What We’re Learning

What We’re Learning

We believe that a community of creative problem-solvers, faced with complicated, seemingly intractable challenges, is well-served by thought-provoking, research-based information and analysis. We support the development and dissemination of research in two ways:

Abell Reports

Abell Reports are commissioned reports by subject matter experts, academics, and investigative journalists that provide studies of selected issues on the public agenda.

Abell-Supported Research

These projects – undertaken with grant funding by academics and nonprofit research and advocacy organizations – advance learning on issues key to Baltimore City.

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    Featured Reports

    Photo courtesy of the Goucher Prison Education Partnership.

    2024 Annual Report

    A reflection on the promising new approaches and new resources that have been brought to bear in the last decade.

    Abell Report: “Justice by Geography”: Improving Pretrial Electric Monitoring in Maryland

    Recent changes to state funding have reignited conversations among Maryland corrections leaders about expanding and strengthening electronic monitoring (EM) and pretrial services. This report summarizes key findings from the Justice Policy Institute’s research into EM as well as best practices.

    Abell Report: Evidence of Racial Bias in Home Appraisals in the Baltimore Metropolitan Area

    Racial bias in home appraising can harm individuals by making home purchases more expensive or refinancing unattainable, but when compounded on the community level, it can have profound impacts on minority communities’ ability to build wealth. Using newly available federal data, this report finds evidence of systemic appraisal bias that undervalues homes in predominantly Black communities in Baltimore City and the surrounding counties.

    Publications Library

    Dual Enrollment in Maryland and Baltimore City

    Understanding which components of dual enrollment programs promote greater access and success for low-income and minority students is a necessary first step in expanding the benefits of dual enrollment programming to all students.

    Expanding Educational Opportunity in Maryland

    An Abell-funded report by the Maryland Center on Economic Policy that examines the role of funding formulas in increasing equity.

    Hope for Hemp? A Misunderstood Plant Prepares for its Comeback

    Hemp offers opportunities for new products, good jobs, and wellness. It can replenish our soils; reduce our dependence on pesticides that harm rivers and streams, the air, and bee populations; and save much needed water, especially as droughts become more common with climate change.

    Safe Consumption Spaces: A Strategy for Baltimore

    In response to unprecedented rates of overdose deaths, enduring morbidities associated with drug use, and the failed war on drugs, there has been increased interest in the U.S. in creative and effective interventions aimed to reduce harm to drug users and the broader community.

    Hospital Community Benefits and Health Care Reform in Maryland

    Community benefit requirements coupled with Maryland’s new hospital payment system provide a powerful incentive for hospitals to invest in new strategies to address community health needs.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.