First Magazine By Filmmaker's Foundation Showcases Innovation and
Questions the Status Quo, Serving as Catalyst for Educational Change
"Our system of education is locked in a time capsule . . .
we need to enter the 21st century.
I'm interested in the future, and the future is kids . . . ." George Lucas
New York (September 30, 2004) -- The George Lucas Educational Foundation launches Edutopia, a new magazine for a new world of learning. Serving as a catalyst for change in education, the publication's editorial will showcase the best and most innovative thinking in education, profile the sharpest minds, reveal ways around roadblocks, and question the status quo.
Edutopia is the first magazine launch for Lucas and for the foundation, which was founded in 1991 to chronicle innovative practices in education. One of the legends of American cinema, Lucas, whose films includes Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and American Graffiti, is passionate about changing the way we educate our nation's youth. Just as he envisioned new intergalactic worlds 30 years ago, today he envisions a new world of learning and a change in society's beliefs about education.
"I'm interested in the future, and the future is kids," says Lucas, who is profiled in the magazines premiere issue. "Here we are entering the 21st century, and we are doing things based on 19th-century ideas and methods. Our system of education is locked in a time capsule. The digital divide is not about who has access to what technology but, rather, who knows how to create and express themselves in the language of sound and images."
Edutopia launches as a bimonthly publication until September 2005, when it will publish 10 times a year, and will follow the academic calendar. Designed for educators, legislators, parents, and all others interested in education, the magazine profiles cutting-edge schools and the heroes of education reform, and brings to life innovations in science, art, and technology.
Edutopia's leadership team includes
- Editor in Chief: James Daly --Founder/editor in chief of Imagine Media's Business 2.0, editor in chief of Red Herring, a features editor at Wired, and a senior editor at Forbes ASAP.
- Executive Editor: Owen Edwards -- A veteran magazine editor and the founding editor and partner of Parenting magazine.
- Publisher: Cheryl Lucanegro -- Founding member and senior vice president of The Industry Standard and former senior vice president of sales for the Salon.com group.
- GLEF Executive Director: Milton Chen -- Founding director of PBS/San Francisco's KQED Center for Education & Lifelong Learning and the former director of research for the Sesame Workshop.
"Our goal is to exchange ideas that ultimately bring about change in the status quo. Edutopia will appeal to education influencers who recognize the urgent need to strengthen the U.S. educational system, whether you're an involved business or community leader, policy maker, district administrator, or parent," says Edutopia editor in chief James Daly. "Well cover stories that open doors and minds to a new world of learning."
Publisher Cheryl Lucanegro adds, "Were creating a new magazine category. Edutopia takes you inside the classroom and outside the schoolyard, covering everything from politics to philosophy, gadgets to music, technology to teaching skills. We're reaching educators and opinion leaders who see the bigger picture -- those who care deeply about the future, our world, and what's happening in politics, science, and the arts. They're lifelong learners themselves."
Lucas believes that the new world of learning is one in which educators are quickly connected to both students and parents, as well as professionals in the community -- such as architects, physicians, and writers who play an active role in the schools by contributing their expertise and resources. In this new world, technology is readily available, enabling students, teachers, and school leadership to seek knowledge beyond the school walls.
Each issue will include four to six major features. Among the articles in the premiere issue are:
- Full House: How the Las Vegas building boom has stretched the creativity and resources of the fastest-growing school district in the nation.
- The Teen Ticket: Proposals for lowering the voting age may say more about partisan squabbles than about precocious youngsters.
- George Lucas on Visual Vitality: The visionary filmmaker argues that students must learn a new language of image and sound in order to succeed.
- Cool Schools: Easy steps to a wireless net; the class with no windows, and First Amendment schools that put the U.S. Constitution to work.
- Wynton Marsalis on how music education nourishes the mind as well as the soul.
Edutopia arrived in mailboxes on September 15. It was sent to 85,000 subscribers, a qualified audience of leaders in education, legislators, administrators, involved parents, and business and community leaders.
About Edutopia:
Edutopia magazine is the latest product from The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), which produces documentaries and publishes books, DVDs, and CD-ROMs. Founded in 1991 and chaired by George Lucas, GLEF is a nonprofit organization that chronicles innovative practices in education. GLEF's Web site, www.glef.org, which includes Edutopia online, is continuously updated and serves as a multimedia resource center for educators to share ideas and obtain documentaries, instructional modules, in-depth case studies, and other educational tools. To find out more, visit us at www.Edutopia.org.