Child marriage, or “any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the parties are under 18 years of age,” is a human rights violation and must be stopped. What strategies to end child marriage have been the most impactful thus far? Moving forward, how can/should organizations dedicated to ending child marriage refocus their efforts? Is there opportunity for them to work more collaboratively?

This paper explores the causes, impacts, and attempted solutions of literacy development and the literacy achievement gap between students from historically underrepresented ethnic groups and students from other ethnic groups. It details the plan for a study that would research features in literacy programs and how they affect this achievement gap, as well as how effective these features are in addressing the literacy achievement gap. This research aimed to discover reading programs that can help decrease this achievement gap in the Palo Alto Unified School District. It found that the best feature of a reading program is the student being able to choose their own books, and reading with an older mentor is also a beneficial feature, while having students read a digital book on their own is not beneficial to decreasing this achievement gap.

While the discussion of mental health is becoming increasingly normalized, it can still be a sensitive topic. Gunn High School offers many resources and programs that promote mental health awareness. However, according to the Wellness Center at school, many students still refrain from discussing their mental health issues, such as anxiety, stress, or depression, with professionals. But why? The purpose of this project is to find the main reasons why students choose not to talk to professionals through an anonymous survey. Based on the survey results, possible solutions or new programs can be developed to encourage more students to open up about their mental health.

This project aims to investigate behavioral tactics and best practices for peer relationships between students in general education and students in special education at Palo Alto High School. Through action and needs-assessment research, a resource packet will be compiled of best practices discovered by conducting co-teacher and special education professional interviews. This resource will then be sent to students at Paly and evaluated through a survey. The overarching goal is for students to read this resource and feel more comfortable/prepared to interact with any peer they might have in a future classroom.

Numerous studies have shown that students who learn musical instruments perform better at certain executive functioning tests. At the same time, schools in low-income neighborhoods are cutting their art and music programs due to a lack of funding. This research project aims to answer whether the disparity in access to music education between low-income and wealthy students affects the achievement gap.

This research project answers the question: To what extent is there a gender gap in sports leadership (coaches) and athletic participation (student-athletes) in Palo Alto, and how do the reasons that girls start and stop playing organized sports differ from boys? In this study of Palo Alto high school students, quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a survey to determine how long they participated in sports, the reasons they started/stopped participating, the gender of their coaches, and whether they had a conscious preference for the gender of their coaches. According to the data collected from the sample, it was generally found that (1) girls participate in sports for less seasons than boys, (2) girls start playing sports later than boys, (3) the reasons that girls start/stop playing sports are similar to those of boys, (4) girls and boys had significantly more male coaches than female coaches, and this difference was more pronounced for boys coaches than girls coaches, and (5) girls and boys had no conscious preference for the gender of their coach–but those who did generally preferred a coach of the same gender.

There is a problem in Native American Reservations and their living conditions. Despite the Indian Housing Authority’s efforts, there are 90,000 under housed or homeless Native Americans. The Pine Ridge Reservation is 2,000,000 acres. Pine Ridge is the site of many events, they mark history between the Sioux and The United States. The project will include having a donation drive. Anyone can donate clothes (new or gently used) and school supplies.

Although there has been extensive research on the detrimental impacts of not maintaining a healthy circadian rhythm on physical wellbeing and academic excellence, many are unaware of the prevalence of such issues. Especially during an unprecedented time like this, it is important to prioritize our health and wellbeing. Through extensive data gathering, I was able to obtain results that show the drastic and unhealthy change in sleep health among local high schoolers during this time.

Over the past few decades, the shoe market has become one of the hardest markets to break through. Mega-companies such as Adidas and Nike have become so large that they crush out any new opposition, resulting in a monopoly. Many times, these top brands don’t necessarily have the highest quality or best looking shoe, but still manage to make the most profit, raising the question of why the top brands remain at the top? This project aims to answer this question and help other shoe companies.

This research study is aiming to determine whether social media has any negative effects on teenagers' perceptions of what healthy relationships are. It is important that teenagers understand what healthy and unhealthy relationships are so they can keep themselves and their peers safe. By hosting workshops and administering pre- and post-workshop surveys, the study will collect qualitative data about student social media usage and their understanding of healthy relationships.