I am associate professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine, where my work focuses on the intersection of families and the state. My research and teaching interests include poverty, inequality, social policy, children and youth, education, and family life. In my research, I examine U.S. governmental systems and policies that affect families with children as well as families’ engagement with these systems. My first book, Investigating Families: Motherhood in the Shadow of Child Protective Services, was published by Princeton University Press in 2023 and recognized with best book awards by the Law and Society Association as well as multiple sections of the American Sociological Association.
Currently, I am working on projects in two broad areas: 1) how schools intervene in parenting and home life, including around child welfare and attendance issues (supported in part by a National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation postdoctoral fellowship); and 2) how parents see the role of the government, politics, and political engagement in parenting.
At UCI, I am a faculty affiliate of the Center for Organizational Research, the Center for Population, Inequality, and Policy, the Jack W. Peltason Center for the Study of Democracy, and the Initiative to End Family Violence. I received my Ph.D. in sociology and social policy from Harvard University and was previously at Georgia Tech’s School of History and Sociology. Before beginning my doctoral studies, I contributed to multi-method research on community college reforms and worked on impact litigation to reform child welfare systems. I have also advocated for youth in foster care and assisted self-represented litigants in housing and family law clinics.
You can view my CV (as of August 2026) here.
Kelley Fong 