He is the first superintendent of an urban school district, and the first African American, to get the big education desk in Washington. Maybe DC just figured out that experience counts, or maybe Rod Paige is just too good to be true.
He grew up in rural Mississippi, his mom was a librarian - his dad a principal. Paige started his career a college coach, later, he was a university professor, and eventually Superintendent of Houston public schools. When he left Texas for Washington, the drop out rate in Houston was down, test scores were up, and the achievement gap between minority and white students had narrowed.
Today, he is trying to bring choice, accountability and excellence to public schools across the country.
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Rod Paige, US Secretary of Education
Sandra Simpson, Social Studies teacher at Dorchester High School in Boston, MA
