Kay Bailey Hutchison: “What struck me most about Rod Paige's attitude was that he wanted testing. He wanted parents to have a choice. He wanted…”

“What struck me most about Rod Paige's attitude was that he wanted testing. He wanted parents to have a choice. He wanted parents to be able to send their children wherever they thought they could get a better chance. He was open to it. Because he was open, the public schools ended up winning the competition. More students came into public schools rather than into private schools because he said, I want parents to have the freedom. He has had the experience at the grassroots level. He is not somebody reading about it out of the book. He has been there. He had a troubled school system, and he turned it around by seeking creativity, by seeking openness, by seeking choice, by seeking more opportunities for parents, because he wants parents to know they are getting the very best chance for their children. That is what struck me about Rod Paige's style of leadership.”