BALTIMORE, Md., July 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StraighterLine (StraighterLine.com) announced today that Aaron's, the nation's leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, will be offering StraighterLine courses to their associates and their associates' immediate family members as an option for their education. StraighterLine's extremely flexible self-paced online college courses provide associates the ability to take and complete college courses on their own schedule, helping ease the burden of balancing a busy lifestyle while earning a college degree.
Aaron's will benefit by providing expanded educational options and career advancement opportunities for their associates. Through this partnership associates are given the opportunity to save even more on their college education, an increasingly valuable benefit given today's skyrocketing costs of education. StraighterLine's affordable online college courses allow students to save up to 90% on their first year of college. Course credits transfer to StraighterLine's partner colleges and universities or through the ACE Credit service.
Aaron's associates will have the opportunity to enroll in any of StraighterLine's online college courses. Currently, StraighterLine offers thirty eight entry-level college courses online, including College Algebra, Precalculus, Calculus I, Calculus II, Business Writing, Accounting I, Accounting II, Managerial Accounting, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Business Statistics, Introduction to Business and Personal Finance.
"As an employer of more than 11,000 men and women across the country, Aaron's continually strives to provide a positive work experience for our associates," said Scott Harvey, Aaron's VP of Management Development. "It's our goal to offer benefits that allow our associates to grow both professionally and personally, and StraighterLine's program does exactly that. We're excited to partner with StraighterLine to offer this opportunity to all Aaron's associates, and we anticipate successful participation from our home office in Atlanta and everywhere Aaron's is located."
Every day we hear a new, disturbing statistic about the price of college and student debt. We're proud to partner with Aaron's – a company clearly committed to its employees -- to give students an affordable, low-risk pathway to a college degree." says Burck Smith, CEO and founder of StraighterLine."
About Aaron's, Inc.
Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE:AAN), the nation's leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 1,960 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Founded in 1955 by entrepreneur and current Chairman R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr. and headquartered in Atlanta, Aaron's has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.aarons.com.
About StraighterLine
StraighterLine has been recognized as a revolutionizing force in education by major news organizations and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for offering students online courses that earn real college credit for just $99 a month. Fast Company named StraighterLine one of the "10 Most Innovative Companies in Education."
In order to facilitate the award of credit, StraighterLine has forged partnerships with leading accredited online colleges and universities. A student ultimately earns a degree from those institutions but realizes tremendous savings and convenience by starting with StraighterLine.
StraighterLine's courses are evaluated and recommended by the American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT). In addition to the institutions with which StraighterLine has a direct relationship, more than 250 other schools are reported to have accepted StraighterLine coursework for transfer credit.
Currently, StraighterLine offers 38 entry-level college courses online in the Sciences, Humanities, English, Math and Business. 5 StraighterLine courses have been approved by The College Board to be listed as AP courses: AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, AP English Language and Composition, AP Calculus AB and AP Psychology. And dozens of StraighterLine courses cover the same subject areas as CLEP exams, making them acceptable alternatives to or preparations for those tests.
For information, visit StraighterLine.com or call 202-507-7020 or 1-877-str8erline (1-877-787-8375).
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