Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Zaretta Hammond is the author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. A former high school English and expository writing teacher, Hammond also works as a curriculum developer and professional development consultant, specializing in the topics of literacy and equity as they relate to culturally responsive teaching practices. In the book, brain science and equitable classroom practices intersect. Hammond approaches these not as a neuroscientist, but as an experienced educator who has witnessed the complexity of neurocognitive development firsthand. She has also written extensively on the effects of implicit bias in the classroom, the benefits of adopting mindfulness techniques when addressing classroom discipline, and the power of building relationships with students. Hammond resides in Berkeley, California, with her husband and family. Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain is her first book.

Throughout the book, Hammond establishes her authority. In the Introduction, she focuses on her childhood experiences and communicates that she was aware of achievement gaps in education even at a young age. While she and her siblings were given the opportunity to study in a community other than their local public school, the kids who lived in the public housing projects she grew up in were less fortunate.