Donna Y. Ford, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. She is also a Faculty Affiliate with the Kirwan Institute. Professor Ford is in the Department of Educational Studies, the Special Education Program. Professor Ford conducts research primarily in gifted education and culturally responsive/multicultural/urban education. Specifically, her work focuses on: (1) the achievement gap; (2) recruiting and retaining culturally different students in gifted education; (3) multicultural curriculum and instruction; (4) culturally competent teacher training and development; (5) African-American identity; and (6) African-American family involvement. She consults with school districts, and educational and legal organizations on such topics as gifted education under-representation and Advanced Placement, multicultural/urban education and counseling, and closing the achievement gap.
Dr. Ford has  written over 300 articles and book chapters; she has made over 2,000 presentations at professional conferences and organizations, and in school districts.