In her opening chapter, Hammond establishes that underserved students of color, including students who are linguistically and culturally diverse, have been affected by systems of inequity; these systems have held them back from becoming independent learners. To become independent learners, students must be given the opportunity to develop cognitive skills and processes that facilitate learning by means of critical and creative thinking. Hammond argues that culturally responsive teaching practices are necessary for moving students away from passive, dependent learning to independent learning, where higher order thinking paves the way for “new cognitive skills and habits of mind that will actually increase their brainpower” (14). This process by which students develop their ability to think is what Hammond calls intellective capacity, also known as “fluid intelligence” or “intellective competence.” To encourage this intellective capacity, Hammond suggests a framework called “Ready for Rigor,” in which teachers become better equipped.

“Ready for Rigor” consists of four practice areas: awareness (teachers understand their own cultural, social, and political background while acknowledging their students’ diversity), learning partnerships (teachers cultivate pacts with students to hone and develop skills), information processing (teachers design learning experiences that help students develop cognitively in a consistent manner), and community building (teachers make concerted efforts to establish the learning environment as emotionally, culturally, and academically safe). As Hammond makes the case for culturally responsive teaching practices, she invites teachers to embrace a greater degree of responsibility and stake-holding. The implicit assumption in this chapter is that teachers are intrinsically motivated to fulfill not just the technical requirements of a job, but the higher calling that comes with a purpose-driven vocation. 

Hammond argues that it’s important to understand the intricacy of cultural dynamics. She explains that culture consists of three levels: a surface level, an intermediate or shallow level, and a deep level. Hammond creates an ascending hierarchy that culminates in the deep level, where a true understanding of culture guides actions and learning experiences. Hammond argues that interpreting cultural archetypes is an important step in determining the nature of the cultures represented in the learning environment. Typically, these archetypes are divided into two categories: collectivism and individualism. In the collectivist archetype, “societies emphasize relationships, interdependence within a community, and cooperative learning” (25). On the other hand, individualistic cultures value individual achievements and accomplishments.

Along with understanding cultural archetypes, Hammond argues that teachers must seek to understand the sociopolitical contexts represented in their classrooms. Systemic factors such as structured racialization and the myth of the “culture of poverty” (30) keep students of color entrenched in narratives that prevent them from moving onto independent learning.

In this chapter, we see frequent references and allusions to social factors that contextualize classroom environments. Hammond includes specific examples of how cultures operate. For instance, she includes data about Guatemalan culture, which has an individualism index of six, as compared with the United States’ index of 91. She is careful not to describe cultures stereotypically. Instead, she casts them as overarching representations. Many, if not most, students of color from linguistically diverse backgrounds filter their experiences through these as they navigate academic learning. 

Hammond describes how culture plays a vital role in programming the brain. She provides an overview of the brain’s physical structures: the reptilian region, the limbic region, the neocortex region, and the nervous system. Within the classroom environment, the brain will assess the safety or threat level by means of the amygdala, adjacent to the hippocampus. According to Hammond, the amygdala “acts as the brain’s guard dog” (40). When an “amygdala hijack” occurs in the brain, a person no longer feels safe in their environment. In the context of culturally responsive teaching, Hammond emphasizes the importance of understanding “how to build positive social relationships that signal to the brain a sense of physical, psychological, and social safety so that learning is possible” (45). Since the human brain is wired for connection, we automatically and instinctively seek to minimize threats and maximize safe and/or pleasurable experiences.

Hammond reminds the reader of why it’s important to understand how the brain works: “[O]ur goal is to help culturally and linguistically diverse students easily reach a state of relaxed alertness—that combination of excitement and anticipation we call engagement—every day” (50).