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

    Abell Reports: Police-Community Relations in Baltimore

    In 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a consent decree for the Baltimore Police Department, mandating wide-ranging reforms. In a pair of companion reports, researchers from the University of Maryland examine the current state of community-police relations and how certain initiatives could help to improve them.

    Abell-Supported Research: Assessment of Maryland’s Need for Eviction Prevention Funds and the Estimated Fiscal Impact

    Eviction prevention programs, which cover up to three months of past-due rent, are a cost-effective way to stabilize families, pay landlords, and reduce costs to the state. This report examines two different scenarios that would prevent disruptive displacements.

    Abell Report: the Trouble with STRIDE

    Ten years ago, Maryland’s legislature passed a bill to expedite utilities’ replacement of their natural gas pipes in the name of safety. Since then, Maryland has adopted ambitious climate goals that will require the near elimination of natural gas use in homes by 2045. Yet the state continues to allow utilities to invest billions in replacing pipes, which consumers will have to pay for — with a profit for the utilities — for decades to come.

    Publications Library

    “Chartering” Maryland’s Future

    Is there an expanded role for national Charter Management Organizations in our schools?

    An Analysis of Recidivism Following Reentry Mediation

    An evaluation of Community Mediation Maryland’s Reentry Mediation program and its effects on recidivism.

    Landscaping Baltimore’s STEM Ecosystem

    A report by the Maryland Out-of-School Time Network on opportunities for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming in Baltimore City.

    The Steep Price of Paying to Stay

    Baltimore City’s tax sale, the risks to vulnerable homeowners, and strategies to improve the process.

    The Role of Immigrants in Growing Baltimore

    Recommendations to retain and attract new Americans: a report by the Mayor’s New Americans Task Force.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.