Part I - The Opportunity Frame The Opportunity Agenda



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American Opportunity (pdf)
Part I - The Opportunity Frame
Part II - Opportunity in Your Backyard
Part III - Promising Practices

"The true test of the American ideal is whether . . . chance of birth or circumstance decides life's big winners and losers, or whether we buld a community where, at the very least, everyone had a chance to work hard, get ahead and reach their dreams."
—Senator Barack Obama, Knox College Commencement Address, June 4, 2005.

"Opportunity is having a voice and the power to make sure that policy is responsive to that voice."
—Jeff Perlstein, Executive Director, Media Alliance

"Journalists will serve the public well if they examine new measurements and expressions of opportunity in America, explore its democratic dimensions and, through vigorous reporting, nourish compassion for those unfairly denied its benefits."
—Steve Montiel, Founding Director of USC Annenburg's Institute for Justice and Journalism

"Opportunity in our campaign has meant creating an opportunity to push our values, affect change, and open people's hearts to the value of redemption."
—Tony Newman, Drug Policy Alliance, member of Real Reform New York Coaltion

"Opportunity means transformation, and it means realizing justice."
—Monique Harden, Founder, Advocates for Environmental Human Rights

<<Table of Contents | Foreword>>

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Part I - The Opportunity Frame

In this section, you will find essays designed to introduce you to the concept of the Opportunity Frame, the research that grounds the frame, and some concrete examples for deploying the frame in a real world situation.

Foreword
Alan Jenkins, Phoebe Eng, and Dr. Brian Smedley, co-founders of The Opportunity Agenda, introduce the Opportunity Frame and its potential to unite progressive messages and constituencies.

Overview: The State of Opportunity in America Report
Brian Smedley, Research Director of The Opportunity Agenda, provides a brief overview of the findings in our initial report, The State of Opportunity in America, the sister publication of this toolkit. The report is the first to measure how opportunity is fairing in America along a range of indicators.

Dimensions of Opportunity
We define Opportunity as a fair chance to achieve one's full potential. A true "Opportunity Society" would uphold these 6 core values.

A Tale of Two (Dueling) Frames
Loren Siegel, former Public Education Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, examines the different ways that progressives and conservatives attempt to frame opportunity.

Rising Together - Senator Obama at Knox College
The SPIN Project dissects a commencement address delivered by Senator Barack Obama and diagrams his use of the Opportunity Frame.

Talking Opportunity in America (Web Exclusive Content)
Susan Strong explores the metaphors that define - and can alter - the way Americans perceive an issue.

Talking About Race (Web Exclusive Content)
Lori Villarosa and Maya Wiley explain why "leading with race" can be a winning communications strategy to achieve long-term social change.

<<Table of Contents | Foreword>>