James A. Banks University of Washington, USA

James A. Banks is Kerry and Linda Killinger Professor of Diversity Studies and Director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle. He is a past president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and was a Spencer Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford during the 2005-2006 academic year. He is a member of the National Academy of Education. Professor Banks is a specialist in multicultural education and in social studies education and has written many articles, chapters, and books in these fields. His books include Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies, Cultural Diversity & Education: Foundations, Curriculum & Teaching, Diversity & Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives, and Race, Culture, & Education: The Selected Works of James A. Banks. Professor Banks is editor of the Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (Jossey-Bass) and the Multicultural Education Series of books published by Teachers College Press, Columbia University. Professor Banks holds honorary doctorates from five colleges and universities and The UCLA Medal from the University of California, Los Angeles, the University’s highest honor. In 2005, Professor Banks delivered the 29th Annual Faculty Lecture at the University of Washington, the highest honor given to a professor at the University. In Fall 2007, he was the Tisch Distinguished Visiting Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University.