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.

Featured Reports

Abell Report: Entry and Exit of Baltimore City Teachers Before and After COVID

In 2022, after increasing pressures from the COVID pandemic and a shifting political climate, the nation’s largest teachers’ union warned that over half of teachers were considering exiting the profession. This report investigates whether Baltimore City Schools has experienced changes in teacher supply due to COVID.

Photo by Wide Angle Productions, a social enterprise of Wide Angle Youth Media

2022 Annual Report

Our 2022 Annual Report profiles several of Abell’s grantees, providing a snapshot of the many ways Baltimoreans are working to help their neighbors secure stable housing, better jobs, brighter futures for their children, and for those who need one, a second chance.

Abell-Supported Research: Long-Term Services and Supports in Baltimore

A framework for improving job quality and creating a highly trained direct care and services workforce.

Publications Library

B’more for Healthy Babies: The Story Behind the Data

B’more for Healthy Babies (BHB) is a multidisciplinary public health strategy to improve maternal and child health outcomes. BHB has made a significant difference in Baltimore City, cutting the racial disparity between Black and white infant deaths by more than half. This report explains what has made BHB so effective.

Maryland Offshore Wind: Estimating the Costs and Benefits of Offshore Wind Energy Development

In 2022, Maryland established some of the most ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets of any state. To help guide Maryland in meeting these goals, this report analyzes the potential of additional offshore wind development.

Standing Last in Line: The Hurdles to Bringing Environmental Accountability Lawsuits in Maryland

Our court system is a core component of enforcing environmental protections. But current Maryland law limits who has standing to sue to protect the environment. This report looks at steps the state can take to improve this system.

Costly Delays: Diagnosing and addressing operational delays in Baltimore’s nonprofit contracting process

Baltimore City depends on nonprofits to provide services, particularly in Black and low-income communities. This Abell Report asks what causes the delays in the City’s contracting process with nonprofits and how can those delays be fixed?

Examining the Opportunities and Challenges of the Rental Assistance Demonstration Program in Baltimore

The Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) is designed to preserve public housing and provide the funding necessary for long deferred capital improvements. Has the program achieved those objectives in Baltimore? This Abell Report offers some early assessments.

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    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.