Roderick Raynor Paige Sr. (June 17, 1933 – December 9, 2025) was an American academic and politician who served as the 7th United States secretary of education from 2001 to 2005 during the George W. Bush administration. He was the first African American to serve as the secretary of education. His tenure as education secretary was noted for his involvement in the creation and passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2002.

Early life and education

Roderick Raynor Paige was born on June 17, 1933, in Monticello, Mississippi, as the son of public school educators. He earned a bachelor's degree from Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi. He earned a master's degree and a Doctor of Education degree in Physical Education from Indiana University Bloomington.

Career

Paige taught health and physical education and coached at Hinds Agricultural High School and Utica Junior College (now Hinds Community College Utica Campus) in Mississippi, from 1957 to 1963. From 1971 to 1975, Paige served as head football coach at Texas Southern University, and served as the university's athletic director from 1971 to 1980. Paige taught at Texas Southern University from 1980 to 1984 and became the Dean of the College of Education in 1984, where he served until 1994.

Paige became the superintendent of schools of HISD in 1994.

Many touted the "Houston Miracle" accomplished under Paige where student test scores rose under his leadership. However, some schools underreported the number of drop-outs during his watch.

U.S. Secretary of Education

thumb|right|200px|Paige being sworn in by Vice President [[Dick Cheney as Secretary of Education while President George W. Bush looks on, 2001]]

In January 2001, Paige was confirmed as the U.S. Secretary of Education by the U.S. Senate and was later sworn in to serve on President George W. Bush's cabinet. Paige was the first school superintendent to serve as Education secretary.

Paige was sitting with President Bush at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, when Bush received the news that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center in the September 11, 2001 attacks.

In 2003, the Education Department received its second clean financial audit in a row for that fiscal year. He would apologize for his remarks a few days later.

Other activities

Paige served on review committees of the Texas Education Agency and the State Board of Education's Task Force on High School Education, and he chaired the Youth Employment Issues Subcommittee of the National Commission for Employment Policy of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Paige was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was also a member of the Houston Job Training Partnership Council, the Community Advisory Board of Texas Commerce Bank, the American Leadership Forum, and the board of directors of the Texas Business and Education Coalition.

Paige was also a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, having been initiated into the Alpha Beta chapter on October 15, 1952. He later went on to serve as interim president of his alma mater, Jackson State University, from November 2016 to June 2017. Nellons had a daughter, Danielle, from a previous marriage, who would become Paige's step-daughter.

Honors and awards

The Houston Independent School District renamed its James Bowie Elementary School after Paige, to become Roderick R Paige Elementary School. The Lawrence County School District in his hometown of Monticello, Mississippi, renamed its Monticello Junior High School as Rod Paige Middle School.

The University of Houston presented Paige with an honorary doctoral degree in 2000. Indiana University Bloomington awarded Paige an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2017, in addition to a Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2013.

Head coaching record

See also

  • History of the African Americans in Houston
  • List of African-American United States Cabinet members

Notes

References

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