behind this venture evidently think that the students will be more likely to stay here if they get their online credits through PKH than through some other. That’s a stretch.

Although the officials speak optimistically about a positive cash flow, they always say things like that while getting the money flowing.