Statement on the Passing of Rod Paige By the Council of the Great City Schools
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9 – The Council of the Great City Schools and its member urban school systems are profoundly saddened at the passing of former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige at the age of 92.
“Rod Paige was a tireless advocate for urban public education and a relentless warrior on behalf of urban children, and he will truly be missed,” said Council Executive Director Ray Hart.
Paige was appointed the seventh U.S. Secretary of Education in 2001 by President George W. Bush, where he played a major role in developing and implementing the landmark education legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act. The law represented a substantial shift in federal education policy toward accountability for student achievement gains, reductions in achievement gaps, and student choice. At the time, the Council was the only national education association to give the law any measure of support.
In 1994, Paige was selected to serve as superintendent of the Houston Independent School after serving as a school board trustee. Under his leadership, the school district experienced dramatic improvement in student achievement and received national acclaim.
In 1999, Paige was presented with the Green-Garner Award, the nation’s highest honor in for urban education leadership, at the Council’s 43rd Annual Conference in Dayton, Ohio.
Paige played an instrumental role in the Council, serving on the organization’s Executive Committee as the secretary/treasurer before he left to lead the Education Department.
“Rod Paige’s decades of service in urban public education stands alone as one of the nation’s most important contributions to our Great City Schools,” added Hart. “We are extremely grateful for his energy and passion on behalf of America’s urban children.”
After leaving Washington in 2005, Paige continued contributing to education, including serving as interim president of Jackson State University from 2016 to 2017.
The Council family extends its deepest sympathies to Rod’s family, who he loved deeply, and from whom he drew strength and courage.
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