Star Wars creator George Lucas strives to improve education system through foundation, website

CINCINNATI - Unless you've been living under a rock since the late ' 70s, there's no way you've never heard of George Lucas. The famous screenwriter, producer and director created one of the biggest film sagas of the century, Star Wars, as well as many other memorable works.

However, his work is not just contained to the film industry. He has also extended himself into the realm of education and through the George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF), he hopes to improve the education system as a whole.

"The George Lucas Educational Foundation is dedicated to improving K-12 schools by using media and technology to document, disseminate and advocate for innovative learning strategies that prepare students to thrive in their future education, careers and adult lives," said Edutopia's Director of Marketing and Communications Sabrina Smith.

But why would Lucas want to leap into education?

Smith said Lucas founded GLEF because he was frustrated with the current system and its lack of change, innovation and growth, especially around technology adoption and incorporation.

Lucas said traditional education can be extremely isolating, according to the website.

"The curriculum is often abstract and not relevant to real life, teachers and students don't usually connect with resources and experts outside of the classroom and many schools operate as if they were separate from their communities," Lucas added.

GLEF created Edutopia.org in 1994 as an online resource to help students, parents and teachers discover innovative ways to learn. Through the use of documentaries, blogs and a networking system for educators, schools can find new ways to prepare their students with tools to succeed in life.

Although Edutopia was once also in print, the publication of the magazine ceased in May because more people utilized the website than the magazine. Lucas said over 300,000 users access the website per month and the magazine only had a circulation of 100,000. He said efforts are now focused on the website solely, which allows them to "serve a much greater audience, more frequently, with more times of media."

Edutopia is founded upon six core concepts which include integrated studies, project learning, comprehensive assessment, teacher development, technology integration and social and emotional learning.

One of its primary resources is the "Schools That Work" series which spotlights different schools throughout the country. The series allows visitors to read about these schools and discover different ways to apply these success to their own institutions.

Smith said Edutopia hopes to make innovation and change more accessible to all educators by providing a website that highlights successful schools.

"If more educators can learn about real solutions and see them working in real schools, we hope it will inspire and empower then to take action within their own schools and districts," Smith said.

For more information, visit www.edutopia.org or its Facebook page.