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What Presidential Candidates aren’t saying about education – it’s worse than we thought

Press Contact: Liza Dittoe: 317-202-2280 x12

Eye-opening documentary Two Million Minutes examines education in three largest countries - U.S., India and China; Film screening in Des Moines, Iowa this Thursday

(DES MOINES, IA – December 10, 2007) A thought-provoking new education documentary film Two Million Minutes will be exclusively screened on Thursday, December 13, 2007 at 7:30pm at the Varsity Theatre in Des Moines.

Produced by entrepreneur and venture capitalist Bob Compton, the film examines education in the United States as it compares to global standards. Regardless of nationality, once children exit the eighth grade – the clock starts ticking. They have roughly Two Million Minutes to build their intellectual foundation and prepare for college and career.

The film compares educational standards in the United States with those in India and China by following two students from each of these countries and interviewing them – as well as members of their families – about the priorities in their lives during their senior year in high school. The film is intended to spark discussions and dialogue about American education. How do Americans compare on a global scale? Twenty months in the making, Two Million Minutes highlights the various pressures and priorities of these students and their families, providing insight into the changing nature of competition in the knowledge economy.

“As one of the Presidential Primary States, Iowa is a critical location in which to screen Two Million Minutes,” said Executive Producer Bob Compton. The film is of great importance for the 2008 Presidential campaigns, the traditional media and the voting public.”

Compton teamed up with two former teachers-turned-filmmakers to produce the documentary. Chad Heeter and Adam Raney – both graduates of UC Berkeley’s journalism school with expertise in foreign reporting – traveled to Shanghai, Bangalore and across the U.S., taking cameras into classrooms to bring Compton’s vision to the screen.

The filmmakers have also tapped a world-class panel of experts who elaborate on the differences in education among the countries and discuss implications for America. Among those interviewed are Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor; Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Vivek Paul, former CEO of WiPro technologies of India; Tim Draper, Managing Director of Silicon Valley venture firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson; Vivien Stewart, Chinese Education Specialist at the Asia Society; Richard Freeman, a Harvard University economist; and Vivek Wadhwa, Executive-in-Residence at Duke University and Wertheim Fellow, Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School.

“The people who are potentially losing their competitive edge are Americans," says Robert Reich in the film, former U.S. Secretary of Labor.

The screening on December 13th will be held at the Varsity Theatre in Des Moines at 7:30pm. Iowa will be the first primary state to see the film. Future screenings will take place around the country in the coming months.

Two Million Minutes has recently partnered with Strong American Schools’ ED in ’08, a national, nonpartisan campaign supported by The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation promoting sound education policies for all Americans. For more information or to view a trailer of the film, please visit www.2mminutes.com/index.html.

For screening information, contact Meg Charlebois at 317-202-2280 ext 11 or meg@dittoepr.com.