Both Uses of

progressive
in
Funny in Farsi

Her father, a fairly progressive man, had even refused the two earlier suitors who had come for her so that his daughter could pursue her dream.
p. 5.3

progressive = open to new ideas to make things better

My father, always the progressive man, decided that every one of his children and his nieces and nephews would learn to swim.
p. 68.7 *

Definitions:

(1) (progressive as in: progressive decline)
gradually advancing or becoming more severe
(2) (progressive as in: progressive ideas)
of new ideas intended to make things better; or a person favoring such ideas

or (in politics):

progress based on relatively more confidence that changes to institutions will go well (In the U.S., progressives are likely to vote for the Democratic party; though many Democrats do not consider themselves progressives.)
(3) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

Progressive tax refers to a system of taxation in which the percent of income taxed increases with higher income. The terms, progressive education or progressive school are sometimes used to refer to more modern educational techniques such as stressing experience and self-expression over rote learning. In 1924, there was a political party in the United States called the Progressive Party. For other more specialized senses (including meanings related to eyeglass lenses, music, and grammar), see a comprehensive dictionary or Wikipedia.