The Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework provides an evidence-based foundation for individuals and communities to advance racial equity and upward mobility from poverty. The framework offers a holistic definition of upward mobility and supports local leaders interested in using data-driven decisionmaking to identify factors they can influence to increase mobility for all people, especially those historically excluded from prosperity.
The Upward Mobility Data Dashboard visualizes a series of Mobility Metrics representing the 24 evidence-based predictors of upward mobility within the framework. The metrics can be used to identify which predictors of mobility pose the greatest challenge, allowing local changemakers to prioritize and track mobility-related conditions in their community.
Why Community Engagement Matters
To create lasting and meaningful change, community leaders need to accurately diagnose the underlying systemic challenges and have a comprehensive picture of local mobility conditions that are creating barriers to upward mobility. For this reason, it is crucial that they consider engaging with the voices and priorities of communities.
This report describes how Mobility Metrics can be incorporated into community-engagement and participatory quantitative methods, so that mobility teams can collaborate with community members in measuring progress toward achieving upward mobility in their localities. It builds on the Urban Institute’s Community-Engaged Methods Model and shows how the seven core values of community engagement can be used in the analysis conducted by local governments, nonprofits, and community-based organizations. Additionally, it provides ideas for how community engagement and the Mobility Metrics can be paired within the six stages of the measurement cycle.
Community engagement helps ensure that any effort to address barriers to mobility are informed by the lived experiences of community members—which ultimately leads to more sustainable and effective policies, programs, and research.
