A new study illuminates factors that may support upward social mobility in rural America — the likelihood that children will grow up to achieve a higher standard of living than their parents. The “Social Mobility in Rural America” field report from National 4-H Council and The Bridgespan Group, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides ideas and guiding questions that other communities might build upon as they work to expand economic opportunity for their young people.

“There has been a lot of talk about how the American dream is playing out in rural communities,” said Mark McKeag, a Bridgespan partner and co-author of the report....