Center for Advancing Opportunity

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Center for Advancing Opportunity

The Center for Advancing Opportunity supports research in removing barriers and creating opportunities in fragile communities.

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Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Center for Advancing Opportunity is a research and education initiative born out of a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the Charles Koch Foundation, and Koch Industries. The Center supports students and faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) as

well as other majority colleges and universities to develop research-based solutions to the most pressing issues in fragile communities.

“Fragile communities are communities where residents — no matter their race or ethnicity — face significant barriers to opportunity. These communities are characterized by high crime, lack of quality educational options, and severely limited economic and social upward mobility opportunities.” – Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President & CEO, Thurgood Marshall College Fund

The Center is working to advance opportunity through the following activities:

Original Research: Supporting faculty at HBCUs working to develop research centers studying critical issues. These campus research centers will help bring together multiple faculty members interested in education, criminal justice, and entrepreneurship. Support for the campus research centers will include funding for research initiatives and undergraduate students studying these topics. Scholarships: Awarding scholarships to HBCU students pursuing careers in education, sociology, economics, and criminal justice research and awarding fellowships that will allow graduate researchers to study and research issues related to barriers to opportunity. On-Campus Programming: Supporting HBCU faculty working to bring speakers such as entrepreneurs, educators and economists to campus to facilitate conversations for students about removing barriers and advancing opportunity. Research and Polling: Partnering with Gallup to create an opportunity index that will capture real sentiments of individuals living in fragile communities and foster public dialogue. The State of Opportunity in America Forum: Convening annually HBCU researchers and other national thought leaders to examine research findings and develop solutions.

07/13/2021

The First Step Implementation Act and the EQUAL Act will advance public safety, ensure government accountability, and foster human dignity across our nation. Read CAO Executive Director Ja'Ron Smith's recent op-ed in the Washington Times.

One of the proudest moments of my life was standing next to President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office and watching him sign the First Step Act.

05/27/2021

When workers who receive social benefits – like food stamps, childcare assistance and housing vouchers – get a raise, how is their overall income impacted? The Center for the Study of Economic Mobility (CSEM) has launched an easy-to-use, mobile-friendly calculator to help figure it out.

When workers who receive social benefits – like food stamps, childcare assistance or housing benefits – get a raise, how is their overall income impacted? In many cases, when wages are raised, very few workers are better off. Craig Richardson, PhD, has launched a new, mobile-friendly benefits ca...

05/18/2021

Join this free livestream tomorrow, 7pm “Helping the Community Helps Your University: New and Replicable Ways Two University Centers are Impacting Their Communities” with Professor Craig Richardson from the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility and Professor Ed Lopez from the Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University. Learn about their experiences reaching across the campus as well as the community to create real impact. Hosted by the American Council of Education.

How can your campus harness cross-disciplinary research to get back to basics on economic and community development? Learn how university centers can advance faculty and student development while giving back to their communities by registering today for this event, generously supported by the Charle...

05/07/2021

"The Justice Department ordered that individuals under home confinement due to COVID-19 must return to prison when the emergency is lifted, putting 4,500 lives in limbo, awaiting an uncertain date when their return to normalcy is taken away."

Nearly 5,000 inmates may be sent back to prison. After rebuilding their lives, and being contributing members of society, how is being returned justice?

05/01/2021

"We must move away from a policy framework that focuses on punishment as a tool for controlling risk in favor of a focus on human rights, harm reduction, and the social, political, and economic reintegration of those who have been incarcerated."

https://www.brookings.edu/research/a-better-path-forward-for-criminal-justice-prisoner-reentry/

In this chapter of “A Better Path Forward for Criminal Justice,” experts outline reforms to improve reentry outcomes for the formerly incarcerated.

04/22/2021

"I have chosen to teach children who live in -- communities where there is a vicious cycle of poverty and violence that creates constant feelings of unsafety, discomfort and insecurity -- because it is my responsibility to reclaim my students' humanity."

I have chosen to teach children who live in fragile communities for 19 years because it is my responsibility to reclaim my students’ humanity. I, too, have been dehumanized in this fragile state we live in; I connect with my students, and relate to their lived experiences. I humanize their stories...

04/15/2021

"There has been no shortage of discourse surrounding racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. In fact, the need to address these inequities have emerged as a central tenet of most viable criminal justice reform efforts."

Learn more about this report created by the Center for Justice Research at Texas Southern University.

There has been no shortage of discourse surrounding racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. In fact, the need to address these inequities have emerged as a central tenet of most viable criminal justice reform efforts.

04/13/2021

"Our hope is to spread an infectious zeal for education with every community in America because only education can cure society’s ills."

Casey M. Bethel, HS teacher and K-12 Science/STEM Coordinator for 34 schools and 2017 Georgia Teacher of the Year.

Our hope is to spread an infectious zeal for education with every community in America because only education can cure society’s ills.

04/08/2021

"Literacy is the foundation for survival in this world, and its development, or lack thereof, can have generational and/or societal economic repercussions." Sarah Ballew Welch, Director of Instructional Services and Policy, Fannin County, GA

Literacy is the foundation for improving the lives of our students. To best impact our community and ultimately influence economic consequences, we must consider literacy from a systemic perspective.

04/06/2021

Rasheeda Shankle once struggled as a single mother working a minimum wage job while attending college. She's now president and CEO of a nonprofit helping single-family households break the cycle of poverty.

Meet Rasheeda Shankle, a Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) graduate and Founder, President and CEO of Honorable Youth, Inc. (HYI) a nonprofit, that focuses on helping single-family households break the cycle of poverty to achieve intergenerational wealth and economic stability.

04/02/2021

Meet Dr. Craig Richardson, distinguished professor of economics and founding director of the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility. Find out how CSEM is working to improve and in Winston-Salem's .

Craig Richardson, director of the Center for the Study of Economic Mobility, highlights the work CSEM is doing to improve social mobility in Winston-Salem, NC.

04/01/2021

"Just because a parent goes to prison does not mean the child loses that love."

to our faculty grantee Dr. Bahiyyah Muhammad's TEDx where she describes the stigma placed on children of parents and celebrates their .

Does the Apple Fall Far From Prison? is a conversation about the stigmas placed on the children of incarcerated parents and how they are triumphant despite t...

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