The School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which was designed to improve student learning, in-school retention, and transition to the workplace, requires the restructuring of secondary education and the extensive involvement of business in preparing youth for the workplace. School-to-work initiatives reflect the conditions of the settings and contexts in which they are introduced. School-to-work initiatives may be characterized as follows: an identifiable formal part of a secondary and/or postsecondary curriculum; active participation of employers; actual or simulated on-the-job experience, and formal or informal certification of skills. Reviews and syntheses of the school-to-work literature have identified the characteristics of effective school-to-work initiatives as they relate to overall system development, partnerships, commitment, funding, guidance, and classroom and worksite activities. Teacher practices that have had a significant effect on students and classrooms have also been identified. Negative attitudes of employers, parents, postsecondary institutions, and teachers toward school-to-work initiatives are among the biggest barriers to successful initiatives. Recommendations for improving school-to-work efforts include the following: recruit enough employers who are willing to provide work-based learning opportunities; give teachers the time, resources, and support required to connect school- and work-based learning; inform parents about the objectives of school-to-work initiatives; and foster high school students' vocational maturity. (MN)