Ranita Ray (sociology) was awarded a National Academy of Education's 2019 NAEd/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellowship. The Spencer Foundation funds this fellowship through academy to "encourage outstanding researchers at the postdoctoral level ... to pursue critical education research projects." Ray's award was one of only 30 given from a pool of more than 200 applicants, demonstrating the academy's "confidence in her potential contribution to the knowledge, understanding, and improvement of education."