Like summer colds and Zach Galifianakis comedies, school reformers come and go.
In this semi-regular post we will answer the question: What ever happened to…”
Today? What ever happened to Rod Paige?
Paige was an Education Secretary in the George W. Bush administration. He was the one before Maggie Spellings.
His fifteen minutes of fame resulted from two events.
He called the National Education Association “terrorists” shortly after 9/11.
And his Texas Miracle turned to shit when it turned out it was all based on phony numbers.
So? What ever happened to Rod Paige?
Mother Jones reports he has returned as an education adviser to the Romney campaign.
Good choice Mittens.
Fred Klonsky 
So which Ed team would you back?
What is this? A test?
I find it ironic that in teaching nowadays, if your students do not show growth you are yelled at, made to feel like you are worthless or even disciplined. But, If you are republican and use pejoratives to refer to an entire group of people as terrorists and have your district’s schools cheat on exams and then lie about it you get a Presidential cabinet post and when that is over you get a starring role helping a presidential candidate come up with education policy. Boy, being republican is as easy .
Heading up Corey Bookers’s charter school task force in Newark?
Unfortunately, I can’t think of/remember ONE Education Secretary I have admired.
Oh, wait…my most favorite Ed. Secy. USED to be William Bennett–remember him? He came to Chicago, pointed his finger, roared, “Chicago schools are the WORST in the nation!” then…left. (How much did we pay him?!) Oh, & that INGENIOUS book of “morals” & “ethics” (all stolen from Aesop’s Fables & other authors) he “edited.” Wonder how much he made from THAT? (I guess enough to pay off all his gambling debts.)
Anyhow, I said he USED to be my most favorite–that is, until Arne. Yep, Bill didn’t do nearly 1/2 the damage to public schools that Arne has done in less than 4 years. “Sticks & stones may break your bones” & all that…
Nope, none of them hold a candle to Arne in the privatizing, standardized testing, creativity-killing, teacher bashing/demoralizing/firing, public school closing charter school encroaching 2008- 2012 deforming of education in America.
Slam-dunk, Arne! Now, would you go back to playing basketball and leave those kids alone? Or…how about a morality/ethics book?