Four UCI Scholars Named 2025 National Academy of Education/Spencer Fellows

By Heather Ashbach and Rachel Sampson
​June 6, 2025

Four members of the UC Irvine academic community have been selected for 2025 National Academy of Education (NAEd)/Spencer Foundation fellowships—among the most prestigious early-career honors in the field of education.

School of Education Assistant Professor Andreas de Barros and Sociology Assistant Professor Kelley Fong were named Postdoctoral Fellows. Ph.D. candidates Juan Camilo Cristancho and Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez, both from the School of Education, were awarded Dissertation Fellowships. 

The School of Education honorees are international scholars, underscoring UC Irvine’s global reach and its commitment to advancing equity and excellence in education. Their research spans critical issues including early learning, parent-school relationships, AI and education justice, and the sociopolitical contexts of education.

Andreas de Barros

Andreas de Barros is recognized for his research on scaling targeted remediation in low-resource settings. Andy and his collaborator, Theresa Lubozha, examine Zambia’s “Teaching at the Right Level” / "Catch Up" program, measuring how teacher-led, differentiated instruction can improve foundational literacy and math in public primary schools. The research informs national education efforts and offers global lessons on sustaining impact through teacher development.

Kelley Fong explores the lesser-studied ways schools influence parenting through workshops, referrals, and child protection interventions. Her project examines how these practices vary across communities, aiming to reframe family-school relationships in more equitable and constructive ways. 
​Learn more about Kelley Fong.

Juan Camilo Cristancho, a Ph.D. candidate in Education (Educational Policy and Social Context), investigates the impact of community violence on young children’s development and early learning environments. His research includes a meta-analysis and a study in Colombia, offering new insights into how violence affects both classroom quality and child outcomes.

Kelley Fong

Santiago Ojeda-Ramirez, a Ph.D. candidate in Education, focuses on critical AI literacy and justice-centered computing education for Latinx youth. His participatory research in Santa Ana explores how students use AI as a medium for cultural expression and social critique, positioning them as designers of more equitable tech futures.

The NAEd/Spencer Fellowships are administered by the National Academy of Education with support from the Spencer Foundation. Fellows receive $70,000 to support their research and are selected through a highly competitive review process. With more than 800 alumni, the program has helped launch the careers of many of today’s leading education researchers. Learn more about the work of this year’s cohort online.