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

    Supporting Executive Function in Schools: A Look at Three Promising Program Models

    Executive Function (EF) is important for success in school and in life. This Abell Report digs into the research on EF and explores three programs operating in Baltimore and nationwide.

    Public Health and Cannabis Legalization

    As Maryland lawmakers consider the legalization of recreational cannabis, this Abell-funded report by the Maryland chapter of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD-Maryland) considers the implications for public health policies. How have other states navigated these policies? What can be learned from their experiences?

    Advancing and Sustaining the Community Health Worker Workforce in Baltimore

    Community Health Workers (CHWs) are frontline public health personnel who are making a difference in Baltimore City. This Abell Report examines funding strategies to sustain their work.

    Protecting Baltimore’s Water Supply from “Forever Chemicals”

    This Abell Report outlines how the federal and state governments can mitigate the threat of “forever chemicals” in our drinking water.

    Cooling Cities, Slowing Climate Change and Enhancing Equity

    With funding from the Abell Foundation, the Smart Surfaces Coalition analyzed the costs and benefits of adopting “smart surfaces” in neighborhoods of Baltimore City where a high proportion of residents have low incomes.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.