Closing the Achievement Gap: An Interview with Belinda Williams
by Kali Saposnick

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For at least 20 years, an urban American elementary school teacher taught her students about animals by taking them to the zoo and asking them to write about the experience. Although she noticed that only some children responded enthusiastically to the writing assignment, she continued to use the same lesson. Then she discovered new information about human development, which suggests that environment and culture play a critical role in how children learn, so she decided to experiment. This time, she asked the class to write about how they would have to change their homes in order to bring an animal from the zoo to live with them. Suddenly, all of the kids' eyes lit up and they eagerly tackled the task.

Why did more children become engaged in the activity once the teacher personalized it? According to psychologist Belinda Williams, "For some kids, writing about the animals is enough; others need to give their experience more meaning—especially those who are socio-economically disadvantaged." For the last 30 years, Williams has been trying to broaden educators' knowledge about how children learn in order to close the achievement gap between diverse populations in academic settings. Her work focuses on expanding our understanding of human development beyond traditional theories, such as Jean Piaget's idea that most children grasp knowledge in developmental stages from concrete to abstract. Her findings suggest that "in addition to psychology, there are at least two other knowledge bases—the neurosciences and sociology—that are equally and arguably more important for understanding learning and teaching."


Impact of Environment and Culture on Learning
Early in her career, Williams discovered the work of educational leaders such as Lev Vygotsky and John Dewey, who believed that what children bring to the classroom is as important as what they're learning. As an example of the need to take into account cultural and environmental factors, Williams cites research showing that Chinese children make fewer errors in copying simple patterns than children born and socialized in the United States. According to theorists, the Chinese language and that country's cultural values account for the children's stronger visual and spatial skills—not their innate ability.

Williams emphasizes this distinction: "Understanding the role of the environment and experience is instrumental in understanding why disproportionate numbers of socio-economically disadvantaged or culturally different children are perceived as being deficient as opposed to simply being different with a different set of abilities because of their different experience." But because most American schools still teach based on how children process information cognitively rather than socially or culturally, many students, particularly those with low income and minority backgrounds, continue to get left behind. "Those kids who are motivated to learn the way knowledge is currently presented are considered normal," Williams asserts, "but if they don't get it, they're deficient."

In the process of trying to introduce emerging theories of human development into schools, Williams has met resistance at every level—in the university, state departments, national research laboratories, and school districts. She contends that systemic educational reform is difficult because many groups prefer to maintain the status quo: "For example, Title 1 is based on the deficit assumption of poor children. A whole cultural system—salaries, publications, people, programs—is invested in continuing it." She points out that every major educational report indicates that schools are becoming more culturally diverse, yet most educators are still not required to understand what culture is or the implications that diversity has for organizational structures and teaching methodologies. "People focus on gaps between poor and middle-class students, and blacks and whites, yet largely ignore the cultural implications of glaring gaps between, for example, whites and Asians," Williams says.

Harnessing the Complexity of Educational Systems
So how can educators and administrators begin to shift the status quo to close the achievement gap? "Well," the psychologist says, "this broader knowledge of learning processes has to be introduced across all systems and organizations responsible for educating all children." Once educators collectively expand their understanding of human development, they can begin to examine and change their organizational structures.

Williams feels one important way that she can contribute is by continuing to publish papers and books, such as Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices (ASCD, 1996; a sequel is scheduled for publication in 2002). Another powerful approach is her recent consultant work to the National Educational Association (NEA). As part of its efforts to boost low-performing schools, the NEA has put introducing this new research into urban school districts on a fast track. "They have me scheduled to present the work at every level of their national structure, including their executive board, their state offices, and their various subgroups," Williams says. She's also collaborating with a group of NEA educators to assemble her research into training packages to be disseminated throughout each state.

In addition to these activities, Williams has been engaged in other significant projects, including piloting a class with the Missouri Department of Education and a course with Hamline University in Minnesota to prepare teachers to work in urban schools. "My work has begun to address every level of organizational complexity," she muses. "What I've concluded is that if you think something is important enough to get done, you have to do it yourself." And by persevering through countless challenges, Williams has made remarkable headway in giving all American children an equal opportunity at academic success.

Readers who wish to discuss this topic are invited to the Education Roundtable.

Kali Saposnick is publications editor at Pegasus Communications.