Florida Residents Can Earn a High School Diploma and Career Certificate at Public Libraries Located Across the State
Pensacola, FL, December 8, 2015— Smart Horizons Career Online Education, the world’s first accredited online school district, announced today the launch of a partnership with the State of Florida and Gale/Cengage Learning to offer residents the ability to earn an accredited private high school diploma and career certificate through Career Online High School at 11 public library systems across Florida. According to the United States Census Bureau, more than 1.2 million residents of Florida aged 25 to 44 years of age, or 12.1 percent of the state’s working-age population, lack high school diplomas.
“As a Florida-based company and the world’s first accredited online school district, this partnership with the State of Florida to offer Career Online High School at 11 public libraries throughout the state is a very personal one for our team,” said Dr. Howard Liebman, Co-Founder and Superintendent of Schools for Smart Horizons Career Online Education. “Public libraries have proven to be an ideal venue for this program and now the residents of our own state have the opportunity to build a brighter future by earning an AdvancED/SACS accredited high school diploma and entry-level workforce certificate.”
The State of Florida partnership follows a recent partnership announcement with California State Public. With these two partnerships Career Online High School is now offered in 3 state public library systems and in over 20 public libraries across the United States.
“We are excited to offer the Career Online High School to adults who wish to earn their high school diploma and pursue a career,” said Jacksonville Public Library Director Barbara Gubbin. “The nationally accredited program is smart, innovative, and is sure to make a positive impact on literacy, quality of life, and future economic growth in our community. We are proud to provide this great opportunity for adults through our Center for Adult Learning.”
Eleven libraries throughout the state applied to be a part of this initiative and will award scholarships for Career Online High School to qualified learners who want to earn private high school diplomas and advance their careers. Each student enrolled in Career Online High School is paired with an academic coach who offers ongoing guidance and encouragement, evaluates performance, and connects the learner with the resources needed to demonstrate mastery of the course material. Classes are supported by state board certified instructors, and students have 24/7 access to the online learning platform. Coursework begins in one of eight high-growth, high-demand career fields (across a wide spectrum ranging from child care and education to certified transportation) before progressing to the core academic subjects. Many students are able to graduate in as few as 4 to 6 months by transferring in previously earned high school credits.
“Adult students at libraries in many states have already seen success with Career Online High School,” said Paul Gazzolo, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Gale. “We’re bringing a proven program to help libraries support local economic and workforce development but, more importantly, we’re helping libraries provide education that can lead to life-changing opportunities—a better job, better pay, and a better life.”
Interested Florida residents can visit http://www.careeronlinehs.gale.com/fl/ to learn more about the program and which libraries will be offering it.
About Career Online High School
Career Online High School was developed in 2012 through a partnership by ed2go, a division of Cengage Learning that provides students with online continuing education and career training, and Smart Horizons Career Online Education in an effort to provide affordable, career-based online education opportunities for the millions of adults in the United States without high school diplomas. In 2014, the program was adapted for the public library market by Gale, also a division of Cengage Learning. Since its launch, Career Online High School has been recognized as part of a Commitment to Action by the Clinton Global Initiative and acknowledged at the White House College Opportunity Summit.