When lawmakers resume their debate over how to reform our state's public school finance system, the moral issues surrounding our responsibility to the future of Texas must not be overlooked. It's not enough anymore just to prepare the 4.3 million young Texans attending our public schools to graduate.

We must go a step further and prepare our graduates for success in the college classroom or workplace.

Long gone are the days when a high school diploma guaranteed success in the workplace. More than 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs in America require education beyond high school. Our education system must adapt to a global economy that demands a higher level of skills and academic achievement.

A number of initiatives in Texas give high school students a leg up in the next phase of their education. They set high expectations for students and involve superior teachers who have quality training, tools and resources.

These programs are redesigning our high schools with one goal in mind — to harness academic potential instead of wasting it. And they are worth our state's investment.

What are these programs? Texas Scholars, for example, gives special recognition to high school students who complete tougher courses, resulting in higher college GPAs and little or no college remediation. The early college start program, which offers dual credit and concurrent enrollment courses in high school, increases the college-going rate by providing a low-cost college experience.

Another program proven to be worth its weight in gold is the Advanced Placement (AP) Incentive Program, which focuses on English, math and the sciences. Texas has two kinds of advanced placement incentive programs, one state funded and one privately funded. Both provide participating students and faculty financial incentives tied to performance. And performance in both has been phenomenal.

Since the state-sponsored program was fully funded in the 1996-97 school year, the number of students taking AP exams has skyrocketed from 34,000 to 112,000 in 2005. This means that 25 percent of our juniors and seniors are taking at least one AP exam. Passing scores have tripled.

The privately funded program, Advanced Placement Strategies (APS), is in 58 districts across Texas, training 6,500 teachers in 440 schools. The Austin school district could soon join this list — Superintendent Pat Forgione is working hard to get the APS program in AISD schools beginning next year.

When APS began in 1996 in 10 Dallas high schools, only 157 passing AP scores were recorded. This year saw 1,190 passing scores. Dallas ISD minority students pass three times as many AP exams as other students in the United States.

If this can happen in a district like Dallas — with a 93 percent minority and an 81 percent economically disadvantaged student population — it can happen in every high school in Austin. AP programs have no geographical bias, no gender bias, no ethnic bias.

Today, 81 percent of Texas high schools offer AP exams compared to 67 percent of U.S. public schools. While we're doing a good job, there's still room for improvement.

We must continue to support our state leaders, educators and business community for their commitment to programs preparing our students for post-high school success. Our students deserve nothing less.

Paige served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2001-2005. Martinez, chairman of the Texas Public Education Reform Foundation, is a law partner of Franklin, Cardwell & Jones in Houston. They can be reached at 4texas@tperfonline.org.