A Path Appears, by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, begins with a 1921 passage by Chinese essayist Lu Xun:
Hope is like a path in the countryside. Originally, there is nothing - but as people walk this way again and again, a path appears.
In other words, hope is a path that we all create. It's a bottom up process. Yes, it took a pioneer to first walk into the countryside, but we should all gain hope in recognizing that it is our collective action that creates a way forward.
There are some obvious similarities between the countryside path analogy and the multiple pathways that appear in Kristof's and WuDunn's synthesis. Today's philanthropists seek new methods of evaluating the effectiveness of social programs, but the great research cited in this book builds on peer reviewed social science. Rarely do Kristof and WuDunn cite Big Data true believers who seem so committed to making a brand new path appear that they dismiss the findings of social science, cognitive research, and the history of philanthropy and education.
Most of the research cited in A Path Appears is a product of the scientific method and peer review. The path of peer review led to higher education, where the free flow of ideas was protected and celebrated. Ahead of almost every nation, America extended the democratic path with its freedom of expression to public education. Until recently, the goal of school reform was providing the same excellence and opportunities to all children regardless of race or income.
[For more of this story, written by John Thompson, go to http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...fs-an_b_6171734.html]
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