She translated Karl Rosenkranz's Pedagogics as a System and wrote The Education of American Girls, a response to arguments against the coeducation of males and females.

Her father was a dry goods merchant on Milk Street in Boston, Massachusetts, and the family lived in Somerville.

Brackett served as a teacher in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, and then as an assistant principal in the teaching school in Framingham.

During her tenure, Brackett worked to ensure female students had access to higher education and liberal studies as preparation for professional teaching.

[6] Among Brackett's pupils was Ruth Sawyer, in whose Newbery Award-winning semi-autobiographical children's novel, Roller Skates.

Brackett made the point that if women are confined only to the family circle and taking care of the home, they will not be able to fully develop morally and intellectually.

This would cause girls to lose their chance at asserting their independence or compete with others and gain the confidence needed to be successful in the public realm.