Baltimore Education Research Consortium
The Baltimore Education Research Consortium (BERC) is a research practice-partnership between institutions of higher education in Maryland, Baltimore City Public Schools, organizations that serve families and children in Baltimore City, and and other civic and community partners.
What we Do
Education Research for the Benefit of Baltimore’s Children and Families
BERC’s mission is to develop and support long- and short-term research-practice partnership projects that address questions of critical importance through the conduct and dissemination of rigorous strategic data analysis and research for the benefit of the children and families of Baltimore City.
Findings from our projects help educational leaders, partners, and other stakeholders be well positioned to move conversations forward, design strategic and practical responses to challenges, advocate for resources, capitalize upon promising practices, and identify levers for positive change.
BERC works collaboratively with partners while maintaining an independent voice and is a highly valued connector of education stakeholders and leaders across Maryland, source of in-depth research expertise, and contributor to the efforts and public conversation surrounding the education of children in our public schools.
Recent Work
BERC Turns 20 (2026)
We’re celebrating our twentieth anniversary all year long. Find out more about our history at our anniversary webpage, and check back for updates.
Do Middle Schoolers Undermatch in High School Choice? (2025)
This study, published by the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice, explores Baltimore City’s high school choice system. It asks whether access to academically selective high schools is driven by student preferences or student performance, given existing research about undermatching in college admissions.
Do Publicly Funded Early Childhood Education Programs Work? (2025)
This study, published in the Early Childhood Education Journal, investigates how two widely-utilized publicly funded early care and education (ECE) programs, public pre-kindergarten and Head Start, are being used in Baltimore. The study explores how differential ECE experiences are associated with children’s kindergarten readiness and on-time grade promotion, especially in communities with concentrated poverty.
Baltimore City Early Care and Education Landscape Analysis (2025)
In this report, a broad coalition of philanthropic and early childhood education partners came together to complete a landscape analysis of the quantity, geographic distribution, and characteristics of early care and education opportunities for children from birth to age five. It offers recommendations for policymakers, advocates, and funders to address gaps and other persistent needs.