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Welcome to
Mama Brew's
Classroom
About I-CRT
I-CRT stands for Individualized Culturally Responsive Teaching, a framework I created that keeps students at the center of everything. It’s built on a simple but powerful belief: teaching should start with the child, not the checklist. I-CRT is about seeing each student, honoring their lived experiences, and building learning around who they are, not just where they come from. It moves beyond surface-level inclusion and into meaningful connection, instruction, and support.
I designed I-CRT to help educators lead with empathy, think with intention, and teach with impact. It’s not a program, it’s a mindset, a practice, and a commitment to equity that starts with relationships and grows into results.
"Wo Nsa Da Mu"
"Your hand is in it" — The Adinkra symbol for inclusion, shared responsibility, and active participation in decision-making."
It emphasizes that everyone has a role, a voice, and a hand in shaping outcomes, whether in community, leadership, or learning environments.
The Pillars of I-CRT
A Framework Rooted in Vision, Access, and Cognition
This image represents the foundational structure of Individualized Culturally Responsive Teaching (I-CRT). It is designed as a three-pillar system, grounded in educational equity and built on the enduring work of three influential scholars:
Gloria Ladson-Billings, Lisa Delpit, and Zaretta Hammond.
The Three Pillars:
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VISION (Inspired by Gloria Ladson-Billings) GROWING HEARTS
Represents the moral and cultural purpose behind culturally responsive teaching. This pillar asks: What kind of future are we building for our learners? It’s rooted in hope, humanity, and educational justice.
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ACCESS (Inspired by Lisa Delpit) GROWING MINDS
Emphasizes equity in opportunity, language, and voice. It acknowledges the "gatekeeping" of traditional systems and calls for instruction that breaks down barriers and invites all learners in.
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COGNITION (Inspired by Zaretta Hammond) GROWING FUTURES
Focuses on brain-based learning, scaffolding, and independent thinking. It ensures that cultural responsiveness goes beyond celebrations and connects directly to how students learn.
The I-CRT Roof: Where Everything Comes Together
The roof labeled I-CRT symbolizes the unifying framework supported by the three pillars. It is held up by two essential tools that make this work actionable:
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Thinking Jobs – cognitive roles that empower student agency and identity
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Thinking Pauses – structured moments of reflection that deepen thinking and foster metacognition
Together, these tools help to implement I-CRT into the daily life of the classroom.
The Foundation: Growing the Whole Child
At the base of the structure are the words: Growing Hearts. Growing Minds. Growing Futures.
This reflects the core belief that culturally responsive teaching is not just about better instructional practices, it’s about cultivating whole, empowered children ready to thrive in their lives, schools, and communities.
The I-CRT Framework
From Traditional CRT to Individualized CRT
This visual illustrates a fundamental shift in how culturally responsive teaching is structured and applied.
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In Traditional CRT, the system begins with broad culture and community at the top, funneling down through school frameworks and classroom practices before reaching the individual learner at the bottom. This often places student identity at the end of the process rather than at the center.
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In Individualized CRT (I-CRT), the model is flipped. The individual learner is placed at the top, guiding how instruction is designed and how systems are shaped. Support flows upward from culturally responsive classrooms, aligned school systems, and community context, all working together to meet the needs of the learner.
This shift reflects a core belief in I-CRT: equity begins with the student. We must first understand who they are to meaningfully build the systems that serve them.
The 10 Components of I-CRT
Tools that Make Learning Equitable, Meaningful, and Student-Centered
The I-CRT Framework includes 10 flexible, research-informed components that help teachers respond to students as individuals, not just as learners, but as thinkers and creators. These tools are practical, adaptable, and designed to build academic and social emotional growth and personal connection. Each component can be used on its own and/or layered over time. Together, they create a classroom where every child feels seen, supported, and challenged.
