Peyton Williams, Jr.
Educator, Dr. Peyton Williams, Jr. was born April 10, 1942 in the black “Happy Hill” community of Cochran, Georgia. The son of Reverend Peyton Williams and Georgia Reddick Williams, he attended Cochran Colored High School, the school that his father led the movement to build. He graduated in 1960. Williams earned his B.S. degree in education from Fort Valley State College in 1964, the M. Ed. degree from Tuskegee Institute in 1968, the Ed. S. degree from the University of Georgia in 1977 and the Ph.D. degree from Georgia State University in 1982.
Williams became assistant principal of Central High School in Sylvania, Georgia in 1964 and principal of Central Elementary School in 1968. From 1965 to 1969, he was coordinator and teacher of evening classes for adult basic education for the Screven County Schools. From 1970 to 1977, Williams served as principal of Central Middle School, the first integrated school in Screven County. The school was cited for its model disciplinary policies by the Christian Science Monitor. Williams was the first black appointed Assistant Georgia State Superintendent of Schools, Office of Special Activities in 1977. In 1978, Williams became Georgia’s Associate State Superintendent of Schools, Office of State Schools and Public Libraries. He also directed and managed two state operated schools for hearing and visually impaired students. In 1987, Williams was appointed Associate State Superintendent of Schools and directed the administration of school improvement programs and testing programs. In 1995, he became Deputy Georgia State School Superintendent for External Affairs. In 1995, Williams was appointed by Governor Zell Miller as co-facilitator of the Georgia P-16 Initiative, a statewide effort to raise expectations and ensure student success. Williams served as the highest-ranking African American in the Georgia Department of Education for twenty-five years, from 1977 until his retirement in 2002.
Williams is a recipient of the Governor’s Award for outstanding service in state government in the state of Georgia. In 2002, he was installed as president and education consultant of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development International (ASCD), the largest professional organization for educators in the world. Williams also received the Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contributions and leadership to education from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). A highly sought after public speaker, Williams published the monograph, What It Means To Be A Professional Educator in 2001. Serving on a number of professional, civic and religious boards, Williams has been a choir director, is a member of the Prince Hall Masons and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Williams is currently serving as the Grand Grammateus/Executive Secretary of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity of the Grand Boulé.
A2005.179
Male
8/2/2005
8/23/2005
Williams
Married
Cochran Colored High School
Fort Valley State College
Tuskegee University
University of Georgia
Georgia State University
Peyton
Cochran
WIL28
Fall
Georgia
Bahamas
That's The Price Of The Ticket.
Georgia
4/10/1942
Atlanta
USA
Custard
11/23/2011
State education administrator Peyton Williams, Jr. (1942 - 2011 ) was the first African American appointed as Assistant Georgia State Superintendent of Schools, Office of Special Activities. Williams later became Georgia’s Associate State Superintendent of Schools, Office of State Schools and Public Libraries and Deputy Georgia State School Superintendent for External Affairs.
Central High School; Central Middle School
Georgia State Department of Education
Black, Brown
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306758">Tape: 1 Slating of Peyton Williams, Jr.'s interview</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306759">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. lists his favorites</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306760">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his mother's family background, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306761">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his mother's family background, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306762">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his maternal family's education and jobs</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306763">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his father's family background</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306764">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his siblings and how his parents met</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306765">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his parents' personalities</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306766">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his earliest childhood memory</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306767">Tape: 1 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the sights and sounds of growing up</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305664">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the amenities that he grew up with</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305665">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his family's television set and favorite radio show</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305666">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his involvement in church</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305667">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his father's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305668">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his elementary school</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305669">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his experience in elementary school</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305670">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his extracurricular activities at Cochran Colored High School</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305671">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls studying black history and deciding on a college</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305672">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his activism in college</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305673">Tape: 2 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his experience at Fort Valley State College</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305246">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his hiring at Central High School in Sylvania, Georgia</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305247">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls the challenges of his job at Central High School</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305248">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the transition away from corporal punishment in schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305249">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes poverty and limited resources for rural students</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305250">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his experience at Tuskegee Institute</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305251">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the desegregation of Central High School</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305252">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the challenges of school desegregation, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305253">Tape: 3 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the challenges of school desegregation, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306768">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon curriculum challenges</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306769">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon test scores at Central Middle School</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306770">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls Jimmy Carter's tenure as governor of Georgia</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306771">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls his experience as assistant state school superintendent for Georgia</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306772">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his experience with deaf education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306773">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls serving as Georgia's associate superintendent for curriculum and instruction</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306774">Tape: 4 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the Internet and an inclusive curriculum</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305261">Tape: 5 Slating of Peyton Williams, Jr.'s interview, session 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305262">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes being the assistant superintendent in the Office of Instructional Services</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305263">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon testing and assessment</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305264">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls discrepancies in students' test scores since the 1980s</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305265">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the educational needs of the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305266">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the African-centered education movement</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305267">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the changing demographics of Georgia public schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305268">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the teaching of African American studies</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305269">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon preparing students to compete globally</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305270">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his role as Georgia's deputy superintendent of external affairs</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305271">Tape: 5 Peyton Williams, Jr. recalls highlights from his career in the Georgia Department of Education</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305272">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the core curriculum for Georgia schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305273">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes the incorporation of vocational education in Georgia schools</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305274">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the educational system in the rural South</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305275">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his work with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305276">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. remembers presiding over the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305277">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon motivating teachers and students</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305278">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the relationship between home and school</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305279">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the educational system</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/305280">Tape: 6 Peyton Williams, Jr. talks about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, pt. 1</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306775">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. talks about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, pt. 2</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306776">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. talks about his work with educational organizations</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306777">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his involvement with Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306778">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes his hopes and concerns for the African American community</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306779">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon the changing demographics of Georgia</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306780">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon his life</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306781">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. reflects upon his legacy</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306782">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. talks about his family</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306783">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. describes how he would like to be remembered</a>
<a href="https://da.thehistorymakers.org/story/306784">Tape: 7 Peyton Williams, Jr. narrates his photographs</a>
1$2
4$5
5$4