Ain A. Grooms is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Policy and Leadership Studies Department at the University of Iowa. She studies educational opportunity, with a specific focus on access and equity for Black students in K-12 contexts. She uses the intersection of race and place to examine the impact of historical and contemporary educational policies—including school desegregation, school choice, student attendance/absenteeism, and the retention of educators of color—on student achievement.
More than 75% of the teachers surveyed by guest columnist Ain Grooms reported a negative sense of belonging, especially when they thought school districts would not devise policies to actively address equity and racism.