View source for Rod Paige

{{Short description|American politician (born 1933)}}
{{For|the biologist Rod Page|Roderic D. M. Page}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Rod Paige
|image        = Rod Paige.jpg
|office       = 7th [[United States Secretary of Education]]
|caption      = Official portrait
|president    = [[George W. Bush]]
|term_start   = January 20, 2001
|term_end     = January 20, 2005
|predecessor  = [[Richard Riley]]
|successor    = [[Margaret Spellings]]
|office2 = Superintendent of the [[Houston Independent School District]]
|term_start2  = 1994
|term_end2    = 2001
|predecessor2 = [[Yvonne Gonzales]] (interim)
|successor2   = [[Kaye Stripling]] (interim)
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1933|6|17}}
|birth_place  = [[Monticello, Mississippi]], U.S.
|death_date   = 
|death_place  = 
|party        = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|spouse       = {{marriage|Gloria Crawford|1956|1982}}<br />Stephanie Nellons 
|children     = 1
|education    = [[Jackson State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br />[[Indiana University Bloomington]] ([[Master of Arts|MA]], [[Doctor of Education|EdD]])
|allegiance   = {{flagu|United States|1912}}
|branch       = {{flag|United States Navy|1864}}
|serviceyears = 1955–1957
}}
'''Roderick Raynor Paige''' (born June 17, 1933) is an American academic and politician who served as the 7th [[United States secretary of education]] from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from college football coach and classroom teacher to college dean and school [[Superintendent (education)|superintendent]] to be the [[List of African American United States Cabinet Secretaries|first African American]] to serve as the U.S. education chief.

Paige was sitting with [[George W. Bush]] at the [[Emma E. Booker Elementary School]] in [[Sarasota, Florida]], when Bush received the news that a second plane had hit the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]] in the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]].

On November 15, 2004, Paige announced his resignation after overseeing the President's education agenda for four years. [[White House]] domestic policy adviser [[Margaret Spellings]] was nominated as his successor. The [[U.S. Senate]] confirmed her on January 20, 2005 after Bush's inauguration for a second term.

Paige served as interim president of his alma mater, [[Jackson State University]], from November 2016 to June 2017.<ref name= names>{{cite news| url= http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/11/01/rod-paige-interim-jsu-president/93106816/ |title= College Board names Rod Paige interim JSU president| work= The Clarion-Ledger| first= Jimmie E.| last= Gates| date= November 1, 2016| access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Investiture Ceremony shows Bynum as faithful, father, friend and trailblazer |url=http://www.jsumsnews.com/?p=37587 |work=Jackson State Newsroom |location=[[Jackson, Mississippi]] |date=October 15, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2019}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Monticello, Mississippi|Monticello]], Mississippi, Paige is the son of public school educators.<ref name= EdWeek>{{cite news| url= https://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/secretary-of-education/rod-paige.html| date= August 18, 2017| title= Rod Paige, Seventh U.S. Education Secretary: Biography and Achievements| work= Education Week| access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref> He earned a [[bachelor's degree]] from [[Jackson State University]] in [[Jackson, Mississippi]]. He earned a [[master's degree]] and a [[Doctor of Education]] degree in [[Physical Education]] from [[Indiana University Bloomington]].<ref name= George>{{cite news |url= http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-s-Rod-Paige-named-Jackson-State-s-interim-10536444.php |title= Houston's Rod Paige named Jackson State's interim president | first= Cindy| last= George| work= [[Houston Chronicle]]| via= chron.com| date= November 2, 2016 | access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref><ref name= EdWeek />

==Career==
Paige served in the [[United States Navy]] from 1955 to 1957. Subsequently, he taught health and physical education and coached at [[Hinds Agricultural High School]] and Utica Junior College (now [[Hinds Community College]] Utica Campus) in Mississippi, from 1957 to 1963. From 1964 to 1968, Paige served as head football coach at [[Jackson State University]], compiling a record of 25–19–2. At Jackson State, he recruited and coached [[Lem Barney]] who later played for the [[Detroit Lions]] and was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news| last= Hall| first= Drew| title= Detroit Lions Hall of Famer Lem Barney's NFL Debut| work= Examiner| date= May 6, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url= http://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2017/09/17/detroit-lions-lem-barney-hall-of-fame-stats/673136001/ | title= Lem Barney's meteoric rise with Detroit Lions began 50 years ago today| first= Bill| last= Dow| work= [[Detroit Free Press]]| date= September 17, 2017 | access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref> From 1971 to 1975, Paige served as head football coach at [[Texas Southern University]], and served as the university's athletic director from 1971 to 1980.<ref name= George />

Paige first moved to Houston in the 1970s, settling in the [[Brentwood, Houston|Brentwood]] subdivision. He started a move to excise a dump from the edge of the community. The [[Texas Supreme Court]] eventually sided with the residents.<ref name="Paige">{{cite news| last= Frey| first= Jennifer| url= https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/69329066.html?dids=69329066:69329066&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+08%2C+2001&author=Jennifer+Frey&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Bush%27s+School+Master&pqatl=google | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120127051326/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/69329066.html?dids=69329066:69329066&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+08%2C+2001&author=Jennifer+Frey&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc=Bush%27s+School+Master&pqatl=google | url-status= dead | archive-date= January 27, 2012 |title= Bush's School Master| newspaper= [[The Washington Post]]| date= March 8, 2001| page= C01| access-date= October 26, 2011}}</ref> Paige taught at [[Texas Southern University]] from 1980 to 1984 and became the Dean of the College of Education in 1984, where he served until 1994. Paige also established the university's Center for Excellence in Urban Education, a research facility that concentrates on issues related to instruction and management in urban school systems.

As a trustee and an officer of the Board of Education of the [[Houston Independent School District]] (HISD) from 1989 to 1994, Paige coauthored the board's 'A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions', a statement of purpose and goals for the school district that called for fundamental reform through decentralization, a focus on instruction, accountability at all levels, and development of a core curriculum. A Declaration of Beliefs and Visions was the catalyst that launched the ongoing, comprehensive restructuring of HISD.  As an HISD trustee, Paige launched a municipal-style, accredited police department at HISD with police officers certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers Standards and Education. Paige's board of education began that effort to provide better school safety, and the HISD police department remains the only school district police department in the country to earn accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3215cf2557601310VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=1e236a23fcc4d210VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD |title=Seven New Police Sergeants Sworn in at HISD |website=HoustonISD.org |publisher=Houston Independent School District |date=July 11, 2011 |access-date=October 31, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003025249/http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=3215cf2557601310VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=1e236a23fcc4d210VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD |archive-date=October 3, 2012}}</ref>

Paige became the superintendent of schools of HISD in 1994. As superintendent, Paige created the Peer Examination, Evaluation, and Redesign (PEER) program, which solicits recommendations from business and community professionals for strengthening school support services and programs. He started a system of [[charter school]]s that have broad authority in decisions regarding staffing, textbooks, and materials. He saw to it that HISD paid teachers salaries competitive with those offered by other large Texas school districts. Paige made HISD the first school district in the state to institute performance contracts modeled on those in the private sector, whereby senior staff members' continued employment with HISD is based on their performance. He also introduced teacher incentive pay, which rewards teachers for raising test scores.

While he was superintendent, Paige led the district to enter into contracts with private schools to use them to teach some HISD students rather than placing those students into overcrowded public schools. Under Paige HISD contracted with three private schools that were certified by the Texas Education Agency to teach HISD students so their parents did not have to bus them to schools across the city.<ref>Eggers, William D. "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u7xOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=oPwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6807,1386764&dq=varnett-school+houston&hl=en Alternatives House Student Overflow]." ''[[Bridge News]]'' at the ''[[Lakeland Ledger]]''. Friday October 3, 1997. A9. Retrieved on November 22, 2011.</ref>

Many touted the "Houston Miracle" accomplished under Paige where student test scores rose under his leadership. However, some schools underreported the number of drop-outs during his watch.<ref>{{cite news| title= The 'Texas Miracle'| publisher= CBS News| url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-texas-miracle/| date= January 6, 2004| first= Rebecca| last= Leung| access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref>

Paige served as the Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005 under US President [[George W. Bush]].  The [[No Child Left Behind]] law that set new accountability standards nationwide was developed with Paige's help, and it was Paige's Department of Education that implemented the law. The Bush White House's development of the principles of No Child Left Behind drew in part on the successes of the Houston Independent School District under Paige.

Under Paige, the department earned "clean" audits from [[Ernst and Young]] for three consecutive years. Prior to 2001, the department had achieved only one clean audit in its history, and that audit was by the Department's Office of Inspector General.<ref>{{cite journal |url= http://www2.ed.gov/news/newsletters/achiever/2004/121504.pdf |title=Paige Resigns, Bush Appoints New Education Secretary |journal=The Achiever |publisher= US Dept. of Education |date=December 15, 2004 |volume=3 |number=19 |access-date=October 31, 2011}}</ref>

Paige proposed amendments to the regulations implementing [[Title IX]] of the [[Education Amendments of 1972]] to provide more flexibility for educators to establish single-sex classes and schools at the elementary and secondary levels.<ref>{{cite press release |url= http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2002/05/05082002.html |title=Secretary Paige Announces Intent to Provide More Flexibility Regarding Single-Sex Classes and Schools |publisher= US Dept. of Education | website= ED.gov |date=May 8, 2002|access-date=October 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/t9-guidelines-ss.html?exp=2|title=Guidelines regarding Single Sex Classes and Schools|work=Office for Civil Rights |publisher= US Dept. of Education |access-date=October 31, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2004/03/03032004.html |title=Department to Provide More Educational Options for Parents |publisher= US Dept. of Education | website= ED.gov |date=March 3, 2004 |access-date=October 31, 2011}}</ref>

Paige once referred to the [[National Education Association]], the nation's largest teachers union, as a "terrorist organization."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.boston.com/2004-02-24/news/29201432_1_nea-education-secretary-rod-paige-terrorist-organization |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205235426/http://articles.boston.com/2004-02-24/news/29201432_1_nea-education-secretary-rod-paige-terrorist-organization |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 5, 2012 |title=Education chief calls union 'terrorist' group | work= The Boston Globe |via= Boston.com |agency=Associated Press |date=February 24, 2004 |access-date=October 31, 2011}}</ref>

==Other activities==
Paige has served on review committees of the [[Texas Education Agency]] and the State Board of Education's Task Force on High School Education, and he has chaired the Youth Employment Issues Subcommittee of the [[National Commission for Employment Policy]] of the [[U.S. Department of Labor]]. Paige is a member of the NAACP [[National Association for the Advancement of Colored People]]. He is a former member of the [[Houston Job Training Partnership Council]], the [[Community Advisory Board of Texas Commerce Bank]], the [[American Leadership Forum]], and the board of directors of the [[Texas Business and Education Coalition]]. He is a member of [[Phi Beta Sigma]] fraternity. He also serves on the board of trustees for the American College of Education.

==Honors and awards==
The Houston Independent School District renamed its James Bowie Elementary School after Paige, to become Rod Paige Elementary School. The [[Lawrence County School District (Mississippi)|Lawrence County School District]] in his hometown of Monticello, Mississippi renamed its middle school Rod Paige Middle School.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.lawrence.k12.ms.us/Domain/12 | title= Rod Paige Middle School| website= lawrence.k12.ms.us| publisher= Lawrence County School District| place= [[Lawrence County, Mississippi]] | access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref>

The [[University of Houston]] presented Paige with an honorary doctoral degree in 2000.<ref>{{cite web| url= https://www.uh.edu/president/office/medallion-honorary/| website= UH.edu| publisher= University of Houston| title= Honorary Degree and President's Medallion Recipients | access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref> Indiana University Bloomington awarded Paige an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2017.<ref name= Goodheart>{{cite press release| title= Paige to receive honorary degree from Indiana University for distinguished career| publisher= Jackson State University| date= May 4, 2017| first= Olivia S.| last= Goodheart| url= http://www.jsumsnews.com/?p=30624| access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= https://honorsandawards.iu.edu/university/honorary-degrees.shtml| title= Honorary Degrees| website= IU.edu| publisher= Indiana University| access-date= November 8, 2017}}</ref>

==Head coaching record==
{{CFB Yearly Record Start | type = coach | team = | conf = | bowl = | poll = no }}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Jackson State Tigers football|Jackson State Tigers]]
 | conf      = [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]]
 | startyear = 1964
 | endyear   = 1968}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1964 NCAA College Division football season|1964]]
 | name         = [[1964 Jackson State Tigers football team|Jackson State]]
 | overall      = 6–4
 | conference   = 4–3
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1965 NCAA College Division football season|1965]]
 | name         = [[1965 Jackson State Tigers football team|Jackson State]]
 | overall      = 5–3–1
 | conference   = 3–3–1
 | confstanding = T–4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1966 NCAA College Division football season|1966]]
 | name         = [[1966 Jackson State Tigers football team|Jackson State]]
 | overall      = 5–3–1
 | conference   = 3–3–1
 | confstanding = T–5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1967 NCAA College Division football season|1967]]
 | name         = [[1967 Jackson State Tigers football team|Jackson State]]
 | overall      = 6–3
 | conference   = 4–3
 | confstanding = T–3rd
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1968 NCAA College Division football season|1968]]
 | name         = [[1968 Jackson State Tigers football team|Jackson State]]
 | overall      = 3–6
 | conference   = 1–6
 | confstanding = 7th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Jackson State
 | overall    = 25–19–2
 | confrecord = 15–18–2}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name      = [[Texas Southern Tigers football|Texas Southern Tigers]]
 | conf      = [[Southwestern Athletic Conference]]
 | startyear = 1971
 | endyear   = 1975}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1971 NCAA College Division football season|1971]]
 | name         = [[1971 Texas Southern Tigers football team|Texas Southern]]
 | overall      = 7–2–1
 | conference   = 3–2–1
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1972 NCAA College Division football season|1972]]
 | name         = [[1972 Texas Southern Tigers football team|Texas Southern]]
 | overall      = 5–4–1
 | conference   = 3–2–1
 | confstanding = 4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1973 NCAA Division II football season|1973]]
 | name         = [[1973 Texas Southern Tigers football team|Texas Southern]]
 | overall      = 5–5–1
 | conference   = 2–3–1
 | confstanding = 5th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1974 NCAA Division II football season|1974]]
 | name         = [[1974 Texas Southern Tigers football team|Texas Southern]]
 | overall      = 6–4
 | conference   = 3–3
 | confstanding = T–4th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship = 
 | year         = [[1975 NCAA Division II football season|1975]]
 | name         = [[1975 Texas Southern Tigers football team|Texas Southern]]
 | overall      = 4–6
 | conference   = 2–4
 | confstanding = 6th
 | bowlname     = 
 | bowloutcome  = 
 | bcsbowl      = 
 | ranking      = no
 | ranking2     = no}}
{{CFB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Texas Southern
 | overall    = 27–21–3
 | confrecord = 13–14–3}}
{{CFB Yearly Record End
 | overall  = 52–40–5
 | bowls    = no
 | poll     = no
 | polltype = 
 | legend   = no}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Texas|Biography}}
*[[History of the African Americans in Houston]]
*[[List of African-American United States Cabinet members]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{C-SPAN|87172}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Richard Riley]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States Secretary of Education]]|years=2001–2005}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Margaret Spellings]]}}
|-
{{s-aca}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Carolyn Meyers]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=President of [[Jackson State University]]<br />{{small|Acting}}|years=2016–2018}}
{{s-aft|after=William Bynum}}
|-
{{s-edu}}
{{s-bef
| before = [[Yvonne Gonzales]] (interim)
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = [[Houston Independent School District]]<br />superintendent
| years = 1994-2001
}}
{{s-aft
| after = [[Kaye Stripling]] (interim)
}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Spencer Abraham]]|as=Former US Cabinet Member}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[United States order of precedence|Order of precedence of the United States]]<br>''{{small|as Former US Cabinet Member}}''|years=}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Anthony Principi]]|as=Former US Cabinet Member}}
{{s-end}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Paige, Rod}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century American politicians]]
[[Category:African-American coaches of American football]]
[[Category:African-American members of the Cabinet of the United States]]
[[Category:American university and college faculty deans]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bearcats football coaches]]
[[Category:George W. Bush administration cabinet members]]
[[Category:Houston Independent School District superintendents]]
[[Category:Indiana University Bloomington alumni]]
[[Category:Jackson State Tigers football coaches]]
[[Category:Jackson State University alumni]]
[[Category:Mississippi Republicans]]
[[Category:People from Monticello, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Presidents of Jackson State University]]
[[Category:Texas Republicans]]
[[Category:Texas Southern Tigers athletic directors]]
[[Category:Texas Southern Tigers football coaches]]
[[Category:United States Navy sailors]]
[[Category:United States secretaries of education]]