Safe Havens, Not Scorecards
Deeply Rooted in Education and Equity
Volume 2, Issue 1 | 9 September 2025
A Note from Dayson
We’re back! After a summer pause, RootED Weekly is here again, refreshed, recharged, and ready to dig in.
A lot has happened since we last connected. Over the summer, I stepped into a new role as Policy Analyst for the North Carolina Association of Educators. It’s been a big transition, and I’m grateful for the chance to work alongside educators across the state who are fighting every day for the schools our students deserve.
At the same time, RootED is still growing. This work remains my heartbeat — creating space, strategies, and support for people and organizations pushing for a more just and equitable education system. RootED is where I get to dream with you all, and that dream is alive and well.
So welcome back. Thank you for sticking with me through the summer reset. I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I’m glad we get to walk into it together.
— Dayson
Digging Deeper: Beyond the Numbers
North Carolina’s annual school accountability reports came out last week, and I’ve been sitting with a familiar frustration.
The headlines predictably reduce the work of schools to test scores. Critics of public education point to proficiency data as “evidence” of failure, without acknowledging the decades of underfunding, staffing shortages, and policy choices that created today’s conditions. At the same time, educators and leaders who have been vocal about the harm of high-stakes testing often end up celebrating those same results, because in a system that prizes scores above all else, what other metric is left to validate their work?
As a former classroom teacher, I know the ways these numbers miss the mark. A test score can’t capture the child who learned to love reading after months of struggle, the middle schooler who finally found belonging on a team, or the family that built trust with their school after years of feeling sidelined. And as a policy advocate, I see how these numbers get weaponized: used to justify budget cuts, voucher expansions, and a steady erosion of public trust in our schools.
How We Got Here
This cycle isn’t new. The design of accountability systems goes back more than two decades, when federal policy, first through No Child Left Behind, then Race to the Top, and now under the Every Student Succeeds Act, centered test scores as the primary measure of school quality. The intent was to identify achievement gaps. But what it produced was a ranking-and-sorting system that punished under-resourced schools rather than addressing the inequities that shaped their results in the first place.
Here in North Carolina, the problem is compounded by chronic disinvestment. Our state ranks near the very bottom nationally, 48th in funding levels and 49th in funding effort. Nearly half of all students are in low-wealth districts. When we look at a proficiency rate, but not at the resources schools actually have, we’re telling an incomplete and misleading story.
The Contradictions
This leaves educators and policymakers in impossible positions.
Educators are caught in a double bind: resisting high-stakes testing while also relying on those very scores to prove their worth in a system that leaves them no alternative.
Policymakers cite “achievement gaps” as urgent problems while refusing to address the resource gaps that drive them. The very communities labeled as underperforming are the ones whose schools have the fewest dollars, teachers, and supports.
Reimagining Accountability
If we truly want to hold schools accountable, we need a broader definition of success. Imagine an accountability system that asks:
Do students feel safe, connected, and supported in their learning?
Do educators have the pay, time, and resources they need to thrive?
Are families engaged as partners in the decision-making process?
Are schools preparing students for meaningful postsecondary opportunities and workforce pathways?
Some districts in North Carolina have already experimented with school climate surveys and program evaluations that center belonging, language access, or college-going rates. These measures tell us far more about the lived experiences of students and families than a single number from a standardized test.
Why It Matters
We can’t afford to keep telling half-truths about our schools. Numbers alone don’t capture the complexity of what happens in classrooms and communities every day. And when we let them stand as the only story, we’re shortchanging the very idea of public education.
Maybe it’s time we reclaimed the narrative. Accountability should mean holding our leaders accountable for providing the funding, resources, and policies our schools need to thrive. Success should be measured by the richness of relationships, the strength of community, and the opportunities schools create for every young person in North Carolina.
That’s a story worth exploring further.
RootED Resource: 50-State School Accountability Systems Comparrison
With North Carolina’s new school accountability reports making headlines, it is important to step back and see the bigger picture of how states across the country define and measure “success.”
The Education Commission of the States 50-State Comparison: School Accountability Systems is a comprehensive resource that looks at how each state approaches accountability under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The comparison shows which states include measures beyond standardized test scores, like college and career readiness, chronic absenteeism, student growth, and school climate.
Key takeaways include:
37 states and DC include college and career readiness in their systems.
36 states include chronic absenteeism.
22 states measure student groups beyond what federal law requires.
Some states continue to use A–F or star ratings, while others rely on more descriptive systems.
This report is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to understand the national landscape of accountability and how North Carolina’s approach stacks up.
In the News: Chicago Schools Brace for More Federal Agents
Chicago schools and educators are preparing for the possibility of increased immigration enforcement and even National Guard deployment in the city. Families are worried about sending their children to school, fearing ICE raids or mistaken detentions. In response, Chicago Public Schools sent out guidance to families affirming that schools will not share immigration status or student records with federal agents and that agents cannot enter schools without a judicial warrant. The Chicago Teachers Union is mobilizing to distribute “know your rights” flyers, while state and city leaders push back against federal overreach.
Read the article: Chicago schools, educators brace for possibility of more federal agents in the city
This moment underscores how public schools serve as frontline defenders of student safety and belonging, especially for immigrant communities.
Here in North Carolina, immigrant and mixed-status families know this fear all too well. Our multilingual learner population has grown by 31% in the past four years, and yet families still face barriers to language access and culturally responsive supports. When schools aren’t resourced or prepared to protect families, students are the ones who carry the burden. The lessons from Chicago are urgent for us too: schools must be safe havens where every child, regardless of status, can learn without fear.
What’s happening in Chicago is a chilling reminder of how fragile trust can be between immigrant families and schools. As an educator and policy advocate in North Carolina, I’ve seen the ways fear can silence families and isolate students. We have to be vigilant about protecting schools as spaces of safety and belonging. Plyler v. Doe made clear more than 40 years ago that every child has the right to an education. That principle matters now more than ever.
Equity Spotlight: LatinxEd Education Summit
This fall, LatinxEd will host the 5th Annual Latine Education Summit in Greensboro, NC, from October 15–17, 2025. The Summit has quickly become one of the most important spaces for educators, advocates, and policymakers in North Carolina.
Over three days, hundreds of participants will gather to engage in powerful sessions led by practitioners and thought leaders, connect with peers from across the state, and walk away with actionable strategies to strengthen classrooms, campuses, and communities.
Whether you are a classroom teacher, a school leader, a policymaker, or a funder, the Summit offers something for you. It is an investment in the future of educational leadership in North Carolina.
I am grateful to be working alongside LatinxEd as they prepare for this year’s Summit, and I know firsthand the kind of inspiration and momentum that comes out of this space.
📅 Learn more about the Summit: latinxed.org/summit-2025
✅ Register here: Eventbrite Registration
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