To identify ways employers can strengthen the link between school and work, case studies of efforts to link school to work were conducted in four urban communities: Boston, Massachusetts; Fort Worth, Texas; Louisville/Jefferson County, Kentucky; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Data were gathered from interviews with educators, members of the business community, and representatives of bodies devoted to linking school to work (for example, private industry councils, work force development councils, and school-to-work partnerships). All four communities showed evidence of the following: defining and implementing rigorous academic standards; embedding academic curricula in real-world contexts; introducing applied, hands-on pedagogy; and extending learning beyond the classroom through field-based investigations, teacher externships, community service, school-based enterprises, and work-based learning. It was concluded that employers can provide leadership in school reform by combining consistent support for district and school improvement with organized pressure to sustain and accelerate measurable progress and that employer improvement is particularly critical to strategies for reforming comprehensive high schools. The following challenges facing communities wishing to foster school-to-career programs were identified: moving from small pilots to significant scale; demonstrating improved student and school outcomes; building and sustaining support; and integrating school-to-career practices into a coordinated high school reform agenda. (Contains 85 endnotes.) (MN)