ABOUT JAMES A. BANKS

Banks receiving the 2024 Presidential Citation

James A. Banks is the Kerry and Linda Killinger Endowed Chair in Diversity Studies Emeritus and founding director of the Center for Multicultural Education (now the Banks Center for Educational Justice) at the University of Washington. He is known for his work in social studies and global citizenship education, and he has written widely in those fields. His research has focused on how educational institutions can improve race and ethnic relations and the academic achievement of diverse groups.

Banks receiving the 2023 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award

Professor Banks is a past president of the American Educational Research Association and of the National Council for the Social Studies. Professor Banks is a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. Banks received AERA’s 2023 Distinguished Contributions to Research in Education Award, inaugural 2004 Social Justice in Education Award, and 1994 Review of Research Award. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Research by Professor Banks on how educational institutions can improve race and ethnic relations has greatly influenced schools, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and the world. He is often called the “Father of Multicultural Education.” Professor Banks has given lectures on citizenship education and diversity in many countries, including Australia, Canada, China, Cyprus, England, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Sweden, Turkey, and New Zealand. His books have been translated into Greek, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Turkish, and Arabic. A video archive and interview of Professor Banks appears on “Inside the Academy.” 

Banks at the 2024 AERA Annual Meeting

His authored books include Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies (Pearson); Cultural Diversity and Education: Foundations, Curriculum, and Teaching (Pearson); Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society (Teachers College Press); and Race, Culture, and Education: The Selected Works of James A. Banks (Routledge). Banks is the editor of several books, including Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (Wiley); Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives (Wiley); and Citizenship Education and Global Migration: Implications for Theory, Research, and Teaching (AERA). He is also the editor of the Multicultural Education book series published by Teachers College Press.

Banks received his B.A. in elementary education and social science from Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University) and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Michigan State University.