Zaretta Hammond, M.A., is a national consultant and author of two books: Rebuilding Students’ Learning Power: Teaching for Instructional Equity and Cognitive Justice (Corwin, 2025) and Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students (Corwin, 2015).

She is a former high school and community college writing teacher. For the past 25years, she has supported schools and other institutions in deepening their understanding and application of culturally responsive practices, the science of learning, and the science of reading. In addition, she has written articles and book chapters on these topics to help system leaders and instructional coaches support teachers to improve instruction.

Nidhi Sachdeva is a leading Canadian researcher in the Science of Learning who explores the space where educational technology meets evidence-informed design. Her work spans teacher education, post-secondary instruction, and continuing professional learning—always guided by one question: How can we design learning that sticks, scales, and serves everyone?

At the University of Toronto’s Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, Nidhi teaches online learning and microlearning through the lens of cognitive science. She’s known for making research usable—for translating complex findings into classroom practices that actually work.

She coauthors the globally-read Science of Learning Newsletter and leads as Chair of researchED Toronto, helping educators connect research with purpose—because she believes that when teachers thrive, students do too.