In Los Angeles, where the courts can try juveniles as adults at 14, students study what puts young teens on the "juvenile justice track" and what make a prevention programs a good deterrent. In New York City, students at three of the city's international high schools document the work lives of their relatives and friends in a book of interviews and photographs. In rural Maine, young people investigate whether staying physically fit correlates with lower disciplinary referrals in the high school years.

These are just three of the eighteen teams of young action researchers who won grants of up to $4,500 in the fall of 2004 through the Student Research for Action initiative.

Winning projects had to:

Here you will find feature stories about three of these projects and reports and final products from others. Each of these schools participate in another national Gates foundation initiative that supports the conversion of large high schools into small learning communities and the creation of new small schools.

Feature stories

A Study of San Francisco Housing Development South of Market Street
The Build San Francisco Institute, San Francisco, CA
In upscale cities like San Francisco, when a neighborhood becomes "hot," what affordable housing remains can vanish almost entirely.

The Two Sides of San Diego Bay: A Field Guide
High Tech High, San Diego, CA
Though the San Diego Boat Channel has historically been one of the city's most beautiful spots, recent pollution and insufficient upkeep are killing the plant and marine life for which the Channel is home—along with the beauty.

Let Your Voice Be Heard: Students As Partners in Urban School Reform
Indianapolis Public Schools, Indianapolis, IN
As school districts rush to redesign their high schools, they would do well to invite and include the voices of students as integral players. When planners make space for student ideas, experience shows that everyone benefits.

Reports

Obstacles Immigrant Students Face in Attaining Higher Education and the Solutions Small Schools Provide
Bronx International High School, Bronx, NY
For many immigrant students, gaining access to the resources and skills needed to succeed in college can be overwhelming; small schools may give them a leg up.

Will Power: Tackling Obesity in Adolescents
Carrabec High School, North Anson, ME
Obesity among American youth has become a national epidemic. In rural Maine, a group of students hits the weights at dawn and then tracks the results.

Big to Small: What's Gained and Lost As a Comprehensive High School Converts to Small Schools?
Enumclaw Adventure School, Enumclaw, WA
When a thriving comprehensive high school breaks down successfully into small schools, it may still leave some members of the community questioning the change.

New Immigrants in a New School: Documenting Our First Year
Flushing International High School, Flushing, NY
Special schools for new immigrants have been part of the high school reform movement for a decade, and nowhere has this been more true than in New York City, where the number of small international high schools keeps growing.

Creating a Level Playing Field: Fixing the System of Funding Education in Ohio
Glen Este High School, Cincinnati, OH
The formula by which Ohio funds local schools has been declared unconstitutional four times within the last ten years. Students at one Cincinnati high school want to raise awareness around what a more equitable system would involve.

Digging Deep: How Do Neighborhoods Benefit from Community Gardens?
Grant Union High School, Sacramento, CA
Community gardens in urban centers provide not only a green oasis, but also a chance for neighbors of all ages and backgrounds to join in growing fresh produce together.

Forestry Management in Community Open Space
Greely High School, Cumberland, ME
Responsibly cleaning up a forest requires more than a good power saw. It demands a scientific understanding of each tree's lifespan, when it should be cut, and the surrounding ecology; it also calls for an ongoing management plan.

A Photo Essay of New York City Immigrant Workers
International High School at LaGuardia Community College, Manhattan International High School, Brooklyn International High School, New York, NY
Sometimes invisible, working in back kitchens and factory lofts, New York City's immigrant workers have stories to tell, of heartbreak and accomplishment.

Keep Kids Out of Jail!
Los Angeles Leadership Academy, Los Angeles, CA
In California, children under 18 can now be charged as adults if they commit serious felonies, and the state's teenagers are going to jail in record numbers. Keeping teens on track, especially in the poorest neighborhoods, has never been more important.

How to Make a Restaurant More Deaf-Friendly
Minnesota North Star Academy, St. Paul, MN
When we eat out, few of us ever think what it would be like to be deaf and have to order food and negotiate service in a hearing world. There's much to learn about how to make a restaurant more welcoming to deaf customers.

Educating Peers about Healthy Teen Relationships
Mission High School, San Francisco, CA
With almost 900 students, it's nearly impossible for teenagers at Mission High School in San Francisco to steer clear of each other, and many say they do not know how to build healthy relationships.

Get the Lead Out
The Met Sacramento, Sacramento, CA
Even though over 13,000 children in Sacramento County are thought to live in areas that are at high risk for lead poisoning, the community is scarcely aware of the problem and little is being done.

College in the 'Hood?
Withrow High School, Cincinnati, OH
For all too many African American high school students, college seems tragically out of reach. Hearing from African American undergraduates who've successfully made the leap can be both helpful and inspiring.