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Since 1987 the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has worked with its member states (Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia) and their secondary schools to enhance the reading, mathematics and science achievement of high school students who complete a concentration of courses in vocational studies. The SREB has established a school improvement initiative called 'High schools that work' that has been successful in raising the academic achievement of vocational students. Drawing on data from examinations based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, SREB has determined that schools participating in this program have reached the 1988 goal to raise the mathematics and science achievement of vocational students to the national averages of all high school students. This document describes the progress that has since been made in raising the academic achievement of vocational students to national averages or higher and the school practices that facilitate improved student performance. The document concludes by proposing some strategies that states can take to improve high schools for students enrolled in vocational programs.