Published: November 1, 2000

School's Out For Riley

Whoever is tapped to be the next secretary of education will have a tough act to follow. Richard Riley, the former South Carolina governor who's held the position since 1993, is respected by both politicos and regular folks for his integrity and down-home style. In September, Riley met with contributing writer Joetta L. Sack to discuss his legacy—and to make one last pitch to teachers to get involved in policy reform. Secretary hopefuls, listen and learn .

Q: You're by far the longest-serving secretary of education in the department's history. Tell us about the job. What sort of skills does an education secretary need?

A: Well, the job has changed since I've been here. Education was not a top priority for everybody eight years ago, and it is today. I had a period where Newt Gingrich came in and wanted to eliminate [the Department of] Education and the federal role, and we had to battle through that. Now, Republicans and Democrats have gotten to the place where they're very into...