About the AuthorJames A. Banks is the Russell F. Stark University Professor and Director of the Center for Multicultural Education at the University of Washington, Seattle. He has received many awards and honors for his research and professional service. He was elected president of the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) in 1982 and later received that organizationrs"s Distinguished Career Research Award. In 1997, he was elected president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). From AERA, Professor Banks has received the Research Review Award (1993), a Distinguished Career Contribution Award (1996), and the inaugural Social Justice Award (2004) for his work ";demonstrating the critical role of education research in supporting social justice.";Professor Banks is a member of the Board of Children, Youth, and Families of the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. He was elected to the National Academy of Education in 2004 and is a member of its Board of Directors. In 2005, he received the highest honor bestowed upon a faculty member at the University of Washington when he was selected to give the universityrs"s 29th Annual Faculty Lecture. Professor Banks will be a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford during the 2005-2006 academic year.Widely regarded as a founder of multicultural education, Professor Banks holds honorary doctorates from five universities. His books include Diversity and Citizenship Education: Global Perspectives, Teaching Strategies for Ethnic Studies, Educating Citizens in a Multicultural Society, and the Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education (Second Edition) with Cherry A. McGee Banks.