Hammond introduces the book by telling the story of her own experiences in her San Francisco elementary school. Her mother, concerned that the local public school in their community would not provide Hammond and her siblings with a quality education, took matters into her own hands. She enrolled Hammond and her siblings at Lafayette Elementary School, across town, using Hammond’s grandparents’ address to make the enrollment possible. As Hammond reflects on this experience, she remembers being aware that she had been given a better opportunity than the children who lived in the public housing projects, where she lived with her mother and siblings. This childhood awareness of achievement gaps would follow her for years to come.

Hammond argues that culturally responsive teaching is the best way to address these achievement gaps, using neuroscience to strengthen her central argument. She frames her arguments within the lived experiences of nearly two decades working as an educator. Hammond states the book’s focus: “the connection between brain-based learning and rigorous culturally responsive teaching” (2). She clarifies that educators—classroom teachers, instructional coaches, and instructional leaders—are her intended audience.