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The online program is designed to help students graduate with both a high school diploma and a career certificate in growing industries such as childcare and education, healthcare, homeland security and protection services.

That’s great news for the roughly 40 million individuals in the U.S., who are either unemployed or are in entry-level positions for lack of a high school diploma. As the recession continues, more adults are choosing to go back to school and require innovative, career-based online solutions to meet their educational needs.

President Obama addressed this issue earlier in the year calling on all Americans to commit to obtaining further high school education or post-secondary education. “We have one of the highest high school dropout rates of any industrialized nation,” Obama said. “This is a prescription for economic decline, because we know the countries that out-teach us today will out-compete us tomorrow.”

The 18-credit high school program offers academic courses in Language Arts, Science, Social Science, and Mathematics with a focus on practical, career-based instruction in each academic area. All students will be able to transfer credits previously earned at another high school, fulfilling any remaining requirements (minimum of four credits) at Smart Horizons Career Online High School.

“Our affordable, online high school program ($995 for the entire program) is a perfect fit for working or unemployed adults,” says Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO and Principal of Smart Horizons Career Online High School, “especially for those who have not had much success in school in the past. It is a win-win for the students since they graduate with both a high school diploma and a career certificate in their field of interest. The demand for nursing assistants, childcare workers and protection officers is very high and our educational program can meet these industry demands for millions of students.”

Upon admission into the online high school, students take a career planning assessment and declare a “major” of study in a specific career area. Students take four online courses in their career major and graduate with a certificate in their specific career area. For example, Smart Horizons Career Online High School has designed courses within the Childcare and Education track that meet the courseware requirements to obtain the Childcare Development (CDA) credential for its students.

“We want students to be able to graduate with a high school diploma and a specific skill and certificate, which enables them to obtain employment or advancement immediately upon graduation,” says Dr. Liebman.

In addition, Smart Horizons’ Career Online High School model represents an opportunity to expand its creative high school option to employees of companies and students enrolled in drop-out prevention programs in school districts around the United States.

About Smart Horizons Career Online High School
Smart Horizons Career Online High School is a national leader in delivering affordable, career-based online education to students throughout the world. Founded in 2009 and located in Pensacola, Florida, Smart Horizons Career Online High School offers a complete 18-credit, career-based high school diploma designed to prepare students for entrance or advancement within the workplace. For more information, visit our website at www.smarthorizonsonline.org , call our office at 305-962-6489 or email our office at hliebman@smarthorizonsonline.org.

Smart Horizons Career Online Education, is a private school district that delivers affordable, career-based online education to students throughout the world. Students receive both a career-based online high school diploma and a career (credentialed) certificate in the fields of healthcare, early childhood education, transportation services, homeland security, protection services, and office management.

AdvancED is the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI). AdvancED provides nationally recognized accreditation for school districts and individual schools and represents 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide, educating 15 million students.

“District accreditation through AdvancED is a rigorous process that demonstrates to our students, parents, and community that we are focused on student achievement, maintaining effective school operations, providing an enriching learning environment, and adequately preparing students for careers in the workplace. Our first school, Smart Horizons Career Online High School, is scheduled to launch in May 2010 and our goal is to open 4 to 6 career online high schools per year. Our candidacy as a district is significant and provides evidence that we are moving in the right direction as a district.”

Using the AdvancED Standards for Quality School Systems as a framework, Smart Horizons Career Online Education will conduct an internal review and engage a broad cross section of representatives from across its district, its school and the broader community in its self-assessment. Following the scheduled internal review in June 2010, Smart Horizons Career Online Education will host an AdvancED Quality Assurance Review Team comprised of trained education professionals from across the nation.

“Smart Horizons Career Online Education is a high-quality, well-designed private school district,” stated Dr. Howard Liebman, CEO & Superintendent. “We believe strongly that the AdvancED District Accreditation process will make us even better. Students win when the entire district commits to examining all of its processes and systems to determine what more we can be doing to benefit the students we serve. This is the essence of the district accreditation process.”

Students and community members can learn more about the District Accreditation process at www.advanc-ed.org About Smart Horizons Career Online Education Smart Horizons Career Online Education, a private school district, is a national leader in delivering affordable, career-based online education to students throughout the world. Founded in 2009 and located in Pensacola, Florida, Smart Horizons Career Online Education offers complete career-based online high school diplomas and career (credentialed) certificate in the fields of healthcare, early childhood education, transportation services, homeland security, protection services, and office management. For more information, visit our website at www.smarthorizonsonline.org , call our office at 888-642-4366 or email our office at hliebman@smarthorizonsonline.org.