This report uses national data from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) to evaluate the effectiveness of the types of school-to-career (STC) programs that were encouraged and supported in California by the grants received by the state from the federal School-to-Work Opportunities Act of 1994 (STWOA). In particular, the empirical analysis focuses on whether participation in these STC programs increases postsecondary college enrollment or employment. STWOA provided more than $1.5 billion over a five-year period to support increased school-to-work activities in the nation?s public schools. This money was made available to states to create STC systems entailing cooperation among schools, private business, and government bodies (Office of Technology Assessment, 1995). STWOA set out to increase (1) school-based initiatives such as career links to academic curriculum and career awareness activities, (2) workbased activities such as job shadowing, internships, and apprenticeships, and (3) connecting activities, such as the development of partnerships with employers and postsecondary institutions. STWOA was not reauthorized after its initial five years. And although certain other school-to-career programs still exist, mainly Tech Prep and Career Academies, this loss of funding appears to have left a gaping hole in efforts to prepare low-skilled youth for higher-paying jobs?the principal goal behind the original legislation. This is particularly problematical for California because, as research in other studies has shown, income inequality is higher in California than in the rest of the nation, and the difference between the incomes of the "haves" and "have nots" is largely attributable to education. Given the loss of federal STWOA funding, it is important to determine just how effective the activities supported by this program were and whether it might be in California's best interest to restore some of the funding for these activities. p their careerve on to work, further education, or a combination of the two.