Dr. Diane Friedlaender Shares Her Holistic Approach to Education
The newest member of Stanford Lifestyle Medicine’s Gratitude & Purpose pillar is Diane Friedlaender, PhD, a renowned education researcher, whole-student curriculum designer, and community builder devoted to social justice and human flourishing. Her work in education policy and curriculum design has been featured in the PBS NewsHour, Public Radio, Educational Leadership, and Education Week.
During her nearly 30-year career in education, she has demonstrated a commitment to designing holistic educational experiences, including courses on purpose, gratitude, and mindfulness. For example, she will be offering the course “Living on Purpose” this summer with Stanford Continuing Education, which explores how self-understanding connects to outward action to address pressing needs in the world, and how purpose is meaningful across different stages of life.
“If we only take traditional courses offered in schools, we tap into the narrowest slice of our own potential. By getting to know other aspects of ourselves—like our creative self, our spiritual self, or our embodied wisdom—we can develop a broader capacity,” says Dr. Friedlaender. “By developing different parts of ourselves, we can bring those expanded capacities to address problems in our society and make a tremendous positive impact.”
Background
Dr. Friedlaender grew up close to the Stanford campus in Palo Alto, California. She was born in Stanford Hospital, learned to ride a bike on the Stanford University quad, and then learned to drive stick shift in a Volkswagen bus next to the Stanford track.
Given Dr. Friedlaender’s dedication to holistic education, it’s no surprise that she attended a progressive school from grades K to 8, called the Peninsula School in Menlo Park, California.
“The focus of my elementary school was discovery- and play-based education. If I was curious or interested in a topic, my teacher facilitated an exploration of that interest,” says Dr. Friedlaender. “Being exposed to this type of education as a young child opened my eyes to a lot of different ways a human can develop that aren’t just academic or cognitive, and this experience had a huge impact on what is meaningful for me in my career today.”
After graduating from Palo Alto High School, Dr. Friedlaender earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from UC San Diego and a PhD in education policy from UCLA.
Returning to Stanford
In 2004, she began working at the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) as a qualitative education researcher. Here, Dr. Friedlaender studied schools across the country that served students of color and low-income students well. Her task was to identify conditions in which marginalized students could flourish.
“Along with education research, my focus was designing curricula that promoted equity in education,” says Dr. Friedlaender. “Students shouldn’t be limited by the inequitable systems we currently live in. We need to build community and collaborate with people who have diverse perspectives, and the more diverse, the better.”
After 14 years at SCOPE, Dr. Friedlaender was hired as the associate director of the Stanford Living Education (SLED) program. Within SLED, Dr. Friedlaender developed and managed the Leadership, Community Building and Social Change (LEAD) program and taught over 25 courses on community building, leadership, purpose, and resilience. She joined the core faculty at SLED as head of pedagogy and research, and designed SLED’s lecturer development program.
“Even though my career as a researcher aligned with my values of justice and educational opportunity, I was spending all my time documenting other people doing amazing work, and I wanted to be a ‘doer’ rather than just the ‘observer’,” says Dr. Friedlaender. “Also, working with students in real time brings me joy. I get so excited when students see light bulbs and learn about themselves.”
Business Owner
Currently, Dr. Friedlaender is a facilitator for Studio Pathways, where she facilitates professional development workshops with K-12 educators to support their development of culturally responsive arts integrated instruction. She also serves as a program evaluator for public schools and non-profits, documenting how art and creativity can be integrated into curriculum as tools for equity and deeper learning.
This year, she has also launched her own business, Deep Currents, which offers leadership retreats, courses, workshops, and one-on-one coaching to help people connect with their wisdom, values, and purpose to become more effective leaders. She also offers speaking engagements on these topics, as well as resilience and gratitude.
“Going inward to engage outward is a pattern I’ve repeated in my career: first as an educational researcher, then as a curriculum designer and teacher, and now as a business owner,” says Dr. Friedlaender. “I often hear from students years after taking my courses saying the lessons they learned, especially how they learned to love and value themselves, are still having a positive influence on their lives. The lasting nature of the impact of my work is what I’m most proud of, and I hope to continue making a positive impact for many years to come.”
