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

    Abell Salutes: Astor Court Apartments

    For housing Baltimore City teachers, building community, and setting a model for creative, purpose-built development that is now being adopted nationwide.

    The Double Crisis: A Statistical Report on Rental Housing Costs and Affordability in Baltimore City, 2000-2013

    More than half of Baltimore’s renters live in housing they cannot afford, and the situation is only getting worse.

    The Power of Place: How Housing Policy Can Boost Educational Opportunity

    What if we gave families who wish to do so a chance to send their children to higher performing schools in more affluent neighborhoods?

    Baltimore Urban Affairs Reporting

    Future journalists investigate health care disparities in West Baltimore.

    Justice Diverted: How Renters are Processed in the Baltimore City Rent Court

    An Abell-funded report by Public Justice Center on Baltimore City’s Rent Court.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.