ACTE Issue Briefs provide background information, highlight research, profile career and technical education (CTE) programs and include examples of how CTE is tied to a broader issue of national interest. This brief, "The Role of Career Academies in Education Improvement," was released in the spring of 2009 to capitalize on education reform discussions related to the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As economic development issues dominate policy debates around the country, it is critical that the focus on improving education and training opportunities for students does not wane. Despite the attention paid to education reforms in recent years, there has been no "silver bullet" to increasing student engagement, achievement, and transition to successful post-high school education and career opportunities. There is strong evidence, however, that career academies improve student performance, and the consistent involvement of business and industry provides a critical link between student learning and workforce needs. The benefits of career academies include a more educated workforce, a greater ability to attract new business to communities, reduced dropout rates, increased graduation rates, greater earnings among graduating students, and increased readiness for college. Through new and sustained investments in the career academy model, school districts and communities can reap the rewards of a school improvement model that can positively contribute to the nation's economic development and recovery by helping to prepare a well-educated and skilled workforce. (Contains 8 endnotes.)