ABSTRACT
The second case chapter profiles Hoke County Schools, also a largely rural county in North Carolina serving predominantly students of color (Black, Latino/a, and American Indian). The district was a candidate for state takeover when Superintendent Freddie Williamson became the county’s first Black Superintendent of Schools in 2006. By 2020, when Dr. Williamson passed on the mantle of leadership, academic achievement had measurably improved to levels approaching or meeting state averages for a more advantaged population of students. He and his staff worked to transform Hoke County Schools into a “world class learning center” by using data, equalizing access to resources, strengthening relationships with students and families, building knowledge about effective 21st-century learning and teaching strategies, and growing shared commitment to meet the needs of each child.
