The past five decades have produced a tremendous archive of important and interesting strategies, frameworks and practices aimed at improvement in public education. Yet despite the vast set of knowledge generated by this work, gains have not been significant enough nor sustained. Young people still arrive at postsecondary institutions ill-prepared if they are lucky enough to arrive at all. At the same time, New England's economy and overall way of life are changing and will change more in the coming years. More and more, people find they need a degree or certificate that indicates a high level of skills and knowledge in order to achieve their goals and contribute to society. If educators want to improve the region's prospects for the future and make good on the promise of education, they must find a way to increase the number of people who achieve this kind of postsecondary success. If they are to do that, they must begin to look at new ways to prepare young people for life during and after high school.