In 2001, the U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Rod Paige as the 7th U.S. Secretary of Education. He was the first school superintendent to serve as Secretary of Education.
Dr. Paige began his career in education as a teacher and a coach. Then, for ten years he held the position of dean of the College of Education at TSU. In 1989 he became a trustee and an officer of the Board for HISD and held the position for five years while still with TSU. He soon became superintendent of HISD and was ultimately named "National Superintendent of the Year".
As Secretary, Dr. Paige held the Department of Education to the same high standards. Upon taking office, he learned of wide-scale criminal fraud, waste and abuse within the Department that was featured on national network news. He made improving management one of his top priorities. The Department received its second clean financial audit in fiscal year 2003, only the third in the 24-year history of the Department.