In response to the split decision supreme court ruling in 2006 that struck race from consideration in school district reintegration initiatives, CURL has partnered with researchers from the University Of Michigan School of Social Work and St. Louis University School of Public Policy Studies to conduct youth led participatory action research projects with high school students from metro Detroit, metro St. Louis and the Chicago land area.  To that end, the CURL research team works with a cohort of students from Evanston Township High school, a large diverse high school in Evanston, IL, providing the students with training in youth led participatory action research for policy change. 

The curriculum is divided into two modules and lasts the duration of the school year. In the first module students learn mixed methodological approaches to conducting policy research and how to identify and analyze social problems within their communities. In the second module students learn to compile data and to analyze their findings. The initiative culminates with a policy report and the presentation of their work to various stakeholders representing local and national government, community based organizations, their student body and community members for institutional and public policy change.