This report presents some of the most important findings from the Houston Education Survey, the second of three focused surveys that are together called the “SHEA” studies (“Surveys of Health, Education, and the Arts”). Supported by a grant from Houston Endowment Inc., the studies were designed to assess the experiences, beliefs, and attitudes of Harris County residents with regard specifically to these important areas of urban life.
In today’s fully global, high-technology, knowledge-based economy, education has become more important than ever before in determining the life chances of individuals and the competitive success of cities. After assessing the new realities, we explore what the survey findings suggest about the extent of the public’s understanding of the educational challenges facing the region. How willing are Harris County residents to make the sustained investments that will be needed to meet the challenges? What, in sum, do the findings portend for the development of Houston’s workforce competitiveness in the high-tech, knowledge-based, global economy of the 21st century?
