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

    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.

    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.

    Publications Library

    Overcoming Barriers to Homeownership in Baltimore City

    Could additional first-time homebuyer incentives and more flexibly underwritten loans reverse declining rates of homeownership in Baltimore? The short answer: not alone.

    Baltimore College Fact Book: Data Digest of College Access Outcomes

    With support from the Abell Foundation, the Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) released a College Fact Book, a compendium of college access-related data that provides a detailed overview of Baltimore City Schools (City Schools) students’ experiences preparing for, enrolling in, and completing postsecondary education.

    Reforming Baltimore’s Mayoral Elections

    How can we increase electoral competition, raise participation, and improve political representation?

    The Economic Impact of an Eviction Right to Counsel

    A new report from Stout Risius Ross, LLC (Stout), funded by the Abell Foundation, finds an annual investment of $5.7 million in a right to counsel for Baltimore tenants facing eviction would yield $35.6 million in benefits to Baltimore City and the State of Maryland.

    Baltimore’s Digital Divide: Gaps in Internet Connectivity and the Impact on Low-income City Residents

    This Abell Report documents the depths of Baltimore’s digital divide, a systemic problem that is now urgent and acute as it creates barriers to remote learning, telehealth appointments, and applying for jobs and benefits.

    Header photo courtesy of Venture for America.