The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey Into How the World's Poorest People Are Educating Themselves April 15, 2009

Hosted by: Cato Institute

Everyone from Bono to the United Nations is looking for a miracle to bring schooling within reach of the poorest children on Earth. James Tooley may have found one. While researching private schools in India for the World Bank, and worried he was doing little to help the poor, Tooley wandered into the slums of Hyderabad's Old City. Shocked to find it overflowing with small, parent-funded schools filled with energized students, he set out to discover if the small, parent-funded schools could help achieve universal education.

So began the adventure told in Tooley's new book, The Beautiful Tree - the story of his journey from the largest shanty town in Africa to the mountains of Gansu, China, and of the children, parents, teachers, and entrepreneurs who taught him that the poor are not waiting for educational handouts. They are building their own schools and educating themselves.

Official Website: http://www.cato.org/event.php?eventid=6015