Press Release: Gale and California State Library Announce Partnership to Give State’s Residents Access to Accredited High School Diploma

SACRAMENTO, Calif.—November 5, 2015—The California State Library and Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, today announced a statewide pilot program to offer accredited high school diplomas and career certificates at more than 30 libraries across California. The program is funded by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and is aimed at helping as many Californians as possible earn a high school diploma online. Currently, more than 4.5 million California adults age 25 and over lack a high school diploma.

The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the California Library Association.

“Governor Brown recognizes the important role libraries play in California’s education system and workforce development,” said State Librarian Greg Lucas.  “Libraries have always been an integral part of the community.  For those who want to complete their high school education and prepare for a career, having a library card can be their first step to success.”

The program, Career Online High School, has already seen success at several libraries throughout the state including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and The County of Los Angeles. Collectively, these libraries have enrolled nearly 250 students and graduated more than 30 students. Many of these libraries will provide mentoring support to other libraries in California that offer Career Online High School.

“California has been a leader in supporting the education mission of libraries,” said Paul Gazzolo, senior vice president and general manager, Gale. “Making Career Online High School available at libraries throughout the state will support local economic and workforce development but, more importantly, it will give adults access to education that can quite literally change their lives.”

"We are very excited to have the California State Library sign on to offer Career Online High School at public libraries across the state," stated Dr. Howard Liebman, Co-Founder and CEO of Smart Horizons Career Online Education, co-developer of the program. "Public libraries have proven to be the perfect partner for COHS as they offer an ideal venue and hands-on support to students who are working to change their lives by earning a high school diploma and entry-level workforce certificate."

More than 30 libraries throughout the state applied to be a part of this initiative and will award scholarships for Career Online High School to qualified learners looking to earn a high school diploma and advance their careers. Three library systems will begin offering Career Online High School later this month with the rest to follow in a phased roll out in December and January. Interested California residents can visit www.careeronlinehs.gale.com/ca to learn more about the program and whether their local library will be offering it.

The California State Library and Gale will host an informational session about Career Online High School at the California Library Association annual meeting on Nov. 6 at 1:30 pm PST.

For more information on Career Online High School, please visit http://www.careeronlinehs.gale.com/. For more information on the economic impact of high school completion and the benefits of libraries, download the whitepaper here and watch the video here.

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.

About the California State Library
Founded in 1850, the California State Library is the central reference and research library for the Governor’s office, Legislature, state employees, and the general public. The State Library leads and promotes innovative library services by providing and managing state and federal funding programs to ensure all Californians have access via their libraries to information and educational resources.

About Cengage Learning and Gale
Cengage Learning is a leading educational content, technology, and services company for the higher education and K-12, professional and library markets worldwide. Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is a global provider of research resources for libraries and businesses for more than 60 years. Gale is passionate about supporting the continued innovation and evolution of libraries by providing the content, tools, and services libraries need to promote information discovery, enable learning, and support economic, cultural, and intellectual growth in their communities. For more information, visit www.cengage.com or www.gale.cengage.com.