More employers have mobilized to support career academies. They say that in addition to improving student engagement in school, academies help to strengthen relationships among business leaders, educators, and civic leaders; prevent high risk students from dropping out; and expand their pipeline of qualified workers. Academic research has helped accelerate employer involvement in academies. A study shows academies improve students' high school completion rates and grade point averages, increase their probability of attending college and improve their academic knowledge and skills. Researchers say many positive outcomes stem from the personal attention students receive--easier transitions, better attendance and graduations, and more motivation. Initiatives succeed only when they are well implemented. Academies must have teachers, school administrators, and employers able to work cooperatively. Many try to overcome an initial sense of mutual distrust between school systems and the business community by hiring intermediary organizations to coordinate services. Support for academies is growing, but these challenges still exist: to align them with the standards movement; to convince educators, parents, and students that academies are rigorous academic and work-based programs, not traditional vocational programs; to provide professional development for school staffs; and to get businesses to view participation as a strategic, "bottom-line" issue. (YLB)