Good Reason Houston CEO Cary Wright took the stage at TEDx Lone Star College over the weekend with a bold challenge for Houston: it’s time to move beyond graduation rates and focus on whether students are truly prepared for economic mobility.
Wright reframed how we should think about public education’s role in Houston’s economy.
“When we picture a city’s economy, we often think of the skyline—corporate towers, research hubs, manufacturing zones,” Wright said. “But the most important economic institution in any city isn’t a Fortune 500 company. It’s in a classroom.”
The Living Wage Challenge
Wright highlighted a stark reality: while nearly 90% of Houston students graduate from high school, only 25% earn a postsecondary credential, and just 20% make a living wage by their mid-20s. “This isn’t a talent gap. It’s an opportunity gap,” he told the audience.
He called for a new standard of success in public education—one that tracks whether students are on a path to earn a living wage, not just whether they receive a diploma. Wright pointed to Houston ISD as proof this approach works, with 75% of students now learning in A or B-rated schools, up from just 50% in 2023, and zero F-rated schools compared to 56 in 2023.
Personal Roots in the Classroom
Wright opened his talk by sharing his own journey as a 21-year-old fifth-grade math teacher in rural Mississippi, where he witnessed firsthand education’s transformative power. He described watching Alan, a student who had been held back a couple of years and was the oldest of seven siblings, lean into learning—a change that impacted not just the student, but his entire family. Watch for the full TEDx talk below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_X1te5JFq8&list=PLR0ZOzF45MfPZ7tX_OykCakvJC_IxlYuz&index=12
