A member of the Fordham boards for almost two decades, Rod Paige was a lifelong educator and civil rights pioneer. As Education Secretary, he was an unstinting advocate of student achievement, employing “best of breed” solutions to achieve results toward the goal of raising national standards, boosting school and student performance, and closing learning gaps. His quest for innovative approaches to systemic academic improvement began as Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University, where he established the university’s Center for Excellence in Urban Education. He also showed a knack for inclusive leadership, first as a trustee and then as Superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. Following his service as Education Secretary, Dr. Paige was a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he brought a global perspective to his work, seeking both to export the best education practices and products that the U.S. has to offer and to import those that have been successful in other countries.
U.S. Secretary of Education, 2001–2005
