Dr. Rod Paige was the U.S. Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005 under President George W. Bush, the first African American to hold that post. He was Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University for ten years, served as the Superintendent of Houston Schools for eight years, and was named 2001 Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administators. He is currently the Chairman of the Chartwell Education Group, a company that supports schools, districts, and education boards. He is the author of The War Against Hope: How Teachers' Unions Hurt Children, Hinder Teachers, and Endanger Public Education, and, and his latest work, The Black-White Achievement Gap: Why Closing It Is the Greatest Civil Rights Issue of Our Time, which he co-authored with his sister, Dr. Elaine Witty.
