Federal Federal File

Reality Check

By Michelle R. Davis — March 29, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Rod Paige Gets Used to Life After Serving in the Cabinet

Former Secretary of Education Rod Paige readily admits that it took some effort to adjust to “civilian” life.

Mr. Paige, who stepped down from the helm of the Department of Education in January, called the transition “really tough” during a chat in Washington after a March 15 panel discussion about the upcoming 40th anniversary of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

“It was traumatic,” said a seemingly relaxed Mr. Paige, wearing his trademark cowboy boots. “I’m just getting my arms around it.”

Without a staff to manage his affairs, Mr. Paige said that during the first few weeks after leaving the department, he misplaced phone messages and accidentally deleted e-mails.

He also had to get used the tedious process of removing his shoes and emptying his pockets while going through airport security instead of being whisked through as a Cabinet member.

But Mr. Paige, who spends time at his homes in Houston and Washington, had been warned before his departure by one of his predecessors, Lamar Alexander, who served under President George H.W. Bush and is now a Republican senator from Tennessee.

“He said, ‘Don’t be surprised if you go to get into the car and you get into the passenger side,’ ” Mr. Paige said.

Mr. Paige’s untethered feelings didn’t last long, however. This month, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, located in Washington and the host of the ESEA panel, announced that Mr. Paige was coming on board as a public-policy scholar for six months.

He’ll continue studying and writing about an issue that has been his passion ever since his days as the superintendent of the Houston school district: the achievement gap between most minority students and their white peers.

“The issue for me is the achievement gap. It always has been. I’m personally offended by it,” Mr. Paige said. “I don’t accept the premise that this gap can’t be closed.”

And there is a real plus to becoming just a regular citizen instead of a Cabinet secretary, Mr. Paige said. He can now enjoy one of his favorite pastimes—browsing in bookstores—without any staff members reading over his shoulder or reminding him of his next appointment.

“It’s invigorating,” he said.

Related Tags:

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM’s Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by Project Lead The Way
Recruitment & Retention Webinar EdRecruiter 2025 Survey Results: The Outlook for Recruitment and Retention
See exclusive findings from EdWeek’s nationwide survey of K-12 job seekers and district HR professionals on recruitment, retention, and job satisfaction. 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal How Trump Can Hobble the Education Department Without Abolishing It
There is plenty the incoming administration can do to kneecap the main federal agency responsible for K-12 schools.
9 min read
Former President Donald Trump speaks as he arrives in New York on April 15, 2024.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives in New York on April 15, 2024. Trump pledged on the campaign trail to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education in his second term.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP
Federal Opinion Closing the Education Department Is a Solution in Search of a Problem
There’s a bill in Congress seeking to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. What do its supporters really want?
Jonas Zuckerman
4 min read
USA government confusion and United States politics problem and American federal legislation trouble as a national political symbol with 3D illustration elements.
iStock/Getty Images
Federal Can Immigration Agents Make Arrests and Carry Out Raids at Schools?
Current federal policy says schools are protected areas from immigration enforcement. That may soon change.
9 min read
A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. From Los Angeles to Atlanta, advocates and attorneys have brought civil rights workshops to schools, churches, storefronts and consulates, tailoring their efforts on what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers show up at home or on the road.
A know-your-rights flyer rests on a table while immigration activist, Laura Mendoza, speaks to the Associated Press' reporter at The Resurrection Project offices in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood on June 19, 2019. Immigration advocates advise schools to inform families about their legal rights as uncertainty remains over how far-reaching immigration enforcement will go under a second Trump administration.
Amr Alfiky/AP
Federal Opinion 'Education Is Not Entertainment': What This Educator Wants Linda McMahon to Know
Her experience leading a pro wrestling organization could be both an asset and a liability
Robert Barnett
4 min read
A group of students reacting to a spectacle inside a ring.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images