As a result of the racial justice reckoning happening alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, more educators were able to see the impact of gross inequities in education. The educational disparities went beyond the digital divide and access to technology: the more insidious gaps were in the ability of students to be independent learners during distance learning. According to Zaretta Hammond, the long view of student success has to be twofold: helping students learn grade-level content while simultaneously coaching them to master essential "learn-how-to-learn" moves that allow them to accelerate their own knowledge and skill mastery over time. To succeed in this acceleration, educators will have to be guided by the science of learning. This body of knowledge is summarized from cross-disciplinary studies highlighting the social and cognitive science behind how young people learn, develop, and grow their brain power to master complex skills. This needs to be collaborated with a culturally responsive practice to empower students to be the leaders of their own learning, especially historically marginalized students--particularly Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, and Indigenous students.