Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford Inducted into Nat Teachers Hall of Fame | EUR Exclusive MSN
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Story by Ny MaGee
Dr. Valerie Camille Jones Ford, Head of the Mathematics Department at Atlanta’s renowned Ron Clark Academy (RCA), was inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame (NTHF) this month, in Emporia, Kansas, as part of the 2025 class. With over 25 years of experience, Dr. Jones Ford is celebrated for her groundbreaking contributions to mathematics education, becoming the second Atlanta educator and the eighth Black woman to receive this prestigious honor.
Dr. Jones Ford’s impact extends beyond the classroom. Recognized by the late Congressman John Lewis in the U.S. Congressional Record and celebrated multiple times by former President Barack Obama, she draws inspiration from these honors to advocate for representation.
“Meeting John Lewis and being recognized by him… it, for me, encourages me to try to inspire students that look like me to pursue whatever they wanna pursue, whether it’s careers in education or just careers in general,” she said. “When students of color see someone that looks like them being honored at that level, it kind of affirms the excellence and innovation that can be possible.”
Her induction into the NTHF, established in 1989 to honor career teachers with at least 20 years of classroom experience, places her among 165 educators recognized since 1992. She joins fellow Georgia inductees Sheryl Abshire (Augusta, 1992), Sandra Worsham (Milledgeville, 2000), and RCA co-founder Kimberly Stewart Bearden (Atlanta, 2016). Dr. Jones Ford is one of five 2025 inductees, alongside Michael Dunlea III (New Jersey), Tom Jenkins (Ohio), Michelle Pearson (Colorado), and Dr. Pascale Creek Pinner (Hawaii).
Reflecting on her journey, Dr. Jones Ford credits quiet moments of student transformation as pivotal: “Helping a student who has math anxiety realize that they can be a mathematician, or hearing a parent say, my child now believes they’re good at math. You know, that kind of stuff is always big in my mind, a special moment.”
