
Student Wellness Is a Design Decision, Not a Siloed Activity (with Lauren Porosoff)
From De Facto Leaders by Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan
April 15, 2026 · 1h 2m · Episode 256
About this episode
The episode discusses the integration of student wellness and community engagement into the daily school experience with insights from educational consultant Lauren Porosoff.
When schools talk about improving engagement, student wellness, or school climate, it often turns into assemblies, themed weeks, or standalone initiatives. When schools talk about community engagement, student wellness, or school climate, they often turn into assemblies, themed weeks, or standalone initiatives. In this episode, I invited Lauren Porosoff from The Teacher Nerd to unpack why a focus on engagement and wellness must be woven into the daily fabric of the school experience to have lasting impact. Lauren is an educational consultant who helps schools design learning environments where community values like equity, empathy, and creativity emerge from the instruction itself. She was a teacher for 18 years, most recently at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York. She’s taught the 2nd, 5th, 6th, and 7th grades, mostly in English and history, and has also served as a diversity coordinator, a grade dean, and a leader of curricular initiatives. Lauren develops tools and protocols that transform the psychological experience of school for teachers and students. She’s developed applications in instructional design, social-emotional learning, professional development, and…
People in this episode
Host: Dr. Karen Dudek-Brannan
Guest: Lauren Porosoff
Topics covered
- student wellness
- community engagement
- school climate
- educational design
- social-emotional learning
Keywords
- student wellness
- engagement
- school climate
- educational consultant
- social-emotional learning
- community values
- instructional design
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Teacher Nerd, Ethical Culture Fieldston School
Places: New York
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