Belinda Williams is a cognitive psychologist with more than 30 years of experience studying the academic achievement patterns of culturally and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. She has held senior research and development positions at the University of Pennsylvania, the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University, and Research for Better Schools. Her research focuses on the impact of cultural environments on cognitive development. In addition to her work with the National Education Association's Priority Schools Initiative, state departments, universities, national associations, and school districts, she is the editor of Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices (1996) and coauthor of Effort and Excellence in Urban Classrooms: Expecting—and Getting—Success from All Students (2002). She received her doctorate in psychology from Rutgers University.