James A. Banks

You may begin a research paper on James Banks and Multicultural Education as follows:

James Banks was born to Matthew and Lula Banks on September 24, 1941. He attended McCullough Union School. He lived on a farm five miles from school and had to walk fives miles to school daily. Later the schools in his county consolidated and he was bused to Newsome Training School. Banks' educational background is as follows:

• Graduated from Robert Russa Moton High School in 1960.
• Banks attended Chicago City Junior College, where he earned his associates degree in 1963.
• Chicago Teachers College and earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education and social science.
• In 1966 he earned his Master's degree from Michigan State University
• In 1969 he earned his PhD also from Michigan State University.

He began his teaching career in 1965 at Forrest Park School in Joliet.

In 1969, Banks began working at UW College of Education. He served as both an assistant profession and associate professor until he became a full time professor in 1973. Nineteen years later Banks founded the Center for Multicultural Education. He still acts as the center's director.

During his career, Banks has also written or edited more than twenty books and written around one hundred journal articles. He serves as the editor of both Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education and Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives. In 2000, he was elected to the National Academy of Education. He has also served as president for the National Council for the Social Studies and the American Research Association. Six colleges and universities have awarded him honorary doctorates because of his work with multicultural studies in education.