that are already happening in schools today. 2020 Vision is not telling teachers what to do - that’s the last thing you need. Nor is it speculation about what will probably never happen - you’ve got enough to think about. 2020 Vision is a series about what’s going on in schools right now. It’s about schools that are healthy, high-tech, high-rise, creative and eco-friendly - and the teachers and heads who lead them. They’re all out there, and Friday magazine’s writers have tracked them down.

These are schools where people are going all out to make things happen, learning from mistakes and showing what’s possible. They’re also busy doing the ordinary things, coping with everyday frustrations (new buildings still have leaky roofs), getting on with children and putting them first.

Computer technology has kick-started a revolution that shifts the focus of education from teaching to learning. It can be liberating when it frees teachers from mundane tasks and makes knowledge accessible. But there’s an important guiding element to learning that teachers fulfil and machines never will. Students of the future will have real teachers as well as virtual ones.

Schools need teachers now more than ever, and if new staff are to stay in the profession, they need to find it fulfilling. Leaving them to get on with the job is part of the answer. But embracing new concepts and possibilities is another.

In 2003, teachers may not be relishing the future, and if top-down initiatives continue apace, resistance to change is likely to grow. But knowledge is power, and you can take control of your career. 2020 Vision will put you in the picture, exploring 25 cutting-edge ideas, detailing the resources behind them and explaining where you can go to find out more. It could shape your own future - the next lesson you take, tomorrow’s governors’ meeting or that job you were thinking of applying forI Sarah BaylissEditor, Friday magazine