The most important economic institution in any city isn’t a Fortune 500 company. It’s the public school system, writes Cary Wright, CEO of Good Reason Houston, which advises districts on innovation and efficiency, in K-12 Dive. His essay has been edited for length.
A region’s economic strength depends on whether students are prepared not just to graduate, but to thrive in a labor market shaped by automation, digital skills, and constant change. More and more, the future vitality of a city is being shaped not in corporate boardrooms, but in pre-K classrooms, third-grade proficiency levels, and Algebra I performance.
Nearly 90 percent of U.S. students graduate from high school—and Houston mirrors that trend. Yet only 25 percent of Houston-area graduates earn a postsecondary credential, and just 20 percent make a living wage by their mid-twenties. Too few students are leaving school truly prepared for what comes next. This reflects a fundamental disconnect between what schools are measured on and what actually determines students’ futures.
At Good Reason Houston, we’ve identified 10 research-based milestones—from pre-K enrollment to advanced high school coursework—that predict long-term economic success. These are indicators of whether schools are driving upward mobility.
If economic mobility is the outcome that matters most, then school systems should be accountable for whether students ultimately achieve it. Living-wage attainment may be a lagging indicator, but it’s measurable, and it’s worth tracking.
We’ve seen this approach begin to take root in Houston ISD, the largest school district in Texas. The district has adopted living-wage attainment as a guiding goal and is relentlessly focused on preparing graduates for the economy of 2035 and beyond. Pre-K enrollment is nearing all-time highs, helping more students start their educational journeys on strong footing. Foundational skills in reading and math are improving at an unprecedented rate. Achievement gaps are rapidly narrowing. These gains didn’t come from small tweaks. They reflect a bold shift toward setting the right outcomes and redesigning the system to deliver them. Houston ISD’s progress shows that transformation at scale is not only possible, but achievable when districts stay focused on what truly matters for students.
School systems across the country must focus on the outcomes that truly change students’ lives. We have to stop treating high school graduation as the finish line we plan backward from. Instead, we should be making strategic decisions at every stage of the educational journey—from early learning through high school—with a clear destination in mind: ensuring every child, in every zip code, is prepared for the high-skill, high-wage jobs of the future.
What’s happening in Houston offers a concrete example of how a district can reorient itself around long-term outcomes and begin to deliver real progress. And it raises a larger question for the country: as education systems continue to evolve, are we sufficiently aligning innovation with the outcomes that matter most?
The rise of charter schools, and more recently the expansion of vouchers and education savings accounts, reflect a broader effort to rethink how we structure and deliver public education. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence will only accelerate that shift. We cannot settle for systems that hand out diplomas without ensuring students are prepared for postsecondary success and real opportunity.
Of course, schools cannot do this work alone. Employers must see students as tomorrow’s workforce and invest in supporting the education system accordingly. Policymakers must maintain high expectations and equip districts with adequate resources to meet them. Philanthropy must support efforts that drive systemic results, not just promising pilots that work for a narrow few. And communities must expect more and stand ready to help schools deliver on that promise.
Education systems must provide more than access. They must deliver both short-term improvement and lasting results that carry into adulthood. We must redefine success in public education and build the systems, partnerships, and political will to achieve it.
K-12 Dive
