College of Education and Human Development

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

People

Abigail Rombalski

  • Pronouns: she, her, hers

  • Lecturer

Abby Rombalski works to cultivate university-community partnerships and opportunities for public scholarship that work towards justice in education with youth at the center.

    DEGREES

    PhD, Education, Curriculum & Instruction, University of Minnesota (2019)
    MA, Multicultural education and service-learning, Goddard College (2002)
    BA, English, American Racial and Multicultural Studies, and music, St. Olaf College (1998)

      AREAS OF INTEREST

      Abby's research interests are dedicated to working with youth towards justice across school and community spaces. Other areas of interest include community-engaged research, urban education and leadership, culturally sustaining adolescent literacies, youth participatory action research (yPAR), and curriculum development.

        BIOGRAPHY
        Abby Rombalski works to cultivate university-community partnerships and opportunities for public scholarship that work towards justice in education with youth at the center. Abby earned her PhD from the literacy program in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota. She has taught for over ten years in higher education and for 15 years in international, urban, and alternative settings, mostly as an English-Language Arts teacher in secondary schools in which culturally relevant pedagogies informed both her teaching and learning.
         
        Abby is a co-founder of the YoUthROC research program, an affiliate project with the R.J.J. Urban Research Outreach-Engagement Center (UROC) in north Minneapolis. She is an affiliate faculty member with RIDGS (CLA) and UROC and a member of the UROC Community Advisory Board.
         

        Selected Awards

        • 2024 Early Career Award Winner from The Grassroots Community and Youth Organizing SIG, American Educational Research Association (AERA)
        • 2022-Present, Americorps grant with YoUthROC for Youth Participatory Action Research, in partnership with Carleton College 
        • 2020 YoUthROC grant for Youth Participatory Action Research, YouthPrise
        • 2018 Community Outreach and Engagement Award, University of Minnesota CEHD
        • 2018 Fellowship with the Journal Curriculum Inquiry, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
        • 2016-2018 Josie R. Johnson Engaged Dissertation Fellow, R.J.J. Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center (UROC), Office for Public Engagement, UMN

        Associations/Memberships

        • American Education Research Association (2014-Present)
        • Education Liberation Network, MN Chapter (Founding member)
        • Literacy Research Association (2014-2021)
        • National Council of Teachers of English Research Assembly (2015-Present)
          PUBLICATIONS

          Rombalski, A., Leary, J., & Brogan, D. (2025). “It is Power for Young People”: A Youth-Adult
          Research Partnership for Race Equity in School Leadership. Michigan Journal of Community Service-Learning.31(2). https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.5804 

          Chikkatur, A., & Rombalski, A. (2025). Kinship, being together, and “belonging otherwise” in YPAR collaborations within community-university partnerships. Michigan Journal of Community Service. https://doi.org/10.3998/mjcsl.5649 

          Rombalski, A., & Gora, F. (2024). An Ella Baker Behind-the-Scenes Look at Youth Research and
          Strategic School Leadership. The High School Journal. 107(3). P. 229-244.
          https://doi.org/10.1353/hsj.2024.a961353 

          Rombalski, A. & Forrester, J. & Smaller, A. & Oto, R., (2023) “The Purple Room: A YPAR-Designed Healing Space Grounded in Community-Engaged School Leadership”, VUE (Voices in Urban Education) 51(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.35240/vue.25

          Oto, R., Rombalski, A., & Grinage, J. (2022). The Role of Racial Literacy in U.S. K-12 Educational
          Research: A Review of the Literature. Race Ethnicity and Education.
          https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.2047635 

          YoUthROC and Rombalski, A. (2022). From Youth Activism to Youth-Powered Curriculum. Berkeley Review of Education, 12(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.5070/B812162340 Retrieved from
          https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5n60q5ss 

          Martin-Kerr, K.G., Rombalski, A. & Israelson, M. (2022). Examining Reflection as a Tool to Develop Equity-Mindedness in Future Educators: One Teacher Candidate’s Reflection with a Mentor Through Three Theoretical Lenses. Teaching and Teacher Education.

          Rombalski, A. (2020). I believe that we will win! Learning from Youth Activist Pedagogies. Curriculum Inquiry. 50(1). P. 28-53. University of Toronto. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.2020.1749515 

          Rombalski, A. (2020). "Connected literacies of anti-racist youth organizers", English Teaching: Practice & Critique, 19(3). P. 347-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/ETPC-11-2019-0161

           

            PRESENTATIONS

            Marshall, S, & Rombalski, A. (November, 2023). Bridgers & Connectors: Networking for Antiracist Navigation in Education. Paper presentation, University Council of Education Administration (UCEA).

            Grinage, J., Rombalski, A., & Oto, R. (April, 2023). Words without Actions: How neoliberal multiculturalism impedes white teacher antiracism. Division B roundtable presentation, American Educational Research Association (AERA).

            Smaller, A., Rombalski, A., & YoUthROC Research team (2021). “Getting out of our own way,” a keynote address about adult roles and centering BIPOC youth. Brooklyn Center Community Schools.

            Froebel, M. & Rombalski, A. (2021). Youth Activist Spotlight. Instagram Live video with YoUthROC (@youthroc.umn). Over 400 views.

            DePratto, K., Porter, X., and Rombalski, A. (2021). Growing Good YPAR Webinar. https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/t/1_iw82b0hh 

            Oto, R., Rombalski, A., & Grinage, J. (April, 2021). Tolerance or Transformation? The Role of Racial Literacy in U.S. K-12 Schooling: A Review of Literature. Division G roundtable presentation, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Virtual Conference.

            YoUthROC Research Team & Rombalski, A. (February 2021). Youth in Social Movements: Past and Present. Ethnography in Education Conference.

            Rombalski, A. and Martin-Kerr, K. (2020). “Culturally Responsive Literacy Teaching.” Minnesota Center for Reading Research, University of MN-Twin Cities. https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/1_ex2an9bl and https://mediaspace.umn.edu/media/1_dj0fqmhn

            Rombalski, A. (December 2019). Engaging and Re-engaging Reciprocity with a local YPAR team. Public Scholars Group. Literacy Research Association. Tampa, FL.

            Abigail Rombalski

            • Curriculum and Instruction
              125 Peik Hall
              159 Pillsbury Drive SE
              Minneapolis, MN 55455

            • romba005@umn.edu

            • Office hours upon request.