This pre-reading from the 2005 Gathering presents a unique American Dream Scorecard and analyzes the challenges and opportunities facing today's social entrepreneurs. Author Eric Schwarz, co-founder and CEO of Citizen Schools, attempts to make sense of our history, our progress and our remaining, and in some cases worsening, national challenges.

The paper addresses several pressing questions. Has social progress in America reached a point of diminishing or declining returns? Must we now merely "play defense" and prevent the erosion of rights and opportunities previously won? Can we find new tools for new times and further expand the American Dream to the one in three Americans who today live in or near poverty?

As Schwarz analyzes 28 measures that track America's success in the domains of work, education, and health and safety, he offers some reasons for our poor national performance over recent decades and lays out ideas for more powerfully pursuing social change efforts with a strategy informed by history.