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Understanding Bias with Dr. ClauDean Kizart
12 Plays3 days ago
What if the biggest barrier to opportunity isn’t intent, but the assumptions we never question?
In this episode of Changing Minds & Changing Lives, host Julie Sowash sits down with educator, author, and founder of LightWork Equitable Solutions, Dr. ClauDean “Dr. K” Kizart, to unpack how bias shows up in ways we often don’t recognize—especially anchoring bias, or our tendency to rely on first impressions and incomplete information.
Drawing from her own lived experience and years of research across education systems, Dr. K explores how early beliefs shape lifelong outcomes—from classrooms to careers—and why even well-intentioned people can unknowingly reinforce inequity.
Together, they break down the connection between bias, blind spots, and structural inequality, offering practical strategies leaders, educators, and employers can use to make better, more inclusive decisions.
If you’ve ever wondered why inequities persist, this conversation will change how you think about bias and opportunity.
Key Takeaways:
- Why bias isn’t just about intent—it’s about impact
- The difference between implicit, explicit, and structural bias
- What anchoring bias is and how it shapes decisions
- How early assumptions follow people from education into careers
- The connection between bias, blind spots, and systemic inequities
- Why “structures are made of people”—and what that means for change
- How in-group bias and herd mentality influence workplace decisions
- The hidden dangers of low expectations—especially for disabled talent
Resources & Links
- Email: dockizart@gmail.com
- Book: Beyond Implicit and Explicit Bias
About the Guest
Dr. ClauDean “Dr. K” Kizart is an author, educator, and the founder of LightWork Equitable Solutions. She is a nationally recognized literacy and equity consultant who has worked with school systems, higher education institutions, and organizations to better understand and address achievement and equity gaps.
Her work focuses on uncovering the deeper layers of bias that influence how we teach, lead, and make decisions. Through her research and professional development, she helps leaders move beyond intention to examine impact—equipping them with practical strategies to recognize bias and create more equitable outcomes. LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-claudean-kizart-11937622
About the Host
Julie Sowash is a strategic advisor, disability inclusion leader, and co‑founder of Disability Solutions. She is the CEO of Catch 22 Group and is the Job Board Doctor. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliesowash/
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Transcript
Introduction to Dr. Claudine Kisart
00:00:06
Speaker
Welcome back to Changing Minds, Changing Lives. My name is Julie Sowash. I am the co-founder and now strategic advisor for the Disability Solutions Team. We have a great guest on for us today, or joining us today, Dr. Claudine Kisart, called Dr. K, by a lot of her friends and colleagues, is an author, educator, and she is also the founder of Lightworks Equitable Solutions. She has spent her career asking a very important question that we're going to talk about today.
00:00:39
Speaker
How did the beliefs we form early in life shape opportunities in not just our education, but ultimately in our careers? Her work focuses on cover covering deep layers of bias in education and beyond, which I think is such a fascinating topic. um Her book, she's also an author, Beyond Implicit and Explicit Bias invites ah invites us to take a look beyond intention and into impact. Dr. K, welcome to Changing Minds, Changing Lives.
Dr. Kisart's Personal Journey
00:01:10
Speaker
Thank you so much for having me, Julie. So tell me a little bit about you. ah You obviously have an impressive bio, but but tell us more. Thank you so much. um So I am ah from South Side of Chicago and um I went to college like many people after high school were told that they needed to do And I did not do so well when I first came out of high school to go to college. i actually flunked out of college three times before actually getting serious about college. And this story is relevant. Just stay hang on with me.
00:01:47
Speaker
And what made me get serious was I was working for a camp in St. Louis, Missouri, Camp Wyman, which is still around. So hey, Camp Wyman people. And um one of my the group that I had was a group of fifth graders.
00:02:04
Speaker
and you know, at most camps, you do activities and things of that nature. So they gave me these activities to do with these fifth graders. And and some of it involved reading, um not like reading stories, but reading instructions for the activity. Like you were supposed to give each student a card and they were supposed to do something with the card and match something or another.
00:02:25
Speaker
um And I noticed that a lot of the students, a lot of the campers in the fifth grade group that I had couldn't read and couldn't read the cards. Right. And so at that time, i was probably maybe 19, 20 years old, um much more judgmental than life teaches you to be. Right. So the older you get, I think the less, you know, if you're open to growth, the less judgmental you become because you realize that we're all in this thing called life together and you never know what somebody's background really is that that that causes whatever it is that you think you're about to judge. So at the time I was hot-headed and, you know, I was young. And I said, what's wrong with these students with these kids' parents and their teachers?
00:03:19
Speaker
How these kids can't read. Their parents and their teachers ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Shift to Educational Equity Work
00:03:23
Speaker
And this lady, Veronica Banks, hey, Veronica bank news momma Banks, Banks. And Mama Veronica, she said, well, why don't you go to school to be a teacher and do something about it?
00:03:36
Speaker
So the next morning I got up and I went to Harris Stowe State University. um It's an HBCU in and in St. Louis And the people there, I mean, you're talking about nurtured, lifted, challenged, pushed, you know, this this myth that, you know, sometimes think that HBCUs that people just let you pass. And it's completely the opposite of anything. They're like, we're going to get you ready for the world.
00:04:06
Speaker
But I went to a ab went to Harris. And I went straight to the financial aid office because, remember, I told you that I plunked out and didn't do so well my first couple of years. So I knew they just weren't going to give me money again. Right. But I wanted to see if I did apply, if I got accepted, you know, which my grades were horrible. um Like if there was any kind of way that I could get accepted. And if so, like, what would I do to pay for it? And so I'm telling these ladies in financial aid my story and they're like, little girl, have
00:04:41
Speaker
ah but um We going to help you get your life together. Right. And they did. I um long story short, I became a work study student and um they pushed me. They pushed me to ah finish school. um The first year I had I applied for grants and I worked at night at the gap, pay the gap, um because, of course, I couldn't get financial aid. So that means I had to pay out of pocket because my grades and and that kind of thing. So after the first year,
00:05:13
Speaker
um listen, you're talking about when people are in your life to, I ended up getting a scholarship, an alumni scholarship. Long story short, I graduated magna cum laude.
00:05:29
Speaker
was Ms. Harris-Stowe State university University, senior class president, delivered the senior class speech at our commencement ceremony and finished that degree in about, I think it was like three years. um It wasn't a four year, like three years because I went to school in the summer. I doubled up. And I mean, I was just being nurtured and pushed. um And then shortly thereafter, i started teaching.
00:05:57
Speaker
um And I noticed that I did not have the, didn't have the skill that I needed to help all my students. like a lot of first chi teachers, we learned breath we learn breath. We don't learn depth, right? We learn just enough to get that degree and get us in school. I mean, and get us in the classroom.
00:06:20
Speaker
But I had students who were reading on the second grade and reading level. I was teaching fifth grade, second grade level, seventh grade level, 12th grade level, fifth grade level, first grade level. I was like, how in the world I supposed to teach all these kids on these different reading levels? So i went back to school and got lifetime teaching certification for for read, for liter for literacy, and became a literacy trainer for the state of Missouri.
00:06:46
Speaker
And then after that, literacy and equity trainer for the state of Missouri, where I would then start looking at data to support school districts and colleges and universities to understand why they had these at the time.
Understanding Biases in Education
00:07:01
Speaker
It was called achievement gaps. Equity, the word equity, um didn't come around until maybe 2015. so we were looking at achievement gaps and then later equity gaps, right?
00:07:14
Speaker
And why they existed. And my job was to look at the data and support those school districts and understanding not only why they existed, but what strategies were needed to close the the the achievement and equity gaps. And I use those words synonymously because they are synonymous terms. okay There's an achievement gap. There's also an equity gap. someone Some students are not getting what they need to um to be successful, right? um So that's the that's that's what led me to even the study about biases, because I really wanted to understand what happens really in education where well-intentioned people, where brilliant people and brilliant students and so and a lot, for the most part, well-intentioned, what happens where these where in some of these school districts,
00:08:05
Speaker
We have such achievement gaps and equity gaps. Like, what happens? And um I dug into research about mindset and blind spots. And, of course, I was like, well, yeah so i'm ah I am inquisitive. Some people would say nosy. Yeah.
00:08:23
Speaker
And I was like, what causes the blind spots? And what causes the mindset shifts? And that kind of... And I learned that at that it is it's our biases. And I wanted to know, well well, what kind of biases are they? So a lot of my research really started with me being nosy and me being curious about, well, what's under it? And part of that, I have to give shouts out to my mother, Creole, Kizart Hampton in Chicago. She always talked to us about the the fruit of a tree.
00:08:51
Speaker
In order to, when you look at the fruits of a tree, you have to look at its roots, right? And so I look at, well, what are the roots? And the roots of of of of cheat achievement gaps and equity gaps are often our mindsets,
00:09:05
Speaker
um Often student mindsets are blind spots, students' mindsets, blind spots, parents' blind spot spots. And at the base of that and at the root of that are what we call biases.
00:09:20
Speaker
Biases are like small. That's what Dr. Beverly Tatum says. Everybody has a bias. Right. We are picking up things all the time in our environment. So it's not that it's about race or gender. It's about the way that we think about things and the way that our brain takes these shortcuts to make decisions because our brains want to do what is the easiest to do. It just wants to make the decision and move on because it doesn't like being overwhelmed.
00:09:48
Speaker
Yep. So it relies on these short, these cognitive shortcuts that we call biases. Which we're learning that AI also does the same now. So tell me, what is a blind spot in in your particular? Tell me what that means.
00:10:04
Speaker
So a blind spot is literally a spot that we can't see. Right. Right. It's a spot that we don't. And um' um I have a tendency. Somebody told me a long time ago that I have a knack for the obvious.
00:10:19
Speaker
And so sometimes and when they said it, they didn't say it as like a compliment. It was like, you know, you just have a knack for the obvious. um But um somebody later on this guy named Cortez Bernard, peace and light to his spirit, told me that that's actually a that's actually a gift.
00:10:39
Speaker
He was like, you know. Just because you can see the obvious doesn't mean that you maybe maybe you're one of those people who need to understand and see the obvious. Right. And so to me, I'm i'm not going to give you the textbook definition of of blind spot.
00:10:55
Speaker
I'll give you the. This is what it is. It's ah it it's what you can't see. Right. um Something is blocking you from seeing something. Something is blocking you from understanding something. It could be ah physical. It could be awareness. It could be understanding those. That's what what blind spots are. It's okay spots that you cannot see.
00:11:18
Speaker
where something is missing. Would you say... And actually, if you think about it, real quick. No, go ahead. In your car, we all have blind spots. We do. If you're a truck driver, they have on the back of the truck, this block this truck has a blind spot. If you're here, it cannot see you.
00:11:37
Speaker
So if we are, if we think about that from a metacognition and a cognitive standpoint, right, if we cannot, we cannot see this thing. So I would say, for example, with anchoring bias, because that was one of the things that that your your colleague Ashley reached out to me about was we want to learn more about anchoring bias. So just even thinking about that, we anchor onto information that we know.
00:12:06
Speaker
Okay. So in your first example of being a judgy kid, um which I have myself been, and it took me a really long time to get through university, so we are on the same page, ma'am.
00:12:19
Speaker
um Would your reaction to the kids who were struggling, is that because you had blind spots, because you had not been a parent, because you had assumptions and biases around what parents should be accomplishing?
00:12:36
Speaker
Oh, my goodness. Yes. Okay. that is what So i ah I responded like that because one of my friends, Cindy. um Hi, Cindy.
00:12:48
Speaker
She and I were just talking on Friday. We haven't seen each other in months. And even that is a, I'll tell you the quick, quick, quick story about it. Quick, quick, quick. Because it's anchoring by a story, right?
00:13:00
Speaker
So when we when I relocated to Virginia, um I don't know how to put together furniture. And it's just not my thing. And so Ikea, I'd order some furniture from Ikea. And Ikea was like, well, we have this service called TaskRabbit. They'll come, you know, put pick up put up your furniture and that kind of thing. said, okay, great. So TaskRabbit, they were, you know, it was bunch
Role of Individual Responsibility in Bias
00:13:24
Speaker
of men on TaskRabbit. No shame to men. You know, thank you for the heavy lifting and the coexisting that you do. I think we're all important. Yeah.
00:13:33
Speaker
And so after maybe the fifth piece of furniture and the fifth TaskRabbit guy, my daughter says, Mom, are there not any handy women?
00:13:44
Speaker
Like, are there not any women that put together furniture furniture and do things, you know? And I was like, huh. So i and I went out to ask Rabbit and I intentionally looked for a woman. And the only woman that I could find was Cindy. Yeah.
00:13:59
Speaker
really And that was four and a half years ago. So just, know, by, and again, a ain't that was a moment of anchoring. Like in my mind, it did. We just, it's just, we anchor at when it's time to fix something we call on Ben, right? yeah But my daughter just being naturally like c pro woman and pro people all at the same time was like, wait a minute. I noticed something here. And Cindy and I became very great friends. And so it's been four and a half years. And so we were out the other night on Friday and we were talking about this very subject. And I will tell you, Julie, it's funny that you ask me because my standpoint on this is totally different. Yeah.
00:14:43
Speaker
Than it was when I was 19, 20, but I hadn't thought about it until you just asked me the question. Interesting. Because she was like, well, all you know, these kids, they can't, they're not doing well in school and it's because of this, this, that, and the other. And I was like, well, Cindy...
00:14:57
Speaker
got to give teachers grace. You got to give parents grace. A lot of people don't know how to teach literaturet how to teach reading. and lot of you know so it's ah so So to me it's about, well, how do we now reach the parents? How do we now reach the teachers? She was like, well, they should go to professional development. Well, there's a problem there because in order to go to professional development, you need to have a substitute teacher for your class. And there's been shortages of substitute teachers all over this country for years.
00:15:25
Speaker
right and so And then some in some school districts, there's a shortage of professional development funds. So some people some teachers are getting quality professional development and some people are not getting quality professional development. And so if you're not getting quality professional development, then that means it is difficult for you to implement best you know best practices and new best practices and things of that nature because you don't even know them. Unless you have...
00:15:53
Speaker
Job embedded professional development, which is should be by research base should be ongoing. So not just one stop shop, like unfortunately, some professional development is, which is why in my business light work, when I facilitate professional development. I prefer for a school. And I mean, I will do the one stop shop, but I always advocate for the ongoing because that's where the magic happens. That's where the change happens. When you can go into a school district and and so and I do have some corporate clients. And you can cultivate relationships and facilitate professional development and then go ah go go review and go observe and then sometimes go model whatever the strategies are so that you teachers learn in depth, not just in breadth, I suppose. Support teachers in looking at data. Support administrators in looking at data. Implement strategies. Observe if the strategies are working. Tweak where necessary. And that requires ongoing professional development. Yeah, and ongoing data review. so
00:17:02
Speaker
So tell me...
00:17:05
Speaker
You talked about implicit bias. We know about explicit bias. I think those are terms that most of us are comfortable with. In in my history, or at least in my work, what I've seen is that people are very uncomfortable with grasping structural bias. yeah um Because we are so built, especially as Americans, I will say as a pull yourself up by your bootstraps, figure it out, work harder, work faster, work better. um And you talk about in your book, you know, what goes beyond implicit and explicit bias, really? Like, what are we missing about structural bias in today's conversations that would really help the everyday listener understand how impactful they are?
Addressing Bias in Educational Settings
00:17:55
Speaker
And this sounds dumb to say, but how embedded they are in our society. Yeah.
00:18:01
Speaker
So I hope you and your listeners like me after this. And I hope that after I answer this question that your listeners go, okay, we're going to buy that book. It will be a book study on that book. ah ah Structures are made of people.
00:18:23
Speaker
Okay. Tell me more. So when we talk about systems, when people talk about systems of government and structures, structures are made of people. We cultivate the structures.
00:18:39
Speaker
And when we get into certain positions, we either continue that structure or we start to dismantle that structure with our decisions.
00:18:49
Speaker
Right. And so it's it's for me, conversations about structural bias still need to happen at the level of conversations about biases.
00:19:01
Speaker
Period. Right. Structural bias is to is a. is an effect. It's not a cause. Okay. The cause to structural bias is anchoring that bias, is halo effect bias, is Dunning-Crober effect bias, is various types of biases because those biases build the structure. Okay. Okay.
00:19:30
Speaker
Right. And so when we talk about structural bias, I think it's important to understand that's a that's an effect of biases because the biases have now built the structure.
00:19:43
Speaker
OK, so that makes sense to me when when you say that. So let's say as a young educator, a young professional or even a seasoned leader.
00:19:55
Speaker
you are entering structures that you haven't built. So your bias hasn't built them. How do you help to recognize that there are biases in the structures that you're existing in?
00:20:11
Speaker
Chapter six. We'll put the book link in the show notes, guys, we promise. Chapter six. Chapter six is on in-group bias.
00:20:23
Speaker
ah Some people may call it herd bias. Not herd mentality bias, another one. But in-group bias or inter-group bias happens when we become part of a group and... um then we want to assimilate to part of that group, right? Okay. As opposed to we don't want it we don't want to stand out.
00:20:47
Speaker
We don't want to be othered. So sometimes we start othering because we don't want to stand out. Yep. Right? We don't want to be the oddball out, right?
00:20:59
Speaker
And so then that in-group bias then builds relationship with herd mentality bias because herd mentality bias is I'm just going to go along with the herd, and with whatever is happening, with whatever they say, so that I'm not on the out group because I want to be on the inner group.
00:21:17
Speaker
I want to be part of the in-group. So I'm going to make the decision. I'm going to go along with the decisions that are made. I'll give you an example from chapter three in my book. And this is this is a true story.
00:21:29
Speaker
um And so, of course, I never say school districts or people and things of that nature. um But I was in a in a in a in ah in a meeting, right? And in this particular meeting, and and we call them data team meetings, it's when you're intentionally looking at...
00:21:46
Speaker
data from various classrooms and various students and you're comparing the data and then you you try to your goal is to figure out um like ah if there's a particular assignment that was given across third grade like how did the third graders do in this class and this class and this class.
00:22:04
Speaker
how um What methods did this teacher utilize so that these students were successful? and Okay, then maybe this teacher needs to use the same. It's collaborative learning with with teachers, right? An amazing method. I think it should happen across the the country. Okay.
00:22:21
Speaker
And so in this particular data team meeting, i was my job was to support them in developing and looking at the data objectively, right, and then coming up with strategies to support students who needed additional support and to support students who actually were above grade level and so that they also would get additional support, right? Because sometimes we talk about those mid and bottom level students, but those students who are actually soaring, they need support too to keep on soaring, right?
00:22:54
Speaker
And so I was in this data team meeting. There was probably six teachers in there, all women. And I mean, it was amazing. We were talking and strategizing, you know, oh ah so many amazing and wonderful ideas that was amazing.
00:23:13
Speaker
Principal walks in the room. Male principal. um i've i was I was floored. Male principal walks in the room and he sits at the head of the table and, um you know, he asks, you know, how we doing? You know, what's some of the feedback? Catch me up. and so first thing I noticed was the energy Right. What was like this vibrant, like, OK, I did and I can do and then I did this. That shifted except for with one teacher.
00:23:51
Speaker
The one teacher was the youngest teacher in the room. All the other teachers were what we call more seasoned teachers. So they, you know, had been at the school district. some One lady was like, it she was like, this is her 22nd year.
00:24:06
Speaker
Right. So we're talking about 10 years plus. And then the one teacher who just who kind of looked around and continued the conversation was she was a first year teacher.
00:24:16
Speaker
Okay. And i was amazed that, you know, so when we so she caught caught the principal up, you know, where they were. And um he said, you know, continue on. Like, what strategy suggestions do you all have?
00:24:32
Speaker
And they asked him. They were like, well, what do you think we should do?
00:24:39
Speaker
And so the one younger teacher, the teacher who was the first year teacher, she was like, well, we talked about, we talked about some strategies that we were going to use. um And the rest of them were silenced.
00:24:55
Speaker
Right. And so really, he ended up taking over the meeting. I don't think that was his intention. It may have been his intention. I don't know what the former culture of the school was, but this wasn't the first time that I saw that. And it was like all these ideas.
00:25:12
Speaker
Right. Were being shared. And then when this. When the principal walked in, it was like, i don't know, there was like an unwritten rule that we need to do whatever he now says. Now, again, it could have been something, you know, in the culture or something about his um administrative style. um But what I do know herd.
00:25:36
Speaker
the herd ah ah The herd changed, right? from The herd started, it it was it was like watching, and I don't want to compare, I'm not going to compare people to to animals, but I do watch a lot of our Wild Kingdom on Sundays. Like I love, but I do. and It's my thing. The birds and the and and the oceans, to me, it's just really relaxing to not watch people on TV, but to learn about the world. But herds happen even in nature. Mm-hmm.
00:26:09
Speaker
Right. So it's not that it's something wrong with the with the her with, you know, wanting to be um wanting to belong. It's that when you are changing yourself and not sharing your ideas, that would then benefit the whole. That's when the problems happen. Right. No, that that makes sense. That's a great example. And I love that.
00:26:32
Speaker
when the the young teacher doesn't know yet to to follow the herd. um So let's let's talk a little bit about you. You've mentioned a term a couple of times that I think our viewers are goingnna be relative is going to be relatively new for, um and that's anchoring bias. So tell us tell us what that means.
00:26:54
Speaker
So again, there are over 200 biases. two hundred biases so and And so I want to kind of go to, we talked about implicit and explicit. For something to be explicit, that means it's clear. Yeah.
00:27:09
Speaker
Right? For something to be implicit, that means it's kind of suggested or hinted at. Right? You also have conscious and unconscious bias. Right? Conscious bias would be and explicit bias. Like it's clear. It's a clear bias.
00:27:24
Speaker
Unconscious bias would be suggested, hinted at, because it's coming from the
Strategies to Overcome Biases
00:27:29
Speaker
subconscious. A person is not fully aware of their thinking. Like they're not they're not doing that metacognition, that thinking about their thinking.
00:27:38
Speaker
So in that space of conscious and subconscious bias, implicit and explicit bias, those are umbrellas. Right. But under each bias, there are different types of biases. Right. So there's different types of implicit biases, suggested biases that are like suggested hinted at. You don't really know that you're doing it. And there's different types of explicit biases. Like, you know what you're doing. You just don't know what to do about it. Yeah. ah ah
00:28:13
Speaker
right You know, like, you know, um ah people who know that you you really should get up in the morning and go for a job. Right. Because, you know, you you really want to. There's that that disconnect between what you know and what you're doing. That's explicit.
00:28:33
Speaker
Right. That's not subconscious. It's explicit. him And so anchoring bias is a form of implicit bias, right? Because it's it's suggested it's not always the person doesn't always know that that's what they're doing.
00:28:50
Speaker
OK. Right. And I really do think that for the most part, we as human beings, we're good. We're good. We're good.
00:29:01
Speaker
Right. um And I think as teachers especially teachers. Right. I think there are way more good teachers in this in this world than bad teachers. Way more.
00:29:12
Speaker
And so I think that um and I choose to believe and I and I choose to think that one of the reasons it's important for teachers to discuss and talk about and navigate through biases is because we really want to do a good job. We really want to support all of our students.
00:29:31
Speaker
And so with anchoring bias, anchoring bias happens when we, again, anchor to the first piece of information that we know. Okay. Right? And this is what's interesting.
00:29:42
Speaker
Anchoring bias, I'm going read just one little line from my book. um Anchoring bias is one of the most widely studied biases. This is from page 71. Oh. With more than 13 research-based books and published articles, it first appeared in a paper published in 1974.
00:30:03
Speaker
Wow.
00:30:06
Speaker
By Amos Traversky and Daniel Kaman, titled Judgment Under Uncertainty, Heteristic and Bias. So we're talking about a bias that has been just studied since 1974. Wow. Wow.
00:30:21
Speaker
wow and And this is the first time I've heard about it. And this is what I do for a living. So yeah tell us more. So first, anchoring bias, again, it happens when we anchor to the first piece of information that we know.
00:30:36
Speaker
um And then we start looking to confirm that information, which is actually another bias called confirmation bias. Right. um It's when you it's all like as human beings, we want to be right.
00:30:50
Speaker
Right. Oh. But as as educators, we have to be mindful that as we're teaching our students that all that we know, we know not. We have to make sure that we're continuously learning, too.
00:31:04
Speaker
Right. And I think for the most part that I think for the most part teachers do. I want to read a scenario from the book that is anchoring bias. OK, so I taught us a student in sixth grade.
00:31:18
Speaker
I'll call her Shana, who often acted disrespectfully. Her tone of voice and the harsh statements she made in class resulted in her being removed from one 6th grade classroom and placed into mine.
00:31:32
Speaker
One day after Shana cursed at another student, I called her mother to discuss my concerns about her behavior. Shana's mother quickly asked me to give her daughter the phone.
00:31:43
Speaker
When her daughter took the phone, I heard her mother yell at her and use profane language strong enough to make an adult run for color. Wow. I quickly regretted calling.
00:31:55
Speaker
When Shana got off the phone, she turned to me and she put her head on on my shoulder and she cried. As tears rolled down her face, all I can do was console her. The same student who behaved so inappropriately and was incredibly harsh to others, to other students, was not tough at all.
00:32:12
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Shana's behavior at school reflected what she was experiencing at home. Instead of shaming her, I began to work with her on learning how to communicate with clarity and a cool head.
00:32:24
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I shared with her that old adage that my grandmother sit shared with me. There is a time and a place for everything. overanged Over time, Shana started to catch herself but saint before saying hurtful things in class.
00:32:37
Speaker
Instead of flying off the handle, she would take deep breaths as we practiced and choose different words to express her frustration. Witnessing this interaction between Shana and her mother, I was able to expand my understanding of how she showed up in class.
00:32:51
Speaker
She was not just a student with bad behavior. so A judgment which I initially and the school had initially anchored in our thoughts. She was a very bright student who began to soar academically, especially in creative writing.
00:33:07
Speaker
I learned firsthand that people are more than the stories we anchor to. I love that. I love that. So the first piece of information, for example, a student has an IEP.
00:33:21
Speaker
Mm hmm. Could be then the strongest piece of information that we use every other action to act or every other act every other decision that we act on. is that a fair statement? Yes.
00:33:35
Speaker
So i love the simplicity of of how you just explained it. And something that I say a lot about our community, the the disabled community in this case, is that we suffer from the the low the bar of the low expectations. Yes.
00:33:54
Speaker
Yes. so, you know, I can tell you how many times I've seen, ah you know, a young person coming out of high school, coming out of university, they've had an IEP and they have anchored that to themselves.
00:34:09
Speaker
hmm. um And their their parents have anchored that to them. And their teachers and educators have anchored that to them. And again, to your point, I don't think that these are things that were done with malice yeah or ill intent. um It just became sort of the the zenith of who these kids are, even though it is very much just a part yes of who they are. And I think your your story really exemplifies that. So, you know, what what as an educator can we or would you advise
00:34:52
Speaker
when we start seeing anchoring bias in our own behavior or in our team's behavior so that we can start making adjustments. and And we, generally speaking at Disability Solutions, talk to an employer base. So it maybe think you know from going away from the classroom but into careers, yeah how do leaders help create that change within their organization?
00:35:20
Speaker
I'm glad that you asked that question because, you know, there's a connection between schools and careers, careers in schools. And so when I initially, when we first started talking, I made a point to share that. And as a consultant, I work with schools and businesses, right? Because it's it's that pipeline, right? And so some businesses are asking the same types of questions, are wanting the same types professional development and training, right?
00:35:50
Speaker
how How do we recognize our biases? But also then after we after we recognize them, how do we get beyond them? Which is why the book is Beyond Implicit and Explicit Biases, play on words. So after we get, after we understand, what do we do?
00:36:06
Speaker
So first thing, I think it's important to know what type of bias um you may be navigating through, right? And so in every chapter in my book, there is a checklist that has descriptors of that bias. And you ask yourself, and it's ah it's meant for people to stop and reflect. And so like in the in the chapter on ah anchoring bias. It says like one of the descriptors is i tend to lean on prior knowledge and experience when dealing with people whom I have favorable relationships. And you can check most of the time, sometimes or never.
00:36:45
Speaker
I take my time to consider all sides of the situation before making a decision. Most of the time, sometimes never. And so there are several ah descriptors. And so you can, like, seriously deep do a deep dive this summer and asteriss and go through these descriptors.
00:37:03
Speaker
And so then... I offer a lot of tips on now how to move beyond those biases. So for for anchoring bias per particularly, um the first question is to ask yourself what decision needs to be made.
00:37:20
Speaker
Okay. Right? Not to make it quickly and then ask who needs to be part of that decision making. Okay. Okay.
00:37:30
Speaker
I'll give a great example. um If you are making a decision, there's a woman who here and in Virginia. name is Janice. She is amazing. And part of what makes her amazing is she developed...
00:37:44
Speaker
that developed a disability when she had a stroke. And so she remembers and knows the life of not having not having a disability and now is living a life with a disability.
Conclusion and Contact Information
00:37:57
Speaker
And so she has been a force in Hampton Roads to support people in understanding how to support people who have disabilities, right, and who are living with disabilities. And so we had this meeting about transportation. And, you know, it was clear, Janice needs to be at this meeting. So she comes to all the transportation meetings. Why? Because when we're talking about transportation and we have to consider people with disabilities and no one else in the room has a disability, right, then
00:38:30
Speaker
You need to include people at the table. So part of the question when you're talking about anchoring bias is who needs to be in the room? Who needs to be at the table? um Who needs to be part of this decision, right? yeah And that that means that me it may take time and be okay with that because we would rather take the time to make good decisions that are beneficial for our students, our educational systems, and for our workplaces than to quickly make a decision that we may have to unravel because it doesn't work.
00:39:00
Speaker
Right. That's one. Remember that anchoring bias is the brainwa brain's way of taking a short cut. Refuse to take the easy way out. I like that.
00:39:11
Speaker
If there is um a decision you need to make, make sure to diversify the committee of people to weigh in on on the decisions. This helps to ensure that there are differences of thoughts, perspective, experiences that will help us to make informed decisions.
00:39:31
Speaker
Intentionally listen to different podcasts. Yay. word Or independent news sources to learn from a variety of perspectives on a regular basis.
00:39:45
Speaker
Avoid toxic positive positivity. That is saying things are okay when they're really not. If you're not in the mood, take a moment or two to collect yourself emotionally before making a decision and get mentors, right? Consider that we and we must not let our first thought be our last thought. That's a comment from Sharaki Holly's book. Do not let your first thought be your last thought.
00:40:13
Speaker
And then one of the other ones is remember that it's okay not to know. ah That's an important one because too often do we think that we need to know and we don't ask the right people for help.
00:40:24
Speaker
I love that. Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. So those are just some of the strategies that particularly support with navigating through um anchoring bias. Okay.
00:40:36
Speaker
No, that's really helpful. I have learned a lot today. and obviously, there's a lot more to learn. um If our listeners, viewers want to get a hold of you um and learn more about your book or the solutions you provide, how do they find you?
00:40:55
Speaker
You go to my website is lightworkeq.com. So light just all lowercase, lightworkeq.com. You can also email me at lightworkeq at gmail.com.
00:41:11
Speaker
lightworkeq at gmail.com. You can follow me and connect with me on LinkedIn at drclaudinekizarpt.com. Again, Dr. Claudine Kizart on LinkedIn and Facebook. Not yet started Instagram. say I should.
00:41:27
Speaker
ah i have a site. It's just about, I mean, it's such consistency that's needed in all these social media networks. um And it's just how do you split yourself up to do it? So those are the three that are the most stable is lightworkeq.com and email lightworkeq at gmail.com or on LinkedIn.
00:41:50
Speaker
Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking time on a holiday. um Thank you for the work that you do. It's so incredibly important for us to understand and for educators to understand how to better impact the young people that they are changing the lives of every single day. um You guys, another great episode of Changing Minds, Changing Lives is in the books. um Tell me what you think. Tell me who you want to hear from next and what guests we should have on the show.
00:42:18
Speaker
Till next time. i so And just as an FYI, I'm happy to come back and talk more about decision fatigue. Okay.
00:42:29
Speaker
Okay, you heard it here first.