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 Report: License to Work

    Thousands of Baltimore jobseekers struggle to secure and retain employment because they do not possess reliable personal transportation. This report examines how barriers, such as driver’s license requirements, vehicle ownership costs, and spatial employment and transit patterns, prevent Baltimore residents from accessing stable employment opportunities.

    Abell Report: Beyond the Headlines

    As the city celebrates historic reductions in gun violence, the media continues to broadcast headlines warning of crime by city youths ages 17 and younger. This report analyzes data available from key entities engaged with crimes charged to young people.

    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.

    Publications Library

    HECM Activity in Baltimore, MD from 2010-2020

    Concerned that the economic distress of the pandemic might lead to an increase in the number of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), the Abell Foundation funded The Reinvestment Fund to do an analysis of HECM originations in Baltimore City.

    Child Care After COVID

    Child care is critical to enabling families to work, to reopening the economy, and to broader community prosperity. This Abell Report asks how we can improve the financing and delivery of child care so that it is more equitable, efficient and effective for low-income families in Baltimore and across the state.

    Reconsidering Teacher Recertification in Maryland

    The teacher recertification process costs significant time and money for individual teachers and the broader public. This Abell Report lays out the process involved, describes the lack of clear outcomes, and asks if there’s a better way.

    Literacy Tutoring in Baltimore

    How can we best support young students who are struggling to read in school? In the context of unprecedented disruptions to our educational system, this Abell Report summarizes the research, documents the current landscape of programs, and offers recommendations.

    Limits on Medical Debt Lawsuits

    Medical debt can be crushing to families and result in lawsuits as hospitals seek to recover their costs. With support from the Abell Foundation, the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition commissioned a study to understand the impacts of prohibiting Maryland hospitals from filing medical debt below a variety of thresholds.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.