Statement - Rod Paige
J. C. Bowman, Director of Education Policy,
Tennessee Institute for Public Policy.
Because of my experience in Texas, I have been asked by several people for information on Rod Paige. I believe Rod Paige is a great choice for Secretary of Education. The Houston ISD has been one of the most progressive public school districts in the nation. He is a bridge from the business-as-usual mentality toward a more free-market approach favored by reformers. He is solid academically. This gentleman will make a difference. Closely connected to Thaddeus Lott, another African-American pioneer----Rod Paige will challenge our public schools to improve.
Academically, the media should consider the case of Wesley Elementary School in the poor and violent Acres Home neighborhood in Houston. Forswearing educational fads such as whole-language reading and student-centered instruction, the educational philosophy is based on old-fashioned direct instruction, high expectations, and strict discipline. As a result, Wesley Elementary has been wildly successful even though it has a student body which is 93% black and 6% Hispanic. On the 1996 TAAS (Texas state-wide exam), 100% of third-graders at Wesley passed the reading section, although just 3% had been designated as special ed; the statewide percentages of African-American and Hispanic third-graders who passed the reading TAAS were 65% and 72%, respectively. The experience at Wesley proves that minority children can achieve at much higher levels than they are currently. It also proves contrary to assertions that the Texas assessment (TAAS) is not biased against African-American and Hispanics students. Rather, the lesson seems to be that low expectations and faddish, feel-good educational techniques breed poor results, especially among minority children.
[This is the Education Commission of the States rundown on Rod Paige.]
ROD PAIGE, Houston superintendent of schools, today was named as
President-elect George W. Bush's education secretary.
Superintendent of Texas' largest district since 1994, Paige is the
second black named to Bush's cabinet, joining Colin Powell.
According to today's Houston Chronicle, Paige is "widely credited with
making the Houston district one of the country's finest urban school
districts." Academic performance and test scores have improved under his
tenure at the 90% minority school district, the newspaper reported.
Paige came to Houston after serving as dean of the College of Education
at Texas Southern University. He was elected to the Houston Independent
School District Board of Education in 1989 and served as its president
in 1992.
Bush said he picked Paige because of his experience at these various
levels of the education system.
Paige has been active in ECS, serving on ECS Chairman Wyoming Governor
Jim Geringer's advisory council on teaching quality in 1999-2000 and as
a frequent conference speaker and participant.
He also has served on review committees of the Texas Education Agency
and held numerous positions of responsibility with the Texas Association
of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators.
In 1999, Paige was named outstanding urban educator by the Council of
the Great City Schools, which he now serves as secretary-treasurer.
Other memberships include:
* Houston Job Training Partnership Council
* State Board of Education High School Education Task Force
* Community Advisory Board of Texas Commerce Bank
* NAACP
* Board of directors of the Texas Business and Education Coalition.