Resources

 

OPINION AND MEDIA RESEARCH

Religion in the Media

Religion Media Analysis: A Study of Trends in Media Coverage
January 2008, Douglas Gould and Company
The third in a series of media analyses funded by the Ford Foundation studying trends in the coverage of religion.

Economic Justice

Working Press
December 2006, Douglas Gould and Company
A media analysis funded by the Ford Foundation highlights the progress made by advocates and others on how low wage work is presented. The analysis also identifies areas where improvements could be made.

Arts Education

Focus Group Research Findings "Arts-Active" Parents
September, 2006
On behalf of Douglas Gould and Company, the FDR Group convened six focus groups with arts-active parents to develop a personality profile. The findings will be used to inform a communications strategy for arts-active parents.

Media Paints Art in Fading Light
Douglas Gould and Company September 2005
A media analysis commissioned by the Education Commission of States (ECS) highlights key themes and recommendations for projecting a more favorable image of arts education through the media. The central finding is that arts education is portrayed in today's media as disappearing from public school classrooms across the country, particularly as more emphasis is placed on standardized testing.

Mobilizing Support For Integrated Arts Education: National Opinion Research Findings
Douglas Gould and Company, June 2005
A summary of recommendations for building a constituency for integrated arts education in public schools that advocates can use to improve their communications efforts.

Fact sheet of National Opinion Research Findings
(Mobilizing Support for Integrated Arts Education)
Douglas Gould and Company June 2005

Integrating the Arts: Full Report and Executive Summary
Douglas Gould and Company, March 2005
This report discusses the results of six focus groups. The goal of the research was to inform message strategies concerning the integration of the arts throughout elementary, middle and high school curricula across the country.

Community Colleges

Expanding Opportunity: Communicating the Role of Community Colleges
September 2004
Results of public opinion research
Douglas Gould and Company, with funding from the Ford Foundation, commissioned focus groups and survey research to learn how American perceive community colleges and how to raise the profile of these institutions.

Recommendations from Opinion Research
September 2004
Summary of strategic recommendations on messages for use by community colleges to strengthen their public image and brand identity

Web cast of Opinion Research
September 2004
Online Power Point presentation of results of the public opinion research.

Fact Sheet
September 2004
Facts from the national survey on community colleges.

National and State Surveys on Community Colleges (NM, MI, FL, NC, TX, VA, PA,OH, LA)
August 2004
Questions and data from the national and state surveys among adults living in the U.S. on community colleges.

Release on Polling Report
October 2004
Press release distributed after the release of the national opinion research report.

Other Research

Setting Priorities for Human Rights Communications in the United States2.72 mb
October 2006
by Breakthrough and Rebecca Lowell Edwards
A comprehensive report developed from a day-long meeting on June 28, 2006 that addressed communications strategies on human rights in the United States hosted by Breakthrough, with support from the US Human Rights Fund.

Truth on the Sidelines: Philanthropy and Foundations in the Media293 kb
September 2003
An analysis of what policymakers and opinion leaders learn about philanthropy
from the media

Douglas Gould is interviewed in the Fall 2004 issue of the Stanford Social Innovation Review about the findings of his study. Story here

Fulfilling the Promise of No Child Left Behind 424 KB
April 2003
A meta analysis of attitudes toward public education. Americans have deep
reservations about the condition of public education and are willing to support a
variety of reforms

No Community Left Behind 291 KB
April 2003
Will society benefit from, or be harmed by, the transformation of public education
through the No Child Left Behind Act?

A Survey of Foundation Communications Issues—Post September 11th, 131 KB
September 2001
We surveyed 321 communications directors of America's premiere foundations

RESOURCE GUIDES

Religion and Culture: Meeting the Challenge of Pluralism
2004
A resource guide developed for reporters who seek a wider range of sources on the role of theology in shaping our lives, culture and responses to problems

For an Economy That Works for All, 2002–2006
A resource developed to raise public awareness about the barriers facing low-wage workers. It is designed to build the communications capacities of advocates who fight on behalf of low-wage workers at the local level

The Funder's guide to Successful Media Investments for Social Change 706 KB
1996
A guide for the funding community when investing in public interest media activities

Talking Learning Disabilities 136 KB
A resource to help advocates frame their messages in ways that will mobilize
support for children with learning disabilities and enact helpful public policies.

Branding organizations: Branding Legal Aid 181 KB
2001
How civil legal aid organizations can use branding to enhance public recognition
of the organizations and the work they do.