Two African American women are among the first three recipients of honorary degrees in the field of education from the University of Alicante in Spain. The university honored the three women for their international contributions to the field of education, particularly on issues of diversity, equity, and social justice in teacher education. Following are brief profiles of the African American honorees.
• Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University and holds a doctorate in education from Temple University. In December she was given the 2012 Grawemeyer Award in Education, presented by the University of Louisville. Professor Darling-Hammond was honored for her book, The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity Will Determine Our Future.
• Gloria Ladson-Billings holds the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and professor of curriculum and instruction and educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin. Dr. Ladson-Billings is a graduate of Morgan State University in Baltimore and holds a master’s degree from the University of Washington and a doctorate from Stanford University. She is the author of Beyond the Big House: African American Educators on Teacher Education and The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children.
Congratulations and very best wishes to both ladies upon the recognition of their outstanding work outside the boundaries of their immediate environment.