# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching Tolerance Standards for Social Justice

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching Tolerance Standards for Social Justice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What if you could better engage yourself and others by better understanding the brain? David Rock and I believe that you can, and David Rock's SCARF model is a great place to start managing employee engagement with brain science. SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.

The foundation for David Rock's SCARF Model lies in our brain's need to either minimize danger or maximize reward. The brain switches between these two modes in response to our environment, including our interactions with others. Recent studies support that this switch in state can happen in less than a fifth of a second, below our level of consciousness. In other words, you may react to a perceived threat at work before your brain has even consciously realized that you sense danger.

When your brain feels threatened you experience reduced cognitive performance and make more mistakes. This is because fewer brain resources are available for your " Inner CEO " which impacts your memory, creativity, and ability to deal with stress. When you feel threatened you are more likely to 'make a mountain out of a molehill', be 'penny wise and pound foolish', and feel 'checked out' at work.

However, when your brain is in the 'maximize reward' state you experience engagement. Maximizing reward increases your willingness to go the extra mile, take risks, and think outside the box. This state of mind is also associated with positive emotions and happiness -and the science is clear, happier people are more creative, resilient, cooperative, energetic, productive, successful and engaged.

In the SCARF Model David Rock summarizes hundreds of studies identifying the five social triggers that can instigate both the 'minimize danger' and 'maximize reward' responses at work. In the following 5 blogs posts we will dive into each of the five social triggers and provide examples and strategies for how you can increase engagement with SCARF:

These five factors-that our brain monitors for, mostly below our conscious awareness-have a substantial impact on our motivation and engagement.

Now that you know about the 'minimize danger' and 'maximize reward' states, pay attention this week to how you are feeling at work: Are you reacting to a perceived threat, thus minimizing your own engagement and productivity? Are you threatening a colleague's SCARF, thus prompting the 'minimize danger' response in their brain?

Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or Twitter, or by emailing me at [email protected]

To increasing engagement with brain science! - Ayla
Resources for the SCARF series:

As Director of Operations at Happy Brain Science, Ayla thrives most when helping individuals and organizations to maximize their success through the application of positive psychology and neuroscience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Increase Employee Engagement with SCARF

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What if you could better engage yourself and others by better understanding the brain? David Rock and I believe that you can, and David Rock's SCARF model is a great place to start managing employee engagement with brain science. SCARF stands for Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Adaptive Leadership is a practical leadership framework that helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments. It is being able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change. It is about diagnosing the essential from the expendable and bringing about a real challenge to the status quo.

When you realize that your organizations aspirations- the innovations and progress you want to see- cannot be attained through your current approaches, Adaptive Leadership is the framework you need to diagnose, interrupt, and innovate to create the capabilities that match your organizations aspirations. Adaptive Leadership is purposeful evolution in real time.

Adaptive Leadership emerged from thirty plus years of research at Harvard University by Dr. Ron Heifetz and Marty Linsky, defining the frontier of leadership training and development.

Cambridge Leadership Associates offers several leadership workshops which introduce the concepts of Adaptive Leadership and apply these concepts to your most vexing leadership challenge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adaptive Leadership is a practical leadership framework that helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments. It is being able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change. It is about diagnosing the essential from the expendable and bringing about a real challenge to the status quo.

# data[].attributes.body
T

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Read more: The art of complaining
"The meat of the sandwich is the complaint itself," Winch said. "And here's the trick: The meat has to be lean. In other words, all you need is the one incident to make your point." Don't present a compendium of every offense; just stick to the specifics of the present situation. In the case of the dish-leaver, that might sound like this: "I saw that your cereal bowl is in the sink from this morning."

Just as it's important not to include a list of frustrating incidents at this stage, it's also important not to include a generalization about someone's basic nature. The complaint You didn't clean up after yourself veers unproductively into criticism when the clause because you're so lazy is tacked onto the end of it. So focus strictly on what happened, Winch advised.

The final component of the sandwich is another positive statement, this time one that might motivate the other party to do things differently. This inducement could be something like, "If you could make an effort to put your dirty dishes into the dishwasher, it would make me so happy."

These statements might be set up differently if complaining to a stranger rather than a loved one (a stranger might be less interested in making you happy), but the format remains the same. And in all cases, Winch says, it's important not to yell or be sarcastic. "However angry or frustrated you are, if your tone is too sharp, you're distracting from the message," he noted. Then, down the line: "The minute you see any hint of an effort, you reinforce it like crazy"-that's the best way to encourage more of the hoped-for behavior in the future.

These principles are not just useful in the interpersonal realm-Winch says that well-framed complaints can also bring about better results in customer-service scenarios. Applying the aforementioned tactics to corporate grievances requires a few twists.

First, specificity is especially important when dealing with companies. Winch says that many customer-service representatives use systems that have them choose from preset categories of complaints, so it can be harder to get a favorable result if you mention a bunch of different issues. For instance, if you're trying to get a rental-car company to reverse an unexpected charge, don't also go on about how uncomfortable the car's seats were-it muddles the real reason you're calling (and makes you sound as if you aren't discriminating in what you choose to complain about).

Second, expressing empathy for a customer-service representative can help a lot. "They are usually a low-salary employee and their job is horrific. They really get cursed at all the time, every day," Winch said. He added that when he calls a customer-service line, he often opens with something like, "I'm going to apologize ahead of time for sounding annoyed. I'm annoyed with this situation, not with you personally-so please forgive me if I sound frustrated."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
You're Probably Complaining the Wrong Way

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Read more: The art of complaining "The meat of the sandwich is the complaint itself," Winch said. "And here's the trick: The meat has to be lean. In other words, all you need is the one incident to make your point." Don't present a compendium of every offense; just stick to the specifics of the present situation.

# data[].attributes.headline
"What do schools look like in Wakanda?" video

# data[].attributes.subject
"What do schools look like in Wakanda?" video

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome students, families, friends, and colleagues to this afternoon's convocation. I'd like to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude to the students for electing me this year's faculty speaker: I am truly honored by this recognition.

It was brought to my attention by one of our doctoral students, Al Moore, that I was selected to be the convocation speaker in 2014, Jim Ryan's first year as dean, and now, here I am again as faculty speaker, in his last year as dean. I'm not quite sure what to make of this bookend dynamic, but I do know one thing for sure - that Dean Ryan's leadership has been an inspiration to me and to many of you. I wish him all the best as he and his family begin their new journey at the University of Virginia.

Last month, I attended the annual American Educational Research Conference - AERA for short - and this year it was held New York City. I went to a superb presidential session entitled "Building a New Educational Justice Movement." The session was coordinated by my colleague and friend Professor Mark Warren, and Mark assembled a wonderful panel of parents, community activists, and scholars of community organizing.

One of the panelist was Natasha Capers, one of my "she-roes." Natasha is a parent activist with the Coalition for Educational Justice in New York City. Natasha began her presentation by talking about the movie Black Panther, how many of you have seen the movie? For those of you who haven't, (why haven't you?) one of the stars of the movie is actually a place, it is the fictional African nation of Wakanda, Black Panther's home. Wakanda is a technologically advanced and thriving nation, where all young people, regardless of their gender and station, are empowered to be their best selves.

Natasha told us that while she was watching Black Panther for the second time, she found herself wondering, "What do the schools in Wakanda look like?" - schools that could produce these talented citizens who are technologically sophisticated and culturally astute and aware?

Long after the session, I found myself thinking about Natasha's question. I wondered about the schools, the teachers, and the overall culture of educational institutions there. And then I thought, "Wait a minute - I'm at an Ed School, this is a perfect place to ask that question!"

So, with the support of Matt Weber and the filming and editing expertise of Iman Rastegari (thank you, Iman), I went out on Appian Way and asked members of our HGSE community about Wakandan schools and we created a video of their responses.

As you watch the video, I'd like you to not only to listen to what people say, but how they say it.

Roll video.

I'd like you to think for a moment: "What struck you about what you just heard, what you just saw in these responses? Now, if we had time, my students know that we'd now engage in something we call a "turn and talk" (right, students?!), where we would have a chance to share our responses with one another. But since we don't have time to do that here, I'm going to share with you what struck me about these responses.

They were:

Exuberant, passionate, joyous, electric, spontaneous, wondrous, confident, creative, loving, and unapologetic. And they were filled with what Angela Glover Blackwell, who was here last week, described as "radical imagination" - that kind of imagination that's glorious, improvisational, and courageous, that doesn't take no for an answer, that doesn't let anything stand in its way.

This has been a tough year, on so many levels, for so many of us. But I have to say, I am hopeful, more hopeful than I've been in a while. And that hope comes primarily from this radical imagination, this radical courage, this radical leadership, that I've seen in our students.

I've watched them push back hard on those individuals, institutions, and organizations that show in their actions and their words, that they only support Wakandan-like schools and opportunities for some kids, not all kids.

I've seen our students interrogate their own assumptions, biases and ways of seeing the world, and I've seen them create space in their minds and in their hearts for new ways of thinking and feeling about themselves and others.

I've seen them form collaborations and teams that work together to disrupt the very systems and structures that stand in the way of creating these vibrant and equitable educational opportunities for all children.

But our students cannot do this work alone. They need all of us, every person in this room, to be READY to support this work, in whatever way you can.

So, in closing, I'd like us to do a little call and response, to let all of those within ear shot our special HGSE community to hear just how ready we are to do the work to create Wakanda-like schools and opportunities for ALL of our children. When I ask you "Are you ready?" I want to hear you shout out, Yes, we're ready!

So here we go - Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready?

Then, everyone, with this kind of energy and solidarity, no one can stand in our way.

Thank you, and congratulations to the HGSE Class of 2018.
Video: Iman Rategari

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome students, families, friends, and colleagues to this afternoon's convocation. I'd like to take this moment to express my deepest gratitude to the students for electing me this year's faculty speaker: I am truly honored by this recognition.

# data[].attributes.headline
Black Male High School Students Discuss Their Experiences

# data[].attributes.subject
Black Male High School Students Discuss Their Experiences

# data[].attributes.headline
Sealy-Ruiz & Greene—The (Mis)Reading of Black Male Youth

# data[].attributes.subject
Sealy-Ruiz & Greene—The (Mis)Reading of Black Male Youth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
2. Sealey-Ruiz (2015) Popular Visual Images and the (Mis)Reading of Black Male Youth - A Case for Racial Literacy in Urban Preservice Teacher Education

# data[].attributes.headline
Ladson-Billings—Toward a Critical Race Theory of Education

# data[].attributes.subject
Ladson-Billings—Toward a Critical Race Theory of Education

# data[].attributes.headline
Picower—The Unexamined Whiteness of Teaching

# data[].attributes.subject
Picower—The Unexamined Whiteness of Teaching

# data[].attributes.headline
Emdin—Introduction to For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood

# data[].attributes.subject
Emdin—Introduction to For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
3. Chris Emdin (2016) For White folks who teach in the Hood - Introduction

# data[].attributes.headline
Gooden, Khalifa, & Davis—Culturally Responsive School Leadership

# data[].attributes.subject
Gooden, Khalifa, & Davis—Culturally Responsive School Leadership

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
4. Gooden et al (2016) Culturally Responsive School Leadership