Durham, N.C. — Durham’s Hillside New Tech High School is one of four high schools in the state chosen as part of the Learning Laboratory Initiative, a $2.5-million effort funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Learning Laboratory schools receive support for the development of rigorous, highly effective instruction and deep student engagement to educators, university faculty and policymakers.

On Thursday, the Durham school board approved a plan to transform Hillside New Tech into a national model of performance and to begin to host visits to the school by practitioners and others beginning in 2011.

“We are excited to partner with the New Schools Project and UNC to create a school from which educators in our school system and across the state can draw knowledge and inspiration,” said Durham Superintendent Carl Harris.

Hillside is among nine schools in North Carolina using the New Tech model based on one-to-one computer-to-student classrooms; a student-centered, project -based learning approach; and integration of course content and 21st century skills into a cohesive whole.