"It was a strange feeling," said Domenech. "Up on stage were our nation's leaders praying in the name of Jesus Christ, and seated next to me were the heads of the National Education Association and the National School Boards Association, both frequent critics of the home schooling movement. Something has changed in Washington for sure!"

Rod Paige was appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Houston Independent School District in 1994 after having served as Dean of the College of Education at Texas Southern University. He was elected to the HISD Board of Education in 1989 and served as president in 1992.

Dr. Paige earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Jackson State University and a Master of Arts and a doctorate from Indiana University. He has served on review committees of the Texas Education Agency and has held numerous positions of responsibility with the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Association of School Administrators. Dr. Paige has been active in the Education Commission for the States and has served as a consultant to the Greater New Orleans Education Foundation.

Dr. Paige has been a member of the Houston Job Training Partnership Council, the State Board of Education High School Education Task Force, the Community Advisory Board of Texas Commerce Bank, the NAACP, and the Board of Directors of the Texas Business and Education Coalition and currently serves as secretary-treasurer for the Council of the Great City Schools, a national organization that named him outstanding urban educator in 1999.

Dr. Paige shares with the Board of Education authorship of the "Declaration of Beliefs and Visions" and is the creator of strategic plans for increasing scholastic achievement, parental involvement, and community support as well as programs for leadership and management training, continuous improvement, and accountability at all levels.

President Bush's statement at the swearing in
http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/01-2001/wh-0124.html