A New Secretary of Education

by

Kathy Dillenbeck

On October 25, 2000, in testimony before the House Education and the Workforce Committee, out-going Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley mentioned “the growing evidence that raising standards and holding schools accountable for results really works.”  Our new Secretary of Education, Roderick Paige, has certainly provided some of that evidence.

 Born in Monticello, MS in 1933 to a librarian and a school principal, Rod Paige has a BS, MA, and Ph.D. in education.  Since he wrote his doctoral thesis on the reaction time of offensive linemen, it is probably no surprise that he has been head football coach at Utica (MS) Junior College, Jackson State University, and Texas Southern University.  At Texas Southern, he also served as athletic director, assistant professor, and Dean of the School of Education.

 In 1989, he was elected to the Houston Independent School District (ISD) Board of Education and then served as president of that board in 1992.  He has been Superintendent of that district for the last six years.

 The Houston ISD is the seventh largest district in the nation, comprised of 210,000 mostly black and Hispanic students, 300 schools, and 27,000 teachers.  Three-fourths of its students are poor, and more than one-half of beginning students can barely speak English. 

 In the past six years under Dr. Paige’s leadership, the Houston ISD recruited quality teachers, reduced violence and improved reading and other state test scores.  Whereas less than one-half (44.2%) of Hispanic students passed state math tests six years ago when Dr. Paige became superintendent, 80.3% passed last year.

 Dr. Paige firmly believes that standardized tests should be given annually and that school performance should be rated.  He believes that teachers should also be tested.  In short, he believes in accountability.  Goals should be set for both teachers and students and performance evaluated.  He is a strong believer in devoting more time to teaching children basic skills such as reading and writing.  He does not allow failing students to be promoted.

 Unafraid of confronting the entrenched bureaucracy, Dr. Paige contracted with private companies to pick up garbage, prepare food, and even to run an alternative school for wayward students.  He also tied principals’ salaries and job security to their students’ performance, and partially linked teacher salaries to student performance improvement.  In addition to demoting some administrators, he persuaded many to retire.  His belief in incentives is evidenced by the fact that his own employment contract provided a bonus if test scores increased.

 Although he does not like the word “voucher”, he does support the use of taxpayer money to send children to private schools under certain conditions.  For example, he started a program that permitted students in Houston’s lowest performing schools to use state money to attend private, but not parochial, schools.  The following statements demonstrate his clear support for parental choice:

Ÿ  “The power of informed parental choice can change the status quo.”

Ÿ  “Failing schools should be given a finite period of time to change.  If they fail to do so, children of low-income parents should have the option of transferring to another public school or using their share of federal funds to pay for another option, including tutoring, a charter school, or a nonpublic school.”

Dr. Paige has received several accolades from various education groups.  Last year, he was voted “superintendent of the year” by the National Alliance of Black Educators.  He was the 2000 Texas superintendent of the year.  He is one of four finalists for the American Association of School Administrators’ 2001 Superintendent of the Year.  Until the recent change in jobs, he was also the highest paid superintendent in the nation.

When Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, whose children attend schools in the Houston ISD, introduced Dr. Paige to the Senate Education Committee, she called him “the self-effacing catalyst behind management improvements and rising student achievement in the Houston schools.”   Although one could probably make the case that there is a canyon-like divide in ideology between Republican Dr. Paige and liberal Democrat Lee, she enthusiastically praised the results of his leadership. 

  During the hearing, Dr. Paige outlined a four-step general plan:

ŸDemand accountability,

   Ÿ  Give local school systems more control over federal money,

   Ÿ  Emphasize phonics-based reading for young children,

   Ÿ  Improve school safety.

Of course, Dr. Paige is not without his critics.  Some have complained that Houston schools teach to the test before reading exams and that there is a systematic effort to force out students who might fail.  A new study by Harvard University cites Texas school systems for some of the highest dropout rates in the country. 

It should be a fascinating next few years.