Rod Paige facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rod Paige
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| 7th United States Secretary of Education | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Richard Riley |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Spellings |
| Superintendent of the Houston Independent School District | |
| In office 1994–2001 |
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| Preceded by | Yvonne Gonzales (interim) |
| Succeeded by | Kaye Stripling (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 17, 1933 Monticello, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses |
Gloria Crawford
(m. 1956–1982)Stephanie Nellons |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Jackson State University (BA) Indiana University Bloomington (MA, EdD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1955–1957 |
Roderick Raynor Paige (born June 17, 1933) is an American educator and politician. He served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. This role made him the main leader for education in the U.S. government. He was the first African American to hold this important position.
Before becoming Secretary of Education, Paige had a long career in education. He worked as a college football coach, a teacher, a college dean, and a school superintendent.
Paige was with President George W. Bush at a school in Florida on September 11, 2001. This was when President Bush learned about the second plane hitting the World Trade Center.
Paige announced he would leave his job on November 15, 2004. He had led the President's education plans for four years. Margaret Spellings took over his role in January 2005. Later, from 2016 to 2017, Paige was the temporary president of Jackson State University, where he had studied.
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Early Life and Education
Rod Paige was born in Monticello, Mississippi. His parents were both public school teachers. He earned his first degree from Jackson State University in Mississippi. He then went on to get two more degrees from Indiana University Bloomington. These degrees were a master's degree and a doctorate in Physical Education.
Career in Education
Paige served in the United States Navy from 1955 to 1957. After his military service, he taught health and physical education. He also coached at high schools and colleges in Mississippi from 1957 to 1963.
Football Coaching Years
From 1964 to 1968, Paige was the head football coach at Jackson State University. He helped recruit and coach Lem Barney, who later became a famous player for the Detroit Lions. Barney was even added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Paige then coached football at Texas Southern University from 1971 to 1975. He also served as the athletic director there until 1980.
Leading in Houston Schools
Paige moved to Houston in the 1970s. He became a teacher at Texas Southern University in 1980. By 1984, he was the Dean of the College of Education, a role he held for ten years. During this time, he created a research center focused on improving city school systems.
From 1989 to 1994, Paige was a leader on the Board of Education for the Houston Independent School District (HISD). He helped write a plan for the district to improve schools. This plan focused on giving schools more control, improving teaching, and holding everyone accountable. He also helped create HISD's own police department to make schools safer. This police department is the only one in the country for a school district to receive a special accreditation.
Superintendent of HISD
In 1994, Paige became the superintendent of HISD. This meant he was in charge of all the schools in the district. As superintendent, he started programs to get ideas from businesses and the community to make schools better. He also created charter schools, which had more freedom in how they operated.
Paige made sure HISD teachers were paid well, similar to other large school districts in Texas. He also introduced a system where teachers could earn extra pay if their students' test scores improved. Under his leadership, HISD even worked with private schools to teach some students when public schools were too crowded.
Many people praised the "Houston Miracle" under Paige. Student test scores seemed to go up during his time.
U.S. Secretary of Education
Rod Paige served as the Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. He worked under President George W. Bush. He helped create and put into action the No Child Left Behind law. This law set new standards for schools across the country. The ideas for this law were partly based on the successes seen in the Houston schools under Paige.
During his time as Secretary, the Department of Education received "clean" audits for three years in a row. This means their financial records were clear and correct. Before Paige, this had only happened once in the department's history.
Paige also suggested changes to rules that would allow schools to have single-sex classes or schools for younger students. This gave educators more choices.
Other Activities and Honors
Paige has been involved in many groups that focus on education and community. He is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He has also served on various committees and boards related to education and employment.
In recognition of his work, two schools have been named after him. The James Bowie Elementary School in Houston was renamed Rod Paige Elementary School. Also, a middle school in his hometown of Monticello, Mississippi, is now called Rod Paige Middle School.
Both the University of Houston and Indiana University Bloomington have given Paige honorary doctoral degrees. These degrees recognize his important contributions to education.
See also
