In his accomplished career, James A. Banks has been a leader in higher education whose pioneering research in multicultural education has yielded profound insights into a vital realm of teaching and learning. Dr. Banks is the Russell F. Stark University Professor and director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Dr. Banks began his career in 1969, when he joined the faculty at the University of Washington, Seattle. He soon developed a reputation as an important researcher in social studies and multicultural education. His scholarly and professional work led him to develop the five dimensions of multicultural education, which include such things as the integration of minority groups into the curriculum, teaching methods, and the reduction of prejudice in the classroom. In 1991, he launched the Center for Multicultural Education, which focuses on research designed to improve practice relating to equity issues, intergroup relations, and the achievement of students of color. He has served as president of AERA, and in 2000 was elected to the National Academy of Education.
Dr. Banks has been widely lauded. He received the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Research Review Award in 1994, and the Distinguished Career Contribution Award from the AERA Committee on the Role and Status of Minorities in Educational Research and Development in 1996. He also has received honorary doctorates from the Bank Street College of Education, the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, the University of Wisconsin, Parkside, and DePaul University.
Dr. Banks received his bachelor’s degree in social science and education from Chicago State University in 1963. He has a master’s degree (1967) and a Ph.D. (1969) in social studies education from MSU.