Five Questions with Secretary Rod Paige

Secretary Rod Paige brought an interesting set of experiences to President Bush’s cabinet. After serving two years in the U.S. Navy, he had been a high school and community college teacher, a college football head coach, a college athletic director, an officer and trustee on the Houston Independent School District (HISD) Board of Education and the HISD superintendent. Soaring student achievement on his watch became known as the “Houston Miracle.” In his native Monticello, Mississippi, a middle school is named in his honor. At 85, Sec. Paige remains active. In fact, last year he completed a very effective eight-month term as interim president of his alma mater, Jackson State University. In this month’s “Five Questions With…”, Sec. Paige offers his views on leadership, the state of the country’s education system and his recollections of being with President Bush on 9/11.

Q: In short order and in an interim role at Jackson State, you were able to bring stability and renewed financial well-being to campus. From a leadership standpoint, what were the keys to those accomplishments?

The first key was to have a really deep appreciation for Jackson State and its uniqueness and potential for greatness.

The quality of the faculty, the achievement of the students, some of the departments had impressive accomplishments. There was real pride of the organization. I had visited a number of HBCUs, and I was impressed with what I found there.

Some organizational errors had occurred. There were some fundamental organizational principles that had to be established in order to put the university back on the right track. It was simply a matter of gathering the university leadership, discussing what needed to be accomplished, and pushing the “go” button. In my career, my time as interim president of Jackson State University ranks up there with any experience I’ve had in terms of joy.

Q: You played a key role in creating and implementing President Bush’s No Child Left Behind education reform law, passed in 2002 with major bipartisan support. What is most gratifying to you when you think about NCLB and what is its lasting legacy?

First, NCLB created a major catapult forward in public education. It put a lot of things in order. It put goals in place. It also took into consideration all of the students. In many cases, the focus had been on certain populations or on those students who already had a fundamental head start. We were not focusing on or accounting for the entire school population. We want education to move forward all of the children, but the political atmosphere in the nation’s capital created barriers. I felt really appreciative of the leadership President Bush displayed to get that accomplished. The important word one uses to describe it is “all.” NCLB focused on all of the students. Some states, because of political pressure, are backing away from the stronger accountability that NCLB put in place. That is worrisome. In certain states we see the devastation that is caused when we are driven by interests other than the students we are supposed to be serving.

Q: What is the state of K-12 education today – where have we made progress and what should we be doing as a country to address the most urgent needs?

Recently I was looking at the data our education system has produced. There is much that can be learned from examining NAEP or OECD data. I’m not sure this is the right thing to say, but I’ll say it anyway: Secretary (Arne) Duncan used the word “stagnation” when looking at OECD data. That our education system was in a period of stagnation, which means not moving, not flowing. That word is appropriate. I see in examining that data that the forward movement for our kids has slowed considerably. I think this nation needs a careful examination of what we are achieving so we can figure out ways to break loose from the stagnation and move forward again. Our Asian and European neighbors have closed the gap and moved ahead of us in world leadership in education. As a nation, we are absent from the top seven or eight nations in educational achievement. Nations improve themselves through education. In terms of being a great nation, this is a problem we must fix.

Q: You were with President Bush at Emma E. Booker Elementary in Sarasota, Florida on 9/11. As you reflect back on that day more than 17 years ago, what are the most powerful takeaways?

The experience still burns bright in my mind. I remember us pulling up to the school. As I walked in behind the President, I saw Andy Card hand him a phone. I had no idea he had just been told about the first plane hitting the tower. We then went into the classroom where the second-graders were. Andy came into the room, walked over to the President, leaned in and whispered something to him. The President had a startled look on his face, but he didn’t say anything. President Bush looked at him for a second and then turned back to the kids. He cut it short and we left the classroom to go to the auditorium where he was scheduled to give a speech.

He said to me, “You’re going to have to finish this. I’m going to have to leave.” I went to the auditorium and saw tons of cameras. Florida Lt. Gov. Frank Brogan introduced me. I had to deliver remarks I hadn’t focused on. The Secret Service then came to me and told me we would have to leave, but of course, I had to stay in Florida for a couple of days. Every year in September, it plays back across my mind in very vivid ways. There are several ways President Bush could have handled being with the second-graders when he got the news from Andy Card that the second tower had been hit. I think the way he handled it was magnificent: Poised, calm and direct – exactly what you would expect from a leader. What you need from a leader.

Q: Can you leave us with a favorite memory or moment from your time as Secretary of Education – something besides your 9/11 experience that has stayed with you through the years?

Each cabinet member submitted ideas to the President for discussion in the next cabinet meeting. In meeting with President Bush before an upcoming cabinet meeting, we went over the issues I had suggested for the agenda. They were highly technical issues. I dealt with them all the time, but I had a team of experts at the Department of Education working on these complex policy matters with me.

In a meeting with the President about the issues, I was thoroughly impressed with how informed he was on those issues. He was on top of it. He completely understood those issues. The President was deeply involved in moving the education issue forward. That is a great memory.