College of Education Researchers Join $375K Spencer Foundation Grant on Family-Friendly Education Policies

University of Utah College of Education faculty Dr. David Woo and Dr. Yongmei Ni are part of a research team awarded a $375,000 Spencer Foundation Large Grant to study how family-friendly workplace policies affect educators’ careers.

The project, “Family-Friendly for Whom? How Parenthood, Paid Leave, and Childcare Benefits Shape Educators' Career Trajectories,” brings together scholars from the University of Virginia, the University of Alabama, and the University of Utah. The four-year project will run from September 2026 through August 2030.

Led by Dr. Laura Rogers of the University of Virginia, the team also includes Dr. Anna Moyer of the University of Alabama as co-principal investigator, Dr. David Woo of the University of Utah as co-principal investigator, and Dr. Yongmei Ni of the University of Utah as co-investigator.

The study will explore how workplace supports such as paid parental leave and childcare benefits shape important career outcomes for educators, including whether they remain in the profession, miss work, or move into leadership positions.

One major outcome of the project will be the creation of the Family-Friendly District Database (FFDD), a national database that will document the prevalence and characteristics of family-friendly policies across a representative sample of U.S. school districts. The database will be free and publicly accessible.

The project will also analyze North Carolina administrative data linked to birth records to better understand how parenthood affects educators’ career trajectories and how the state’s 2023 paid leave policy has influenced those experiences.

The award reflects the importance of research that helps education systems better understand and respond to the realities educators face both inside and outside the workplace.