Spencer Foundation Grant
Dr. Nikki Wright and Dr. Matthew Panozzo have been awarded a highly competitive research grant from the Spencer Foundation.
Tuesday, 16 December 2025 - Dr. Nikki Wright, assistant professor of Leadership and Policy Studies, and Dr. Matthew Panozzo, assistant professor of Literacy in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, at the University of Memphis College of Education have been awarded a highly competitive research grant from the Spencer Foundation.
Dr. Nikki Wright, assistant professor of Leadership and Policy Studies, and Dr. Matthew Panozzo, assistant professor of Literacy in the Department of Instruction and Curriculum Leadership, at the University of Memphis College of Education have been awarded a highly competitive research grant from the Spencer Foundation.
Their project examines how K-12 educators interpret book bans and censorship policies and how those interpretations influence classroom practice, particularly as policy moves from preparation programs into school and district settings.
“My research agenda centers on understanding teacher perceptions of policy imperatives and examining how policies are mediated at each level of the system,” Wright said. “With this study, we aim to illuminate where these perceptual gaps exist and how they shape the transition from preparation to practice.”
Panozzo’s work complements Wright’s by examining the role of books and representation in classrooms and how access to diverse literature shapes students’ sense of belonging.
“Schools are microcosms of society,” Panozzo said. “Individuals and families from all walks of life, backgrounds, beliefs and politics form the school community. When some backgrounds, values or beliefs are silenced, students of those backgrounds, values or beliefs receive the message that their presence does not matter.”
He emphasized that books play a critical role in shaping shared learning spaces.
“This research is important because the books that teachers bring into the classroom, whether it is for a read aloud, a class novel or even to sit on the shelf of the classroom or school library, shape the sense of belonging in the shared space,” Panozzo said.
Referencing scholar Rudine Sims Bishop, he added that students need books that reflect their experiences, offer insight into other lived experiences and transport students to new worlds, even imagined ones.
Panozzo noted that he and Wright bring complementary perspectives to the project. Wright’s research centers student voice and how educators can cultivate and empower that voice through instruction, while Panozzo’s work focuses on the importance of books and diverse literature in helping students understand themselves and others and in supporting student development through classroom practice.
The project was previously named a finalist for a Spencer Small Grant and was resubmitted earlier this year, reflecting the researchers’ persistence and commitment to the work.
This is a two-year grant that runs from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027. The proposal is to divide the sample equally across the three regions of Tennessee, allowing the study to capture urban, rural and suburban perspectives.
“I hope to see ways teachers continue to inspire readers, putting books in the hands of students and cultivating a love for storytelling,” Panozzo said. Quoting S. I. Hayakawa, he added, “To be able to read and write is to learn to profit by and take part in the greatest human achievements, that which makes all other human achievements possible, namely the pooling of our experiences in great cooperative stores of knowledge, available to all.”