Education innovators profiled

The George Lucas Educational Foundation publishes a monthly magazine called Edutopia that profiles innovation in schools. In the March issue, there's an interesting feature on the Daring Dozen - - a dozen innovators from across the U.S. who challenge conventional wisdom and push the envelope. Of these, two have Southern roots.

Barbara Rountree, Alabama:

Barbara Rountree, a veteran educator and former professor at the University of Alabama, wonders why technology has so profoundly changed such professions as banking and medicine, yet has lagged so far behind in education. But instead of complaining about the quality of schools in her home state, Rountree founded the Capitol School in Tuscaloosa in 1993. This preK-12 school offers its 140 students "as many educational opportunities as possible," says Rountree. And it does so through a tech-strengthened curriculum tailored to each student's needs.

Joy Hakim, Virginia:

Twenty-five years ago, when Joy Hakim was a reporter for the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, she was sent to cover a state school board hearing in Richmond, where administrators and textbook publishers were at odds about content. Curious, Hakim opened one of the books and began reading. She was appalled by what she saw. "Everyone was saying they wanted a good history textbook," she says, "and I felt that after years as a journalist, I could do a better job."