Paige's
tenure included a few harsh lessons
Tuesday, November 16, 2004 • BY BEN FELLER
• Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Rod Paige's tenure as education secretary
was defined by his defense of one law, the No Child Left
Behind Act, the biggest change in federal education policy
in decades.
Paige, a son of segregated Mississippi, rose from
college dean and urban school superintendent to become the
first black education secretary.
His belief in education as the great equalizer shaped
his view that schools must set higher expectations for poor
and minority students -- and that schools must be held
accountable when those children don't succeed.
"Throughout his life, Rod has overcome great obstacles
and achieved great success," President Bush said in a
statement yesterday. "He represents the best of
America."
Paige was the public face on the No Child Left Behind
Act, the political centerpiece of Bush's domestic agenda.
The law aims to get all children up to par in reading and
math, but its reliance on testing and on penalties for
struggling schools has frustrated many educators.
"No Child Left Behind is indelibly launched. A culture
of accountability is gripping the American educational
landscape," Paige said in a statement. "At the end of the
president's first term, I will have served longer than any
Republican United States Secretary of Education. At that
time, my work here will be accomplished."
Paige's resignation letter was dated Nov. 5, and news of
his departure broke last week. He told Bush he would prefer
to leave by the end of the first presidential term in
January to pursue a long- planned "personal project," which
an aide later identified as a remodeling of his house.
At times, Paige's words got him in trouble. He referred
to the National Education Association, the country's largest
teachers union, as a "terrorist organization" for the way it
opposed the law. Paige apologized but maintained his
criticism of the union, which called for him to resign.
© 2004 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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