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 teaching profession. More recent national and local work suggests that such evidence in the media is often not supported by administrative data and that…

A small but growing cadre of schools and districts across the nation are turning to interventions rooted in brain science to complement or replace core curricula. Such programs target a related set of cognitive processes, known as executive function (EF), that are key to learning. Executive function skills are essential for planning, executing,…

The Baltimore City Public School System (City Schools) faces a major challenge as more students begin to return to school buildings following the COVID-19 closures. Although City Schools invested in high-quality remote teaching and learning systems, many students have been unable to take full advantage due to lack of technology and challenging…

Every five years, all public school educators in Maryland are required to renew their licenses to teach. This process is meant to ensure that teachers maintain competent practice and engage in career-long learning, development, and growth. Given the ambiguous relationship between licensure renewal and teacher effectiveness in the classroom--and…

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed a number of shortcomings in the nation's social infrastructure, one of which is access to the internet. When school is exclusively online or medical appointments rely principally on telehealth, those without online access are not merely inconvenienced. They are socially excluded, given their limited means to get…

Large numbers of Baltimore households lack two essential tools for getting online: wireline broadband service at home and access to a computer. According to the 2018 American Community Survey, 96,000 households in Baltimore (40.7%) did not have wireline internet service, such as cable, fiber, or digital subscriber line service. And some 75,000…

The lack of a high school diploma both reflects and exacerbates some of the most severe inequities in our society. According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, those with a high school diploma or its equivalent in Baltimore earn about $7,000 more a year than those without one (an estimated $28,396 versus $21,359). The lack of a high…

In this report, Vicki Turetsky, who served as the commissioner for the U.S. office of child support enforcement for nearly eight years, examines the data and finds that it is time for Maryland to reform its child support system. Not only are orders for many low-income parents set unrealistically high, but policies around enforcement and collection…

Throughout Baltimore, men and women, from young adults to older workers, are seeking meaningful employment opportunities that offer family-sustaining wages and support personal well-being. Labor markets are tight, meaning that skilled workers are in great demand, and a unique prospect exists to open doors to quality jobs, particularly for those…

Traditionally defined, Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, include experiences of child maltreatment and other family problems such as domestic violence and parental incarceration. These ACEs are common, frequently co-occur, and are associated with a whole host of negative social outcomes, health risk behaviors, psychiatric and substance use…

Dual enrollment programs offer high school students the chance to enroll in college courses and earn transferable college credit while they are still pursuing a high school diploma. Research shows that dual enrollment participants are more likely to enroll and persist in college, earn higher GPAs during college, and accumulate more college credit.…

Maryland's College and Career Act of 2013 recognized the potential of dual enrollment and called for the expansion of it in the state. According to a December 2016 report to the Maryland General Assembly, however, only 2% of Baltimore City public 12th grade students participated in dual enrollment opportunities in 2015 as compared with a state…

Re-entering society after incarceration presents a formidable set of challenges. In addition to reconnecting with family and community, successful transition after imprisonment requires a person not only to avoid criminal activity, but also to obtain and sustain employment--or continue along an education pathway. Those best able to navigate this…

For youth from distressed communities, the gateway into the juvenile justice system can be the beginning of a treacherous road to adulthood. Recent studies have causally linked juvenile incarceration with higher high school dropout and adult incarceration rates, which have subsequently reduced labor market and social engagement outcomes for a…

Recent studies have causally linked juvenile incarceration with higher high school dropout and adult incarceration rates, which have subsequently reduced labor market and social engagement outcomes for a population that is overwhelmingly represented by minorities. Despite extensive investment and planning by public and private stakeholders in…